[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5358-H5370]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS AND OTHER MATTERS ACT, 2025

  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1430, I call up 
the bill (H.R. 9494) making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 
2025, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration 
in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1430, the 
amendment printed in part D of House Report 118-656 is adopted, and the 
bill, as amended, is considered read.
  The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows:

                               H.R. 9494

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Continuing Appropriations 
     and Other Matters Act, 2025''.

     SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
Sec. 3. References.

            DIVISION A--CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2025

                          DIVISION B--SAVE ACT

Sec. 201. Short title.
Sec. 202. Ensuring only citizens are registered to vote in elections 
              for Federal office.
Sec. 203. Election assistance commission guidance.
Sec. 204. Inapplicability of paperwork reduction act.
Sec. 205. Duty of secretary of homeland security to notify election 
              officials of naturalization.
Sec. 206. Rule of construction regarding provisional ballots.
Sec. 207. Rule of construction regarding effect on state exemptions 
              from other Federal laws.
Sec. 208. Effective date.

     SEC. 3. REFERENCES.

       Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference to 
     ``this Act'' contained in any division of this Act shall be 
     treated as referring only to the provisions of that division.

            DIVISION A--CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2025

        The following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any 
     money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of 
     applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, 
     for the several departments, agencies, corporations, and 
     other organizational units of Government for fiscal year 
     2025, and for other purposes, namely:
       Sec. 101.  Such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for 
     operations as provided in the applicable appropriations Acts 
     for fiscal year 2024 and under the authority and conditions 
     provided in such Acts, for continuing projects or activities 
     (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) 
     that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Act, 
     that were conducted in fiscal year 2024, and for which 
     appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available 
     in the following appropriations Acts:
       (1) The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
     Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 
     (division B of Public Law 118-42).
       (2) The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies 
     Appropriations Act, 2024 (division C of Public Law 118-42).
       (3) The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2024 
     (division A of Public Law 118-47).
       (4) The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies 
     Appropriations Act, 2024 (division D of Public Law 118-42).
       (5) The Financial Services and General Government 
     Appropriations Act, 2024 (division B of Public Law 118-47), 
     except section 637.
       (6) The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 
     2024 (division C of Public Law 118-47), except section 
     546(e).
       (7) The Department of the Interior, Environment, and 
     Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 (division E of 
     Public Law 118-42), except section 447.
       (8) The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, 
     and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 
     (division D of Public Law 118-47).
       (9) The Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2024 
     (division E of Public Law 118-47), except the matter under 
     the heading ``Joint Items--Joint Congressional Committee on 
     Inaugural Ceremonies of 2025'', and section 7 in the matter 
     preceding division A of Public Law 118-47.
       (10) The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and 
     Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 (division A of 
     Public Law 118-42), except section 259.
       (11) The Department of State, Foreign Operations, and 
     Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (division F of 
     Public Law 118-47), except section 7075(a).
       (12) The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and 
     Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 (division F of 
     Public Law 118-42).
       Sec. 102. (a) No appropriation or funds made available or 
     authority granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department 
     of Defense shall be used for:
       (1) the new production of items not funded for production 
     in fiscal year 2024 or prior years;
       (2) the increase in production rates above those sustained 
     with fiscal year 2024 funds; or
       (3) the initiation, resumption, or continuation of any 
     project, activity, operation, or organization (defined as any 
     project, subproject, activity, budget activity, program 
     element, and subprogram within a program element, and for any 
     investment items defined as a P-1 line item in a budget 
     activity within an appropriation account and an R-1 line item 
     that includes a program element and subprogram element within 
     an appropriation account) for which appropriations, funds, or 
     other authority were not available during fiscal year 2024.
       (b) No appropriation or funds made available or authority 
     granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department of Defense 
     shall be used to initiate multi-year procurements utilizing 
     advance procurement funding for economic order quantity 
     procurement unless specifically appropriated later.

[[Page H5359]]

       Sec. 103.  Appropriations made by section 101 shall be 
     available to the extent and in the manner that would be 
     provided by the pertinent appropriations Act.
       Sec. 104.  Except as otherwise provided in section 102, no 
     appropriation or funds made available or authority granted 
     pursuant to section 101 shall be used to initiate or resume 
     any project or activity for which appropriations, funds, or 
     other authority were not available during fiscal year 2024.
       Sec. 105.  Appropriations made and authority granted 
     pursuant to this Act shall cover all obligations or 
     expenditures incurred for any project or activity during the 
     period for which funds or authority for such project or 
     activity are available under this Act.
       Sec. 106.  Unless otherwise provided for in this Act or in 
     the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2025, 
     appropriations and funds made available and authority granted 
     pursuant to this Act shall be available until whichever of 
     the following first occurs:
       (1) The enactment into law of an appropriation for any 
     project or activity provided for in this Act.
       (2) The enactment into law of the applicable appropriations 
     Act for fiscal year 2025 without any provision for such 
     project or activity.
       (3) March 28, 2025.
       Sec. 107.  Expenditures made pursuant to this Act shall be 
     charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, or 
     authorization whenever a bill in which such applicable 
     appropriation, fund, or authorization is contained is enacted 
     into law.
       Sec. 108.  Appropriations made and funds made available by 
     or authority granted pursuant to this Act may be used without 
     regard to the time limitations for submission and approval of 
     apportionments set forth in section 1513 of title 31, United 
     States Code, but nothing in this Act may be construed to 
     waive any other provision of law governing the apportionment 
     of funds.
       Sec. 109.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, 
     except section 106, for those programs that would otherwise 
     have high initial rates of operation or complete distribution 
     of appropriations at the beginning of fiscal year 2025 
     because of distributions of funding to States, foreign 
     countries, grantees, or others, such high initial rates of 
     operation or complete distribution shall not be made, and no 
     grants shall be awarded for such programs funded by this Act 
     that would impinge on final funding prerogatives.
       Sec. 110.  This Act shall be implemented so that only the 
     most limited funding action of that permitted in the Act 
     shall be taken in order to provide for continuation of 
     projects and activities.
       Sec. 111. (a) For entitlements and other mandatory payments 
     whose budget authority was provided in appropriations Acts 
     for fiscal year 2024, and for activities under the Food and 
     Nutrition Act of 2008, activities shall be continued at the 
     rate to maintain program levels under current law, under the 
     authority and conditions provided in the applicable 
     appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024, to be continued 
     through the date specified in section 106(3).
       (b) Notwithstanding section 106, obligations for mandatory 
     payments due on or about the first day of any month that 
     begins after October 2024, but not later than 30 days after 
     the date specified in section 106(3) may continue to be made, 
     and funds shall be available for such payments.
       Sec. 112.  Amounts made available under section 101 for 
     civilian personnel compensation and benefits in each 
     department and agency may be apportioned up to the rate for 
     operations necessary to avoid furloughs within such 
     department or agency, consistent with the applicable 
     appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024, except that such 
     authority provided under this section shall not be used until 
     after the department or agency has taken all necessary 
     actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related 
     administrative expenses.
       Sec. 113.  Funds appropriated by this Act may be obligated 
     and expended notwithstanding section 10 of Public Law 91-672 
     (22 U.S.C. 2412), section 15 of the State Department Basic 
     Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2680), section 313 of the 
     Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 
     1995 (22 U.S.C. 6212), and section 504(a)(1) of the National 
     Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3094(a)(1)).
       Sec. 114. (a) Each amount incorporated by reference in this 
     Act that was previously designated by the Congress as an 
     emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of 
     the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 
     or as being for disaster relief pursuant to section 
     251(b)(2)(D) of such Act is designated by the Congress as an 
     emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of 
     such Act or as being for disaster relief pursuant to section 
     251(b)(2)(D) of such Act, respectively.
       (b) Section 6 of Public Laws 118-42 and 118-47 shall apply 
     to amounts designated in subsection (a) and in sections 130 
     and 146 of this Act as an emergency requirement.
       (c) Each amount incorporated by reference in this Act that 
     was previously designated by the Congress as an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget 
     shall continue to be treated as amounts specified in section 
     103(b) of division A of Public Law 118-5.
       (d) This section shall become effective immediately upon 
     enactment of this Act, and shall remain in effect through the 
     date in section 106(3).
       Sec. 115. (a) Rescissions or cancellations of discretionary 
     budget authority that continue pursuant to section 101 in 
     Treasury Appropriations Fund Symbols (TAFS)--
       (1) to which other appropriations are not provided by this 
     Act, but for which there is a current applicable TAFS that 
     does receive an appropriation in this Act; or
       (2) which are no-year TAFS and receive other appropriations 
     in this Act, may be continued instead by reducing the rate 
     for operations otherwise provided by section 101 for such 
     current applicable TAFS, as long as doing so does not impinge 
     on the final funding prerogatives of the Congress.
       (b) Rescissions or cancellations described in subsection 
     (a) shall continue in an amount equal to the lesser of--
       (1) the amount specified for rescission or cancellation in 
     the applicable appropriations Act referenced in section 101 
     of this Act; or
       (2) the amount of balances available, as of October 1, 
     2024, from the funds specified for rescission or cancellation 
     in the applicable appropriations Act referenced in section 
     101 of this Act.
       (c) No later than November 18, 2024, the Director of the 
     Office of Management and Budget shall provide to the 
     Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
     and the Senate a comprehensive list of the rescissions or 
     cancellations that will continue pursuant to section 101: 
     Provided, That the information in such comprehensive list 
     shall be periodically updated to reflect any subsequent 
     changes in the amount of balances available, as of October 1, 
     2024, from the funds specified for rescission or cancellation 
     in the applicable appropriations Act referenced in section 
     101, and such updates shall be transmitted to the Committees 
     on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 
     Senate upon request.
       Sec. 116.  In addition to amounts otherwise provided by 
     section 101, there is appropriated to the Department of 
     Defense for ``Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy'', 
     $1,950,000,000, for an additional amount for fiscal year 
     2025, to remain available until September 30, 2029, for the 
     Virginia Class Submarine program.
       Sec. 117.  Notwithstanding sections 101 and 104, amounts 
     provided by section 101 for ``Corps of Engineers--Civil--
     Operation and Maintenance'' may be used up to an amount not 
     to exceed $37,600,000, adjusted for inflation beginning 
     August 1, 2024, as compensation for reserving and operating 
     3.6 million acre-feet of pre-planned flood storage at Hugh 
     Keenleyside Dam to minimize the flood risk in the Columbia 
     River Basin in the United States.
       Sec. 118. (a) Funds made available by section 101 for 
     ``Department of Energy--Atomic Energy Defense Activities--
     Environmental and Other Defense Activities--Other Defense 
     Activities'' may be apportioned up to the rate for operations 
     necessary to sustain specialized security activities.
       (b) The Secretary of Energy shall notify the Committees on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate 
     not later than 3 days after each use of the authority 
     provided in subsection (a).
       Sec. 119.  Notwithstanding section 101, the matter under 
     the heading ``Election Assistance Commission-- Election 
     Security Grants'' in division B of Public Law 118-47 shall be 
     applied by substituting ``$0'' for ``$55,000,000''.
       Sec. 120. (a) Notwithstanding section 101, for ``General 
     Services Administration--Expenses, Presidential Transition'', 
     there is appropriated $10,202,314, for necessary expenses to 
     carry out the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (Public Law 
     88-277), as amended, of which $6,971,863 is available for 
     activities authorized by sections 3(a)(1) through 3(a)(7) and 
     3(a)(10) of such Act; $2,730,451 is available for activities 
     authorized by section 5 of such Act; and not to exceed 
     $500,000 is available for activities authorized by sections 
     3(a)(8) and 3(a)(9) of such Act: Provided, That such amounts 
     may be transferred and credited to the ``Acquisition Services 
     Fund'' or the ``Federal Buildings Fund'' to reimburse 
     obligations incurred prior to enactment of this Act for the 
     purposes provided herein related to the Presidential election 
     in 2024: Provided further, That amounts available under this 
     section shall be in addition to any other amounts available 
     for such purposes.
       (b) Notwithstanding section 101, no funds are provided by 
     this Act for ``General Services Administration--Pre-Election 
     Presidential Transition''.
       Sec. 121.  In addition to amounts otherwise provided by 
     section 101, amounts are provided for ``District of 
     Columbia--Federal Payment for Emergency Planning and Security 
     Costs in the District of Columbia'' at a rate for operations 
     of $47,000,000, for an additional amount for costs associated 
     with the Presidential Inauguration to be held in January 
     2025: Provided, That such amounts may be apportioned up to 
     the rate for operations necessary to maintain emergency 
     planning and security activities relating to such 
     Presidential Inauguration.
       Sec. 122.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, 
     except section 106, the District of Columbia may expend local 
     funds made available under the heading ``District of 
     Columbia--District of Columbia Funds'' for such programs and 
     activities under the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 
     2024 (title IV of division B of Public Law 118-47) at the 
     rate set forth in the Fiscal Year 2025 Local Budget Act of 
     2024 (D.C. Act 25-501), as modified as of the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.
       Sec. 123.  Notwithstanding section 101, for ``Executive 
     Office of the President and Funds

[[Page H5360]]

     Appropriated to the President--Office of Administration--
     Presidential Transition Administrative Support'', there is 
     appropriated $8,000,000, for expenses necessary to carry out 
     the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 and other similar 
     expenses: Provided, That such funds may be transferred to 
     other accounts that provide funding for offices within the 
     Executive Office of the President and the Office of the Vice 
     President in this Act or any other Act, to carry out such 
     purposes: Provided further, That such amounts may be 
     apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to carry 
     out such responsibilities.
       Sec. 124.  Notwithstanding section 106, for the duration of 
     fiscal year 2025, amounts made available under section 
     601(f)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 801(f)(3)) 
     shall be available for any necessary expenses of the 
     Department of the Treasury Office of Inspector General with 
     respect to section 601 of that Act, subtitle A of title V of 
     division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, or 
     section 3201 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, in 
     addition to amounts otherwise available for such purposes.
       Sec. 125.  Notwithstanding section 101, the second proviso 
     under the heading ``Office of Personnel Management--Salaries 
     and Expenses'' in title V of division B of Public Law 118-47 
     shall be applied by substituting ``$204,975,000'' for 
     ``$192,975,000''.
       Sec. 126. (a) Notwithstanding section 101, section 747 of 
     title VII of division B of Public Law 118-47 shall be applied 
     during the period covered by this Act by--
       (1) substituting ``2026'' for ``2025'';
       (2) substituting ``2025'' for ``2024'' each place it 
     appears;
       (3) substituting ``2024'' for ``2023'' each place it 
     appears; and
       (4) substituting ``section 747 of title VII of division B 
     of Public Law 118-47, as in effect on September 30, 2024'' 
     for ``section 747 of division E of Public Law 117-328'' each 
     place it appears.
       (b) Subsection (a) shall not take effect until the first 
     day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after 
     January 1, 2025.
       Sec. 127.  Notwithstanding section 104, amounts provided by 
     section 101 to the Department of Homeland Security for 
     ``Coast Guard--Procurement, Construction, and Improvements'' 
     may be used for closeout costs relating to the C-27J 
     missionization program.
       Sec. 128.  During the period covered by this Act, section 
     11223(b)(2) of division K of Public Law 117-263 shall be 
     applied by substituting ``shall not apply'' for ``shall 
     apply''.
       Sec. 129.  Amounts made available by section 101 to the 
     Department of Homeland Security under the heading ``Federal 
     Emergency Management Agency--Disaster Relief Fund'' may be 
     apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to carry 
     out response and recovery activities under the Robert T. 
     Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
     U.S.C. 5121 et seq.).
       Sec. 130.  In addition to amounts otherwise provided by 
     section 101, for ``Federal Emergency Management Agency--
     Disaster Relief Fund'', there is appropriated 
     $10,000,000,000, for an additional amount for fiscal year 
     2025, to remain available until expended, of which 
     $9,500,000,000 shall be for major disasters declared pursuant 
     to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
     Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.): Provided, That such 
     amount is designated by the Congress as being for an 
     emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of 
     the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
     1985.
       Sec. 131.  Amounts provided by section 101 to the 
     Department of Homeland Security for ``United States Secret 
     Service--Operations and Support'' may be apportioned up to 
     the rate for operations necessary to carry out protective 
     operations, including activities related to National Special 
     Security Events and the 2024 Presidential Campaign.
       Sec. 132.  In addition to amounts otherwise provided by 
     section 101, amounts are provided for ``Department of the 
     Interior--National Park Service--Operation of the National 
     Park System'' at a rate for operations of $5,000,000, for an 
     additional amount for security and visitor safety activities 
     related to the Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies.
       Sec. 133.  During the period covered by this Act, section 
     113 of division G of Public Law 113-76, as amended by Public 
     Law 116-6, shall be applied by substituting ``2025'' for 
     ``2024''.
       Sec. 134.  During the period covered by this Act, section 
     8206(b)(2)(C)(ii) of the Agriculture Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 
     2113a(b)(2)(C)(ii)) shall be applied by substituting the date 
     that is 1 day after the date specified in section 106(3) of 
     this Act for ``October 1, 2024''.
       Sec. 135. (a) In addition to amounts otherwise provided by 
     section 101, amounts are provided for ``Department of Health 
     and Human Services--Indian Health Service--Indian Health 
     Services'' at a rate for operations of $24,262,000, for an 
     additional amount for costs of staffing and operating 
     facilities that were opened, renovated, or expanded in fiscal 
     years 2024 and 2025, and such amounts may be apportioned up 
     to the rate for operations necessary to staff and operate 
     such facilities.
       (b) In addition to amounts otherwise provided by section 
     101, amounts are provided for ``Department of Health and 
     Human Services--Indian Health Service--Indian Health 
     Facilities'' at a rate for operations of $2,060,000, for an 
     additional amount for costs of staffing and operating 
     facilities that were opened, renovated, or expanded in fiscal 
     years 2024 and 2025, and such amounts may be apportioned up 
     to the rate for operations necessary to staff and operate 
     such facilities.
       Sec. 136.  Amounts provided by section 101 for ``Department 
     of Agriculture--Forest Service--Wildland Fire Management'' 
     may be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary 
     for wildfire suppression activities.
       Sec. 137.  Amounts made available by section 101 for 
     ``Domestic Food Programs--Food and Nutrition Service--
     Commodity Assistance Program'' may be apportioned up to the 
     rate for operations necessary to maintain current program 
     caseload in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
       Sec. 138.  Amounts provided by section 101 for ``Rural 
     Housing Service--Rural Community Facilities Program Account'' 
     may be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to 
     maintain activities as authorized by section 306 and 
     described in section 381E(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and 
     Rural Development Act.
       Sec. 139.  Amounts made available by section 101 for ``Farm 
     Service Agency--Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program 
     Account'' may be apportioned up to the rate for operations 
     necessary to accommodate approved applications for direct and 
     guaranteed farm ownership loans, as authorized by 7 U.S.C. 
     1922 et seq.
       Sec. 140.  Section 260 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 
     1946 (7 U.S.C. 1636i) and section 942 of the Livestock 
     Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 (7 U.S.C. 1635 note; Public 
     Law 106-78) shall be applied by substituting the date 
     specified in section 106(3) of this Act for ``September 30, 
     2024''.
       Sec. 141.  Amounts made available by section 101 for 
     ``Domestic Food Programs--Food and Nutrition Service--Special 
     Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and 
     Children (WIC)'' may be apportioned at the rate for 
     operations necessary to maintain participation.
       Sec. 142.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     joint resolution, there is appropriated:
       (1) For payment to Beatrice Y. Payne, widow of Donald M. 
     Payne, Jr., late a Representative from the State of New 
     Jersey, $174,000.
       (2) For payment to the heirs at law of Sheila Jackson Lee, 
     late a Representative from the State of Texas, $174,000.
       (3) For payment to Elsie M. Pascrell, widow of William 
     Pascrell, Jr., late a Representative from the State of New 
     Jersey, $174,000.
       Sec. 143.  Notwithstanding section 101, section 126 of 
     division A of Public Law 118-42 shall be applied by 
     substituting ``fiscal year 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020'' for 
     ``fiscal year 2017, 2018, and 2019''.
       Sec. 144. (a) Amounts made available by section 101 for 
     ``Veterans Health Administration--Medical Services'' may be 
     apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to 
     maintain current program operations including inpatient and 
     outpatient care and treatment to beneficiaries of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs and veterans described in 
     section 1705(a) of title 38, United States Code.
       (b) Amounts made available by section 101 for ``Veterans 
     Health Administration--Medical Support and Compliance'' may 
     be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to 
     maintain administration of medical, hospital, nursing home, 
     domiciliary, supply, construction and research activities 
     authorized by law.
       Sec. 145.  Amounts provided by section 101 for ``Department 
     of Transportation--Office of the Secretary--Payments to Air 
     Carriers'' may be apportioned up to the rate for operations 
     necessary to maintain Essential Air Service program 
     operations.
       Sec. 146.  Notwithstanding section 106 of this Act, for the 
     duration of fiscal year 2025, the Secretary of Housing and 
     Urban Development may use the unobligated balances of amounts 
     made available in prior fiscal years in the second paragraph 
     under the heading ``Department of Housing and Urban 
     Development--Public and Indian Housing--Tenant-Based Rental 
     Assistance'' to support additional allocations under 
     subparagraph (D) of paragraph (1) and subparagraph (B) of 
     paragraph (4) of such heading to prevent the termination of 
     rental assistance for families as a result of insufficient 
     funding in the calendar year 2024 funding cycle: Provided, 
     That amounts repurposed pursuant to this section that were 
     previously designated by the Congress as an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget 
     or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
     1985 are designated by the Congress as being for an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the 
     Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985: 
     Provided further, That such amounts shall be available only 
     if the President designates such amounts as an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i).
       Sec. 147. (a) Sections 1309(a) and 1319 of the National 
     Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4016(a) and 4026) 
     shall be applied by substituting the date specified in 
     section 106(3) of this Act for ``September 30, 2024''.
       (b)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), this section shall become 
     effective immediately upon enactment of this Act.
       (2) If this Act is enacted after September 30, 2024, this 
     section shall be applied as if it were in effect on September 
     30, 2024.

                          DIVISION B--SAVE ACT

     SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.

       This division may be cited as the ``Safeguard American 
     Voter Eligibility Act'' or the ``SAVE Act''.

[[Page H5361]]

  


     SEC. 202. ENSURING ONLY CITIZENS ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN 
                   ELECTIONS FOR FEDERAL OFFICE.

       (a) Definition of Documentary Proof of United States 
     Citizenship.--Section 3 of the National Voter Registration 
     Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20502) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``as used'' and inserting ``(a) In 
     General.--As used''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(b) Documentary Proof of United States Citizenship.--As 
     used in this Act, the term `documentary proof of United 
     States citizenship' means, with respect to an applicant for 
     voter registration, any of the following:
       ``(1) A form of identification issued consistent with the 
     requirements of the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates the 
     applicant is a citizen of the United States.
       ``(2) A valid United States passport.
       ``(3) The applicant's official United States military 
     identification card, together with a United States military 
     record of service showing that the applicant's place of birth 
     was in the United States.
       ``(4) A valid government-issued photo identification card 
     issued by a Federal, State or Tribal government showing that 
     the applicant's place of birth was in the United States.
       ``(5) A valid government-issued photo identification card 
     issued by a Federal, State or Tribal government other than an 
     identification described in paragraphs (1) through (4), but 
     only if presented together with one or more of the following:
       ``(A) A certified birth certificate issued by a State, a 
     unit of local government in a State, or a Tribal government 
     which--
       ``(i) was issued by the State, unit of local government, or 
     Tribal government in which the applicant was born;
       ``(ii) was filed with the office responsible for keeping 
     vital records in the State;
       ``(iii) includes the full name, date of birth, and place of 
     birth of the applicant;
       ``(iv) lists the full names of one or both of the parents 
     of the applicant;
       ``(v) has the signature of an individual who is authorized 
     to sign birth certificates on behalf of the State, unit of 
     local government, or Tribal government in which the applicant 
     was born;
       ``(vi) includes the date that the certificate was filed 
     with the office responsible for keeping vital records in the 
     State; and
       ``(vii) has the seal of the State, unit of local 
     government, or Tribal government that issued the birth 
     certificate.
       ``(B) An extract from a United States hospital Record of 
     Birth created at the time of the applicant's birth which 
     indicates that the applicant's place of birth was in the 
     United States.
       ``(C) A final adoption decree showing the applicant's name 
     and that the applicant's place of birth was in the United 
     States.
       ``(D) A Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a citizen of the 
     United States or a certification of the applicant's Report of 
     Birth of a United States citizen issued by the Secretary of 
     State.
       ``(E) A Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of 
     Citizenship issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security or 
     any other document or method of proof of United States 
     citizenship issued by the Federal government pursuant to the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act.
       ``(F) An American Indian Card issued by the Department of 
     Homeland Security with the classification `KIC'.''.
       (b) In General.--Section 4 of the National Voter 
     Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20503) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``subsection (b)'' and 
     inserting ``subsection (c)'';
       (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and
       (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(b) Requiring Applicants To Present Documentary Proof of 
     United States Citizenship.--Under any method of voter 
     registration in a State, the State shall not accept and 
     process an application to register to vote in an election for 
     Federal office unless the applicant presents documentary 
     proof of United States citizenship with the application.''.
       (c) Registration With Application for Motor Vehicle 
     Driver's License.--Section 5 of the National Voter 
     Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20504) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``Each State motor 
     vehicle driver's license application'' and inserting 
     ``Subject to the requirements under section 8(j), each State 
     motor vehicle driver's license application'';
       (2) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ``Each State shall 
     include'' and inserting ``Subject to the requirements under 
     section 8(j), each State shall include'';
       (3) in subsection (c)(2)(B)--
       (A) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) in clause (ii), by adding ``and'' at the end; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following new clause:
       ``(iii) verify that the applicant is a citizen of the 
     United States;'';
       (4) in subsection (c)(2)(C)(i), by striking ``(including 
     citizenship)'' and inserting ``, including the requirement 
     that the applicant provides documentary proof of United 
     States citizenship''; and
       (5) in subsection (c)(2)(D)(iii), by striking ``; and'' and 
     inserting the following: ``, other than as evidence in a 
     criminal proceeding or immigration proceeding brought against 
     an applicant who knowingly attempts to register to vote and 
     knowingly makes a false declaration under penalty of perjury 
     that the applicant meets the eligibility requirements to 
     register to vote in an election for Federal office; and''.
       (d) Requiring Documentary Proof of United States 
     Citizenship With National Mail Voter Registration Form.--
     Section 6 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 
     U.S.C. 20505) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(1)--
       (A) by striking ``Each State shall accept and use'' and 
     inserting ``Subject to the requirements under section 8(j), 
     each State shall accept and use''; and
       (B) by striking ``Federal Election Commission'' and 
     inserting ``Election Assistance Commission'';
       (2) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following: 
     ``The chief State election official of a State shall take 
     such steps as may be necessary to ensure that residents of 
     the State are aware of the requirement to provide documentary 
     proof of United States citizenship to register to vote in 
     elections for Federal office in the State.'';
       (3) in subsection (c)(1)--
       (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) in subparagraph (B) by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
       ``(C) the person did not provide documentary proof of 
     United States citizenship when registering to vote.''; and
       (4) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(e) Ensuring Proof of United States Citizenship.--
       ``(1) Presenting proof of united states citizenship to 
     election official.--An applicant who submits the mail voter 
     registration application form prescribed by the Election 
     Assistance Commission pursuant to section 9(a)(2) or a form 
     described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) shall not 
     be registered to vote in an election for Federal office 
     unless--
       ``(A) the applicant presents documentary proof of United 
     States citizenship in person to the office of the appropriate 
     election official not later than the deadline provided by 
     State law for the receipt of a completed voter registration 
     application for the election; or
       ``(B) in the case of a State which permits an individual to 
     register to vote in an election for Federal office at a 
     polling place on the day of the election and on any day when 
     voting, including early voting, is permitted for the 
     election, the applicant presents documentary proof of United 
     States citizenship to the appropriate election official at 
     the polling place not later than the date of the election.
       ``(2) Notification of requirement.--Upon receiving an 
     otherwise completed mail voter registration application form 
     prescribed by the Election Assistance Commission pursuant to 
     section 9(a)(2) or a form described in paragraph (1) or (2) 
     of subsection (a), the appropriate election official shall 
     transmit a notice to the applicant of the requirement to 
     present documentary proof of United States citizenship under 
     this subsection, and shall include in the notice instructions 
     to enable the applicant to meet the requirement.
       ``(3) Accessibility.--Each State shall, in consultation 
     with the Election Assistance Commission, ensure that 
     reasonable accommodations are made to allow an individual 
     with a disability who submits the mail voter registration 
     application form prescribed by the Election Assistance 
     Commission pursuant to section 9(a)(2) or a form described in 
     paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) to present documentary 
     proof of United States citizenship to the appropriate 
     election official.''.
       (e) Requirements for Voter Registration Agencies.--Section 
     7 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 
     20506) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in paragraph (4)(A), by adding at the end the following 
     new clause:
       ``(iv) Receipt of documentary proof of United States 
     citizenship of each applicant to register to vote in 
     elections for Federal office in the State.''; and
       (B) in paragraph (6)--
       (i) in subparagraph (A)(i)(I), by striking ``(including 
     citizenship)'' and inserting ``, including the requirement 
     that the applicant provides documentary proof of United 
     States citizenship'';
       (ii) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C); 
     and
       (iii) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new 
     subparagraph:
       ``(B) ask the applicant the question, `Are you a citizen of 
     the United States?' and if the applicant answers in the 
     affirmative require documentary proof of United States 
     citizenship prior to providing the form under subparagraph 
     (C);''; and
       (2) in subsection (c)(1), by inserting ``who are citizens 
     of the United States'' after ``for persons''.
       (f) Requirements With Respect to Administration of Voter 
     Registration.--Section 8 of the National Voter Registration 
     Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20507) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by striking ``In the administration of voter 
     registration'' and inserting ``Subject to the requirements of 
     subsection (j), in the administration of voter 
     registration''; and
       (B) in paragraph (3)--
       (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``or'' at the end; and

[[Page H5362]]

       (ii) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
       ``(D) based on documentary proof or verified information 
     that the registrant is not a United States citizen; or
       ``(E) the registration otherwise fails to comply with 
     applicable State law;'';
       (2) by redesignating subsection (j) as subsection (l); and
       (3) by inserting after subsection (i) the following new 
     subsections:
       ``(j) Ensuring Only Citizens Are Registered To Vote.--
       ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
     this Act, a State may not register an individual to vote in 
     elections for Federal office held in the State unless, at the 
     time the individual applies to register to vote, the 
     individual provides documentary proof of United States 
     citizenship.
       ``(2) Additional processes in certain cases.--
       ``(A) Process for those without documentary proof.--
       ``(i) In general.--Subject to any relevant guidance adopted 
     by the Election Assistance Commission, each State shall 
     establish a process under which an applicant who cannot 
     provide documentary proof of United States citizenship under 
     paragraph (1) may, if the applicant signs an attestation 
     under penalty of perjury that the applicant is a citizen of 
     the United States and eligible to vote in elections for 
     Federal office, submit such other evidence to the appropriate 
     State or local official demonstrating that the applicant is a 
     citizen of the United States and such official shall make a 
     determination as to whether the applicant has sufficiently 
     established United States citizenship for purposes of 
     registering to vote in elections for Federal office in the 
     State.
       ``(ii) Affidavit requirement.--If a State or local official 
     makes a determination under clause (i) that an applicant has 
     sufficiently established United States citizenship for 
     purposes of registering to vote in elections for Federal 
     office in the State, such determination shall be accompanied 
     by an affidavit developed under clause (iii) signed by the 
     official swearing or affirming the applicant sufficiently 
     established United States citizenship for purposes of 
     registering to vote.
       ``(iii) Development of affidavit by the election assistance 
     commission.--The Election Assistance Commission shall develop 
     a uniform affidavit for use by State and local officials 
     under clause (ii), which shall--

       ``(I) include an explanation of the minimum standards 
     required for a State or local official to register an 
     applicant who cannot provide documentary proof of United 
     States citizenship to vote in elections for Federal office in 
     the State; and
       ``(II) require the official to explain the basis for 
     registering such applicant to vote in such elections.

       ``(B) Process in case of certain discrepancies in 
     documentation.--Subject to any relevant guidance adopted by 
     the Election Assistance Commission, each State shall 
     establish a process under which an applicant can provide such 
     additional documentation to the appropriate election official 
     of the State as may be necessary to establish that the 
     applicant is a citizen of the United States in the event of a 
     discrepancy with respect to the applicant's documentary proof 
     of United States citizenship.
       ``(3) State requirements.--Each State shall take 
     affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only 
     United States citizens are registered to vote under the 
     provisions of this Act, which shall include the establishment 
     of a program described in paragraph (4) not later than 30 
     days after the date of the enactment of this subsection.
       ``(4) Program described.--A State may meet the requirements 
     of paragraph (3) by establishing a program under which the 
     State identifies individuals who are not United States 
     citizens using information supplied by one or more of the 
     following sources:
       ``(A) The Department of Homeland Security through the 
     Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (`SAVE') or 
     otherwise.
       ``(B) The Social Security Administration through the Social 
     Security Number Verification Service, or otherwise.
       ``(C) State agencies that supply State identification cards 
     or driver's licenses where the agency confirms the United 
     States citizenship status of applicants.
       ``(D) Other sources, including databases, which provide 
     confirmation of United States citizenship status.
       ``(5) Availability of information.--
       ``(A) In general.--At the request of a State election 
     official (including a request related to a process 
     established by a State under paragraph (2)(A) or (2)(B)), any 
     head of a Federal department or agency possessing information 
     relevant to determining the eligibility of an individual to 
     vote in elections for Federal office shall, not later than 24 
     hours after receipt of such request, provide the official 
     with such information as may be necessary to enable the 
     official to verify that an applicant for voter registration 
     in elections for Federal office held in the State or a 
     registrant on the official list of eligible voters in 
     elections for Federal office held in the State is a citizen 
     of the United States, which shall include providing the 
     official with such batched information as may be requested by 
     the official.
       ``(B) Use of save system.--The Secretary of Homeland 
     Security may respond to a request received under paragraph 
     (1) by using the system for the verification of immigration 
     status under the applicable provisions of section 1137 of the 
     Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-7), as established 
     pursuant to section 121(c) of the Immigration Reform and 
     Control Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-603).
       ``(C) Sharing of information.--The heads of Federal 
     departments and agencies shall share information with each 
     other with respect to an individual who is the subject of a 
     request received under paragraph (A) in order to enable them 
     to respond to the request.
       ``(D) Investigation for purposes of removal.--The Secretary 
     of Homeland Security shall conduct an investigation to 
     determine whether to initiate removal proceedings under 
     section 239 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
     1229) if it is determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B) 
     that an alien (as such term is defined in section 101 of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101)) is 
     unlawfully registered to vote in elections for Federal 
     office.
       ``(E) Prohibiting fees.--The head of a Federal department 
     or agency may not charge a fee for responding to a State's 
     request under paragraph (A).
       ``(k) Removal of Noncitizens From Registration Rolls.--A 
     State shall remove an individual who is not a citizen of the 
     United States from the official list of eligible voters for 
     elections for Federal office held in the State at any time 
     upon receipt of documentation or verified information that a 
     registrant is not a United States citizen.''.
       (g) Clarification of Authority of State To Remove 
     Noncitizens From Official List of Eligible Voters.--
       (1) In general.--Section 8(a)(4) of the National Voter 
     Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20507(a)(4)) is amended--
       (A) by striking ``or'' at the end of subparagraph (A);
       (B) by adding ``or'' at the end of subparagraph (B); and
       (C) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
       ``(C) documentary proof or verified information that the 
     registrant is not a United States citizen;''.
       (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 8(c)(2)(B)(i) of such 
     Act (52 U.S.C. 20507(c)(2)(B)(i)) is amended by striking 
     ``(4)(A)'' and inserting ``(4)(A) or (C)''.
       (h) Requirements With Respect to Federal Mail Voter 
     Registration Form.--
       (1) Contents of mail voter registration form.--Section 9(b) 
     of such Act (52 U.S.C. 20508(b)) is amended--
       (A) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ``(including 
     citizenship)'' and inserting ``(including an explanation of 
     what is required to present documentary proof of United 
     States citizenship)'';
       (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (C) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (D) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(5) shall include a section, for use only by a State or 
     local election official, to record the type of document the 
     applicant presented as documentary proof of United States 
     citizenship, including the date of issuance, the date of 
     expiration (if any), the office which issued the document, 
     and any unique identification number associated with the 
     document.''.
       (2) Information on mail voter registration form.--Section 
     9(b)(4) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 20508(b)(4)) is amended--
       (A) by redesignating clauses (i) through (iii) as 
     subparagraphs (A) through (C), respectively; and
       (B) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesignated and as amended 
     by paragraph (1)(C)), by striking ``; and'' and inserting the 
     following: ``, other than as evidence in a criminal 
     proceeding or immigration proceeding brought against an 
     applicant who attempts to register to vote and makes a false 
     declaration under penalty of perjury that the applicant meets 
     the eligibility requirements to register to vote in an 
     election for Federal office; and''.
       (i) Private right of action.--Section 11(b)(1) of the 
     National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 
     20510(b)(1)) is amended by striking ``a violation of this 
     Act'' and inserting ``a violation of this Act, including the 
     act of an election official who registers an applicant to 
     vote in an election for Federal office who fails to present 
     documentary proof of United States citizenship,''.
       (j) Criminal Penalties.--Section 12(2) of such Act (52 
     U.S.C. 20511(2)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``or'' at the end of subparagraph (A);
       (2) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (D); 
     and
       (3) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new 
     subparagraphs:
       ``(B) in the case of an officer or employee of the 
     executive branch, providing material assistance to a 
     noncitizen in attempting to register to vote or vote in an 
     election for Federal office;
       ``(C) registering an applicant to vote in an election for 
     Federal office who fails to present documentary proof of 
     United States citizenship; or''.
       (k) Applicability of Requirements to Certain States.--
       (1) In general.--Subsection (c) of section 4 of the 
     National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20503), as 
     redesignated by subsection (b), is amended by striking ``This 
     Act does not apply to a State'' and inserting

[[Page H5363]]

     ``Except with respect to the requirements under subsection 
     (i) and (j) of section 8 in the case of a State described in 
     paragraph (2), this Act does not apply to a State''.
       (2) Permitting states to adopt requirements after 
     enactment.--Section 4 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 20503) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(d) Permitting States To Adopt Certain Requirements After 
     Enactment.--Subsections (i) and (j) of section 8 shall not 
     apply to a State described in subsection (c)(2) if the State, 
     by law or regulation, adopts requirements which are identical 
     to the requirements under such subsections not later than 60 
     days prior to the date of the first election for Federal 
     office which is held in the State after the date of the 
     enactment of the SAVE Act.''.

     SEC. 203. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION GUIDANCE.

       Not later than 10 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this division, the Election Assistance Commission shall adopt 
     and transmit to the chief State election official of each 
     State guidance with respect to the implementation of the 
     requirements under the National Voter Registration Act of 
     1993 (52 U.S.C. 20501 et seq.), as amended by section 202.

     SEC. 204. INAPPLICABILITY OF PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT.

       Subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44 (commonly referred 
     to as the ``Paperwork Reduction Act'') shall not apply with 
     respect to the development or modification of voter 
     registration materials under the National Voter Registration 
     Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20501 et seq.), as amended by section 
     202, including the development or modification of any voter 
     registration application forms.

     SEC. 205. DUTY OF SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO NOTIFY 
                   ELECTION OFFICIALS OF NATURALIZATION.

       Upon receiving information that an individual has become a 
     naturalized citizen of the United States, the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security shall promptly provide notice of such 
     information to the appropriate chief election official of the 
     State in which such individual is domiciled.

     SEC. 206. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION REGARDING PROVISIONAL BALLOTS.

       Nothing in this division or in any amendment made by this 
     division may be construed to supercede, restrict, or 
     otherwise affect the ability of an individual to cast a 
     provisional ballot in an election for Federal office or to 
     have the ballot counted in the election if the individual is 
     verified as a citizen of the United States pursuant to 
     section 8(j) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 
     (as added by section 202(f)).

     SEC. 207. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION REGARDING EFFECT ON STATE 
                   EXEMPTIONS FROM OTHER FEDERAL LAWS.

       Nothing in this division or in any amendment made by this 
     division may be construed to affect the exemption of a State 
     from any requirement of any Federal law other than the 
     National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20501 et 
     seq.).

     SEC. 208. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       This division and the amendments made by this division 
     shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this 
     division, and shall apply with respect to applications for 
     voter registration which are submitted on or after such date.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill, as amended, is debatable for 1 
hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority 
member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective 
designees.
  The gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) and the gentlewoman from 
Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma.


                             General Leave

  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oklahoma?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 9494, the Continuing 
Appropriations and Other Matters Act of 2025.
  Today's bill arises at a particularly challenging time for our 
country. For 4 years, President Biden and Vice President Harris' self-
inflicted border crisis has caused chaos in communities across our 
country. Our national debt has risen to over $35 trillion, threatening 
the future financial stability of our country.
  Across the world, America's adversaries continue to march forward, 
threatening our friends and democratic partners, and now we are facing 
a looming deadline to fund the government and keep it serving the 
American people.
  Given the state of the world and our approaching election, this is no 
time to shut the government down. That means Congress needs to act, and 
we need to do so today.
  The appropriations process is one that is never easy. It requires 
time and hard work to complete. Frankly, I am proud of what this body 
has accomplished this year. Even after a late start due to the delay of 
the fiscal year 2024 process and the President's late budget request, 
the Appropriations Committee succeeded in passing all 12 of our fiscal 
year 2025 bills out of committee.
  The House also passed five of those bills across the floor, 
representing nearly 71 percent of overall discretionary spending. 
Unfortunately, time is drawing short, and our colleagues in the Senate, 
who have yet to pass a single fiscal year 2025 bill across the floor, 
have not kept pace with the House.
  It is clear that we are unable to complete the full appropriations 
process by September 30. That means that a continuing resolution is 
needed. The bill before us extends government funding through March 28, 
2025, ensuring that the government remains open and providing critical 
services to our constituents.
  This extension will not only give us the time we need to complete our 
appropriations process for 2025 but also will allow the American people 
to have a say in the appropriations process.
  The bill includes certain key extensions, including essential 
programs like flood insurance, WIC, and TANF. It also provides needed 
funding for disaster relief, helping communities across the country 
that have faced natural disasters this year or that will face them in 
the coming months.
  Lastly, Mr. Speaker, in just 2 short months, Americans will go to the 
polls to elect a new President of the United States. This is a critical 
time for American democracy, and it is more important than ever that 
our elections are secure.
  That is why H.R. 9494 includes the text of the Safeguard American 
Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, which will ensure that only 
American citizens may vote in Federal elections. This commonsense 
legislation is necessary to protect the sanctity and security of our 
elections, making sure that it is American citizens alone who will 
choose the future direction of our country. This is as the Founding 
Fathers intended and as it should be.
  Mr. Speaker, governance by continuing resolution is not ideal. It is 
always better to pass full-year appropriations bills through regular 
order, but we are out of time and we cannot afford a government 
shutdown, which would be greatly damaging to our national security, to 
critical government programs, and to the American people.
  The stakes could not be higher. That is why I urge all of my 
colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 9494 today. Mr. Speaker, I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I oppose this continuing resolution, which would 
shortchange our veterans, absolve the House Republican majority of 
their responsibility to govern, and move us closer to a shutdown. I 
urge my colleagues to vote against it.
  The majority's proposal completely abandons our Nation's veterans. We 
have been informed by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office 
of Management and Budget that $12 billion more is required to provide 
necessary medical care for veterans who have been exposed to toxic 
substances.
  Despite the urgency, the majority has decided to provide nothing, 
zero, for veterans' medical needs. I cannot understand how anybody who 
supports this bill can go home and look their veteran constituents in 
the eye and tell them that they voted to shortchange the medical care 
they earned with their service.
  I am glad that the majority heard House Democrats' protests when we 
pointed out how cruel and misguided this bill was when it was first 
introduced. The original proposal would have shut off all funding for 
the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which would have 
undercut support for over 1 million families.
  While the majority may have fixed that, House Republicans' bill 
demonstrates a belief that the need to care for veterans who have been 
exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances is less of a priority 
than everything else in this bill. It is disgraceful.

[[Page H5364]]

  We could have solved this issue had the majority considered a 
bipartisan path forward at any point in this entire process; but 
instead, just like last year, House Republicans squandered an entire 
year by taking us down a partisan path, forcing us to waste time 
considering extreme funding bills based on Trump's Project 2025 that 
they could not pass and that have no chance of becoming law.
  Just like last year, House Republicans' refusal to meet Democrats at 
the table has left us without time to pass all 12 full-year 
appropriations bills before the end of September. Rather than admitting 
the inevitable defeat of their Project 2025 spending bills and passing 
a bipartisan bill to keep the government open while we finish our work, 
the majority proposes abandoning their obligation to govern, forcing a 
new Congress to clean up their mess. They have included an extraneous, 
partisan, controversial measure, nongermane to appropriations, that 
guarantees this continuing resolution will not become law.
  The majority all but admitted this bill could not pass the House last 
week, but they are forcing us to waste more time on it anyway. Despite 
the looming threat of a government shutdown, even if it has the votes 
in the House, this bill will not pass in the United States Senate. The 
President has said he would veto it. This bill has no path to becoming 
law. If the government shuts down, Republicans bear the responsibility.
  A 6-month continuing resolution is a ploy to force the extreme 
Project 2025 manifesto agenda on the American people. They want to 
slash domestic investments in healthcare, education, job training, and 
every other discretionary program, which will hurt the middle class and 
the economy.
  This Project 2025 is no wish list, I might add. If you look at the 
appropriations bills that are coming forward, you can see the direction 
and the cuts that Project 2025 proposes to make.
  The Republican majority believes a continuing resolution to the end 
of March provides them with more leverage to force their unpopular cuts 
to services that American families depend on to make ends meet.
  The majority knows that the fiscal year ends September 30 and that we 
cannot fund the government without the support of Democrats and 
Republicans in the House and in the Senate. However, for the second 
time in the 118th Congress, the majority does not want Congress to 
finish its work until March, nearly halfway through the fiscal year, 
wasting time, avoiding the inevitable, and failing to meet our 
obligations to the American people. A half-year continuing resolution 
is no way to govern. This is no way to serve the American people.
  The American people have a choice to make in November, and come 
January, we will have a new President, and we will have a new Congress. 
While we presumably disagree on who we think will be leading our 
country and which side of the aisle will hold the gavel, we should 
agree that it is not right, not in the interest of the American people 
for us to punt this year's work deep into next year for a different 
Congress and a different White House to be confronted with.
  We must pass a continuing resolution that allows us to finish our 
work before the new President and Congress are sworn in and which 
addresses the immediate needs of American families, workers, and 
veterans. A continuing resolution that ends in December rather than one 
that lasts half a year better serves our national security and military 
readiness, veterans, their families, victims recovering from natural 
disasters, and all hardworking American taxpayers.
  Instead, the majority's bill fails our veterans. The majority's bill 
fails our military.
  Putting government funding on autopilot for 6 months means the 
Department of Defense cannot execute its strategic priorities, such as 
investing in cutting-edge technologies and capabilities. Investments in 
our defense industrial base will be put on hold, including the 
submarine and shipbuilding bases.

                              {time}  1645

  Last weekend, Secretary Austin said in a letter: ``Asking the 
Department to compete with the [People's Republic of China], let alone 
manage conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, while under a lengthy 
[continuing resolution], ties our hands behind our back while expecting 
us to be agile and accelerate progress.''
  He continued: ``The single most important thing that Congress can do 
to ensure U.S. national security is to pass timely legislation for all 
12 appropriations bills for fiscal year 2025.''
  The majority's bill fails our seniors and Americans with disabilities 
on Social Security.
  In a letter sent last week to the Appropriations Committee, Social 
Security Administration Commissioner O'Malley warned of the 
ramifications of a 6-month continuing resolution, stating: ``We would 
likely be forced to reduce the hours field offices are open to the 
public and would need to close offices over time, extending wait times 
for seniors and individuals with disabilities.''
  He continues: ``Through a lifetime of hard work, the American people 
have paid for and earned their Social Security benefits, and they have 
also paid for and earned the customer service they need to access those 
benefits. Another 6 months at current funding levels, as the House has 
proposed, would be devastating for the many Americans we serve every 
day.''
  The majority's bill also fails communities devastated by disasters by 
shortchanging emergency funds for FEMA. This one you almost cannot 
believe. The bill provides nothing to rebuild the Key Bridge in 
Maryland, nothing for block grants to help communities recover from 
devastating natural disasters, including the horrifying wildfires in 
Hawaii and the tornadoes that devastated communities in places like 
Oklahoma.
  The majority is failing to live up to their own promises to the 
American people, that they are capable of being trusted to do the hard 
work of governing. They have unequivocally demonstrated that they 
cannot.
  This bill is an admission that a House Republican majority cannot 
govern. They would rather gamble on an intervening election than 
attempt to complete their work on time.
  Let us hope the majority does not drive us straight to a Republican 
shutdown. If they do shut down the government, I have no doubt the 
American people will know who is to blame.
  Vote ``no'' on this continuing resolution. Abandon this partisan 
game. Join Democrats at the table. It is past time to govern.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I would quickly make a point to my very good 
friend, who knows quite well I hold her in very high regard.
  On the veterans issue, I just point out that we actually appropriated 
more to the VA than the administration asked for. We are certainly 
willing to sit down and have a discussion over any additional needs. 
Nobody wants veterans to be shortchanged.
  Approaching Congress at the last minute, when it gave you more money 
than you asked for, suggests a high level of incompetence in this 
administration's management of the Veterans Affairs Department.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. 
Aderholt), my very good friend and the chairman of the Labor, Health 
and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the 
Appropriations Committee.
  Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, we once again find ourselves debating a 
commonsense measure that would actually safeguard the American people's 
vote in the upcoming elections.
  The rhetoric surrounding this bill is that it fixes a problem that 
does not exist. My answer is simple. Come to Alabama's Fourth 
Congressional District where just last week an illegal immigrant 
pleaded guilty to identity theft and voter fraud after it was 
discovered that she illegally voted in at least four U.S. elections.
  Just last month, our secretary of state for the State of Alabama, Wes 
Allen, found at least 3,000 noncitizens who were registered to vote in 
the State of Alabama and removed them from the voting rolls.
  Mr. Speaker, these people should never have been allowed to register 
in the first place. This is exactly what the SAVE Act will prevent.

[[Page H5365]]

  The SAVE Act, which is included in this continuing resolution, shows 
the American people that their government will use every tool at our 
disposal to protect the sanctity of our electoral system and stop 
illegal votes before they are counted.
  My colleagues across the aisle have talked about our shared belief 
that the Federal Government must remain open. Mr. Speaker, House 
Republicans have put forward a continuing resolution that would do just 
that.
  Continuing resolutions are never ideal. However, in this instance, a 
continuing resolution is necessary and the right thing to do.
  Republicans have extended an opportunity to our colleagues across the 
aisle to not only keep the Federal Government open but also to enhance 
the integrity of our elections.
  The eyes of the American people are upon this Chamber this afternoon 
as we debate this. They are watching carefully to see if their 
government will take a stand to improve the sanctity and security of 
our electoral system and see that their Representatives fulfill our 
constitutional duty of responsibility of funding the United States 
Federal Government.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this measure.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Let me make a point on veterans as well for my dear friend, the 
chairman. The fact of the matter is that the expansion of the PACT Act, 
which is a bipartisan piece of legislation, really is so important to 
the health and welfare of our veterans, our service people, who have 
been exposed to burn pits and toxic chemicals. That has exploded the 
participation within the VA for medical services.

  This is a success story of reaching out and helping our veterans. In 
fact, they have a $12 billion shortfall. Do we say no? Do we say no to 
what we agreed to on a bipartisan basis for medical services for our 
veterans? My gosh, who are we and what are we about?
  A final note on this: Further on in this continuing resolution, they 
tell the VA to spend faster the dollars for medical services. Do you 
know how much those dollars are? Zero. They said to spend zero dollars 
faster.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. 
McCollum), the distinguished ranking member of the Defense 
Subcommittee.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the 6-month 
continuing resolution. It is deeply unfortunate that any CR is 
necessary.
  Once again, the Senate did not get its work done and failed to pass 
any of the appropriations bills off the floor. The House Republican 
majority wasted months writing bills loaded with extreme social policy 
that the American people do not want.
  Republicans passed only half their bills. Why? Because they were so 
unpopular, their own Conference wouldn't vote for them.
  Having failed to complete their work, Republicans now want to kick 
the can down the road for 6 months, wasting half the fiscal year and 
costing taxpayers billions of dollars.
  A CR this long would be irresponsible, and the Department of Defense 
has identified the consequences for our national security. This CR 
would have negative impacts on our military personnel and their 
families. It would not include the funds to cover a 4.5 percent pay 
raise. It would not fund the nearly $3 billion increase required by law 
for the basic housing allowance. It would not include funds needed to 
cover medical costs for military families and stabilize the military 
healthcare system.
  These services would not be able to offer new enlistment and 
reenlistment bonuses. New program starts can't happen under a CR, 
harming innovation and delaying getting weapons and equipment to our 
personnel. Keeping major programs on time and on budget will be more 
difficult.
  A CR will delay multiyear procurement of platforms like heavy lift 
helicopters and the Virginia-class submarines. It will prevent fully 
funding the Columbia-class submarine and will delay procurement on the 
B-21 Raider.
  Finally, the CR damages the readiness of the joint force. Some 
training exercises and operations just won't happen. The Navy will 
suffer a delay of 58 ship maintenance availabilities, limiting the work 
for our public and private shipyards. Air Force flying hours, weapon 
system sustainment, and ground combat readiness will all suffer.
  We just had a nearly 6-month CR in fiscal year 2024, which impacted 
DOD's ability to budget appropriately. The last thing we should do is 
compound this problem.
  We also have the Fiscal Responsibility Act to consider. If all 12 
appropriations bills are not enacted by the end of April, sequestration 
takes effect. What does that mean? It means across-the-board spending 
cuts impacting everything: our national security, infrastructure, 
healthcare, and education.
  I strongly believe we should reject this legislation, pass a short-
term CR, roll up our sleeves, and get back to work.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I just remind my friends, for the VA, which we both support, we 
offered more money than the administration asked for. It is pretty 
notorious for not doing a very good job of budgeting. That hasn't 
changed over the years. That is why we took away their ability to build 
hospitals.
  Finally, I agree with my good friend from Minnesota about the 
importance of trying to get things done for the military, but I would 
remind everybody here that there has been a long history of CRs on both 
sides of the aisle. These aren't that unusual.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Higgins), my very good friend.
  Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I don't know where to begin. I 
have 5 minutes. I could use 500.
  The American people are watching. They recognize that our Nation 
suffers under the burden of a threatened government shutdown and the 
very real threat of millions of illegals who have flooded into our 
country who could potentially vote in this very important election 
cycle in November.
  If you don't think it can happen, you haven't been paying attention. 
There have been thousands and thousands of illegal voters removed from 
precincts across the country in any sovereign State that had the 
courage to pursue the endeavor of looking into those voter rolls.
  Many congressional races and the balance of this people's House are 
determined by hundreds of votes, sometimes less. We just had a 
colleague lose an election by 317 votes, a man who serves in this body 
with us right now. If you don't think millions of illegals can 
potentially influence a Federal election, you are really not being 
intellectually sound.
  To talk about money, the good lady said disgraceful. I will tell you 
what is disgraceful, Mr. Speaker, is to stand here and say that the 
Federal Government is too small and doesn't spend enough money. That is 
outrageous. We have a $36 trillion debt. If this body were to run a $1 
billion surplus, it would take 36,000 years to address a $36 trillion 
debt.
  Do you think a 6-month CR at a flat-line spending level is not a 
compromise, Mr. Speaker, from my perspective as a constitutional 
conservative? It most certainly is.
  I am extending a respectful compromise. I would bring this thing back 
to 2019 spending if I could.

                              {time}  1700

  I cannot find one American in my townhall--and I do many--when I ask 
them: Does anyone in here think that the Federal Government was too 
small and didn't spend enough money in 2019? Nobody raises their hand, 
no matter where they are on the political spectrum. Yet, my colleagues 
in this body want more and more money in this environment that is 
supercontentious.
  So, we take a 6-month CR that flatlines spending levels and move it 
into the next Congress, the 119th Congress, and into a new Presidential 
administration, whoever that may be.
  They say they are going to control the White House. Good. Go ahead. I 
say they are not. We will let the American people determine that, but 
we will remove this political nightmare show from the entire 
consideration of the American people.
  Let the American people have a clear field to vote in. Let them hear 
about the policies and principles of the candidates that stand before 
them and make their determination reflective of their own deep policy 
principles and their core beliefs.

[[Page H5366]]

  We have a solid solution to this thing. To say that my colleagues in 
the Committee on Appropriations have not performed, no, you are not 
getting that past me. They passed five appropriations bills funding 72 
percent of the Federal Government months ago, and where do those bills 
sit? In the Democrat-controlled Senate.
  Pay attention to what is happening, America. This is the future of 
our country we are talking about. It is the right thing to do to pass 
this 6-month flatlined spending CR into March.
  Let the new Presidential administration, whomever it may be, get 
situated and name their team. Let the 119th Congress get sworn in and 
populate our committees. Then, we will continue again.
  This is a very important election cycle. We have to protect the 
integrity of that election, and we have to remove this contentious 
environment of this threatened government shutdown from this election 
cycle.
  Mr. Speaker, my bill accomplishes that, and I encourage all of my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 9494.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Jeffries), the distinguished Democratic leader.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished once and future 
chair of the House Committee on Appropriations (Ms. DeLauro) for her 
leadership and for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the extreme MAGA 
Republican effort to shut down the government and hurt everyday 
Americans.
  My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have suggested that this 
is anti-woke week. It is not anti-woke week. It is Project 2025 week 
because, at the end of the day, my extreme MAGA Republican colleagues 
are determined to jam Trump's Project 2025 down the throats of the 
American people.
  From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have made 
clear that we will find bipartisan common ground with our Republican 
colleagues on any issue whenever and wherever possible in order to make 
life better for the American people, deliver real results, and solve 
problems for hardworking American taxpayers, and that is what we have 
repeatedly done.
  House Democrats have repeatedly governed in the minority as if we 
were in the majority, finding bipartisan common ground to deliver for 
everyday Americans, and we are prepared to do that once again.
  Yet, this extreme MAGA Republican shutdown bill that is on the floor 
of the House of Representatives today is not a serious effort to meet 
the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their 
safety, their national security, and their economic well-being.
  The extreme MAGA Republican shutdown bill that is on the floor today 
would shortchange our veterans by $12 billion. That is a Project 2025 
objective--$12 billion--shortchanging our veterans who have been 
suffering from painful exposure to toxic substances, burn pits, and 
Agent Orange.
  People who have served our country, we should stand by them in the 
way that they have stood by us, but this extreme MAGA Republican 
shutdown bill will shut out the veterans of the United States of 
America.
  The extreme MAGA shutdown bill will shortchange the administration of 
Social Security here in the United States of America. Why? Because one 
of the goals of Project 2025, effectively, is to end Social Security 
and Medicare as we know it.
  There is no circumstance where we can support such legislation that 
will hurt the well-being of older Americans all across the United 
States of America. These are people upon whose shoulders we stand.
  The extreme MAGA shutdown bill will shortchange everyday Americans 
who have been suffering harm from extreme weather events all across 
America, in blue States, purple States, and red States, shortchange our 
taxpayers by $25 billion. That is unacceptable. That is unserious. That 
is unconscionable for people who have had their lives upended.
  Now, in the context of whether we are able, capable, to reach a 
bipartisan resolution, the answer to that is pretty clear because there 
is already an agreement connected to the bipartisan Fiscal 
Responsibility Act passed by both Houses of Congress last May, signed 
into law by President Joe Biden, that sets top-line spending numbers 
for fiscal year 2025. It also enters into an agreement across the 
parties that says there will be no partisan policy riders attached to 
an appropriations bill.
  So, why are we here right now with an extreme MAGA Republican 
shutdown bill that includes elements, partisan elements, rightwing 
elements, extreme elements of Trump's Project 2025? That is a breach of 
an agreement that we all reached connected to the bipartisan Fiscal 
Responsibility Act.
  This is a shutdown effort. That is not hype. That is not hysteria. 
That is not hyperbole. It is history because in the DNA of extreme MAGA 
Republicans has consistently been an effort to make extreme ransom 
demands of the American people, and if those extreme ransom demands are 
not met, we shut down the government. That is history.

  The 1990s extreme MAGA Republicans shut down the government because 
they were determined to end Medicaid as we know it. In 2013, extreme 
MAGA Republicans shut the government down for 14 days, and the demand 
at that point was to repeal President Obama's signature legislative 
accomplishment, the Affordable Care Act, that benefits more than 100 
million Americans.
  In 2018 and 2019, extreme MAGA Republicans shut the government down 
for a record 35 days. What was the ransom demand in that particular 
moment? The former President and Republicans in the House and Senate 
demanded that the American taxpayer fund Trump's ineffective, medieval 
border wall, notwithstanding the fact that the promise was clearly made 
that Mexico would pay for that wall. Because we were defending taxpayer 
interests, they shut the government down for 35 days.
  The notion that we are here today facing another extreme MAGA 
Republican-driven shutdown, concerned about it, the only thing standing 
between a shutdown and the American people is not hype, not hysteria, 
not hyperbole, not a hypothetical, it is history.
  We are simply asking our traditional Republican colleagues to break 
with the extreme wing of your party, break with the extremism around a 
national abortion ban, break with the extremism connected with Trump's 
Project 2025, which, by the way, includes government surveillance of 
pregnancies and miscarriages. There is no circumstance that we can ever 
support such an outrageous agenda.
  We are asking our traditional Republican colleagues to stand up for 
working families, the middle class, older Americans, our children, our 
veterans, and people from all across the land, in urban America, rural 
America, small-town America, the heartland of America, suburban 
America, exurban America.
  Stand up for the American people as opposed to standing up for 
massive tax cuts for the wealthy, the well-off, and big corporations. 
That is the other part of Project 2025.
  This is not anti-woke week. It is extreme MAGA Republican Project 
2025 week.
  House Democrats right now are the only thing standing between Project 
2025 and the extreme agenda you want to jam down the throats of the 
American people and keeping the government open and doing the right 
thing for everyday Americans.
  Vote ``no'' on this extreme MAGA Republican shutdown bill and partner 
with us to do the right thing for the American people.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Roy), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.
  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the legislation before us 
here today, and I thank the gentleman for his work on this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, the fact is, what we just heard from the minority leader 
in trying to describe this as a so-called extreme MAGA partisan agenda, 
let's be very clear what we are talking about for the average American. 
To the average American listening, what the minority leader, what the 
radical, progressive Democratic Party, is saying is extreme is a 
spending freeze into the next year combined with legislation

[[Page H5367]]

that would guarantee that only American citizens vote in American 
elections.
  Let's just be very clear. I think the American people need to know 
this: What our radical, progressive Democratic colleagues deem extreme 
is a spending freeze combined with only American citizens voting in 
American elections. That is a really important thing for the American 
people to know.
  We are here, yes, because Congress is not getting the job done, but 
let's be very clear that the United States Senate, which is controlled 
by majority Democrats, has passed precisely zero appropriations bills 
through the body in the Senate.
  The House of Representatives and the Republican majority have passed 
five bills. It would be my preference that we passed 12, but we sit 
here today trying to make a determination on how to proceed.
  I don't think anyone in this body on either side of the aisle, nor my 
colleagues or friends around this country, to look at me and question 
whether I would prefer that we cut spending. I would like to cut 
spending. I don't think we should be funding the agenda that is being 
driven by Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden, and my 
radical, progressive Democratic colleagues.

                              {time}  1715

  I don't believe we should continue to fund a Secret Service that 
can't protect the former President without reforms.
  I don't think we should continue to fund at current levels a 
Department of Homeland Security that leaves our borders wide open so 
that Laken Riley is killed, so that Rachel Morin is killed, so that 
Kayla Hamilton is killed, and so that Jocelyn Nungaray is killed and 
her poor 27-year-old mother is left having to be a witness in a hearing 
in the House Judiciary Committee talking about the gagging, the raping, 
the binding, and the murder of her 12-year-old daughter in Houston, 
Texas.
  The ultimate result of all of that is that we now have to wonder 
whether noncitizens are voting in our elections. The fact is we know 
they are. We have cleaned up rolls in Texas, 6,500, including the 2,000 
we know voted in elections. In Virginia 6,300 were cleaned off with 
thousands who were included in the election. We have cleaned up 3,251 
in Alabama, 300 in Oregon, and we can keep going down the list.
  All we are saying is that American citizens should vote. That is it.
  So my Democratic colleagues seemingly want noncitizens to vote, and 
they can't accept a spending freeze as being reasonable.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Van Drew). The time of the gentleman has 
expired.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say a word to my friends on 
this side of the aisle. One year ago, 21 of my conservative colleagues 
opposed a continuing resolution that would have cut nondefense, 
nonveteran, and non-Homeland Security spending by 30 percent for 30 
days and included H.R. 2. A lot of those same people are walking away 
from a piece of legislation that we are putting forward right now.
  I am asking them to stand up with the Republican Party, stand up with 
President Trump, and stand up with the American people to demand that 
we freeze spending, hold it in check, take the pen away from the 
radical, progressive Democrats of Joe Biden in a lameduck, and let's 
make sure that only American citizens can vote in American elections.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), who is the distinguished ranking member of the 
Energy and Water Development Subcommittee.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Ranking Member DeLauro for 
yielding me time to rise in opposition to shutting down our government.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose this resolution.
  Frankly, in less than 2 weeks, the Federal fiscal year of 2025 is set 
to commence the beginning of October, yet this House finds itself 
embroiled in yet another perilous impasse because the extreme Members 
of the majority cannot govern.
  Why? Why can they not compromise?
  America needs compromise, not chaos.
  As America's economy settles into a steady recovery, House leaders 
must lead and stop the reckless threats to shut down our Federal 
Government.
  Why does the majority seek to withhold critical resources from those 
Americans who safeguard our borders and defend our Nation?
  House extreme Republicans risk the livelihoods of our border agents. 
They compromise the readiness of our military. They engage in 
legislative stunts that do not reflect the decency and worth of the 
American people and our Federal workers.
  Think about some of those workers, those veterans and those military 
members in the nuclear Navy.
  How about our Army Corps of Engineers who function in every single 
district in our country?
  What about those who answer the phones as Social Security recipients 
have questions about enrollment and difficulties that they are facing 
in their lives?
  Our Nation's security and the well-being of all of our citizens 
should not be held hostage for an extreme, partisan agenda.
  Let the American people know--hear me--illegal immigrants are 
rightfully barred from voting. Any assertion otherwise is false, and 
the majority had best talk to their secretary of state.
  Illegal immigrants are rightfully barred from voting. If our 
colleagues were actually serious about bolstering our border security, 
then they would advance Senator Lankford's bipartisan border bill here. 
We have been waiting, and so is the Senate waiting. We must pass that 
bill to provide the necessary resources to pay and equip our Customs 
and Border Protection agents instead of touting a resolution here that 
jeopardizes our national security.
  Our military leaders have explicitly warned that a 6-month resolution 
would severely undermine our defense readiness. Hear them. Our 
adversaries are not just observers. They are keenly watching.
  An extreme wing is causing this House to falter in fulfilling our 
most basic constitutional duties. Chaos is not the message we should be 
sending on a global stage. We should be compromising and setting a good 
example.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentlewoman from Ohio.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, chaos is not the message we should be 
sending on a global stage; compromise is. The consequences of failing 
to pass essential appropriations bills extend far beyond defense. They 
touch every corner of American life: seniors waiting for operations and 
children relying on programs like Head Start.
  Obstruction exacerbates the challenges facing everyday Americans. Now 
is the time for compromise, not chaos. Americans want unity, not 
division. Frankly, our national security depends on it.
  This House must return to regular order. That is what real leadership 
looks like. This is what our Constitution expects, and that is what our 
constituents expect, deserve, and pay us for.

  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Jordan), who is the distinguished chairman of the House Judiciary 
Committee.
  Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, go to any community anywhere in this country and walk up 
to someone on the street and say: Do you think it makes sense--in light 
of the fact that 10 million migrants have come into the country in 3\1/
2\ years and 99 of those individuals are on the terrorist watch list--
do you think it makes sense before a new voter registers to vote that 
they demonstrate they are a citizen of this great country?
  Any person you ask that question to will say: Well, of course, of 
course that makes sense.
  Every Democrat and Republican district will all say the same thing. 
Everyone will agree with that except Democrats in the United States 
House of Representatives. They disagree with that.
  They say: No, no, no. We can't have that requirement on a bill that 
spends

[[Page H5368]]

what we are already spending. We can't put that requirement on a bill.
  That is ridiculous.
  As Sarah Huckabee Sanders said a couple of years ago in response to 
the state of the Union, the divide in America today is normal versus 
crazy.
  It is a crazy policy position not to agree with that, not to put the 
SAVE Act on this bill.
  Think of the positions the left now takes. It is crazy to defund the 
police, it is crazy not to have a border, and it is crazy to say that 
men can compete against women in sports. Those are all positions that 
the left takes, and they take the position that in light of the 10 
million people coming into our country in 3\1/2\ years you shouldn't 
have a requirement to demonstrate you are a citizen before you register 
as a new voter.
  The people see this. The people understand in this country that this 
is crazy.
  Support this legislation. This is a good bill with a commonsense, 
normal policy that we are putting in the legislation that makes 
absolute sense. Nonetheless, they are going to vote against it.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), who is the distinguished ranking member of the 
Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans know that it is crazy to do something you know 
will not have any effect. That is what is crazy.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill.
  As majority leader in the last Congress, I put 365 pieces of 
legislation on the floor that became law.
  Under the Republican majority this Congress, our House has only 
passed 78 pieces of legislation that have become law, and they have the 
majority. That is fewer than any of the 22 previous Congresses in which 
I have served.
  It is because the Speaker wastes our time on blatantly partisan 
legislation, including the bill before us today that has no chance of 
becoming law and risks shutting down the government and which Mitch 
McConnell, the Republican leader, says makes no sense. He didn't say 
that it was crazy, but I might add that.
  The Senate, including several Senate Republicans, made it clear that 
this bill's impact on military readiness, veterans' healthcare, and 
disaster response will make it dead on arrival. It is crazy to send it 
as dead on arrival.
  Furthermore, the President has said that he would not sign it.
  Mr. Speaker, this House's most basic constitutional responsibility is 
to fund the government, not to appease a handful of far-right Members.
  We know how this situation ends. It will end the same way as the 
fight for supplemental aid for Ukraine and Israel. It will end the same 
way as the battle to raise the debt ceiling. It will end the same way 
as the effort to fund the government at the start of this year and, 
very frankly, throughout the year. It will end with this partisan 
appeasement failing. A period of finger pointing will follow.
  Finally, after much hand-wringing and some strongly worded tweets, 
the Speaker will ask Democrats for our votes to pass a bipartisan 
alternative that avoids shutting down the government of the American 
people.
  Everyone knows how this ends because this deeply divided and 
dysfunctional majority hasn't accomplished anything of substance 
without Democratic support.
  There were compromises, compromises that Democrats agreed to so that 
our government could function effectively for the American people, not 
because we agreed on everything that was in the bill any more than you 
will agree on the Republican side with everything in the bill. We did 
it because it was the responsible thing to do. It was the right thing 
to do.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from Maryland.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, we have seen this film before. Let's just 
skip to the ending today. Put a CR on the floor.
  I don't like CRs. We should have done our work. We should have passed 
12 bills, sent them to the President, and had him sign it.
  Let's skip this pretense that we have been involved in. Let's get to 
the nub of the issue. We haven't done our work, and therefore we need a 
short-term solution. Let's do it.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).
  Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the chairman of the 
Appropriations Committee, for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, a very fine gentleman and good friend by the name of 
Bill Rosado, who is a first-generation, very successful, and self-made 
Mexican-American entrepreneur in my district, recently said that 
allowing a free-for-all immigration system is in total violation of the 
law and unacceptable for most of us who came here legally.
  Mr. Speaker, a free-for-all, out-of-control immigration system is 
exactly what the Biden-Harris administration and far too many in this 
House have delivered over the past 3\1/2\ years.
  Mr. Speaker, 10 to 15 million-plus illegal crossings, drug cartels, 
human trafficking, migrant crime, and, yes, noncitizens registering to 
vote is an unmitigated disaster.
  Nonetheless, the legislation we are considering here gives us an 
opportunity to address part of the problem by prohibiting noncitizens 
from voting while keeping our government running.
  Mr. Speaker, while it is written in our Constitution that only U.S. 
citizens can vote, the SAVE Act attached to this continuing resolution 
prohibits bad actors from registering noncitizens and noncitizens from 
registering to vote and requires States to purge their voter rolls of 
all noncitizens, such as illegal immigrants.
  To anyone considering opposing this bill, a ``no'' vote implies and 
states to the American people why the Biden administration has left the 
border open in the first place. It is for potentially more votes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. MEUSER. The American people want this bill to pass. They need 
this bill to pass. It will help, as well, restore confidence in our 
elections. Let's do the right thing on a bipartisan basis as we head 
towards this momentous election. We came here today to ensure that only 
U.S. citizens can register and vote in Federal elections.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass the SAVE Act, safeguard our 
elections, and fund our government.

                              {time}  1730

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano), the distinguished ranking member of the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Connecticut 
(Ms. DeLauro) for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 9494, a fundamentally 
flawed attempt by the Republican leadership to save face for their 
inability to govern and a bill which lacks $12 billion in critical 
funding for the Veterans Health Administration.
  Leaving out this critical funding for veterans' healthcare is the 
latest in a cynical political game playing that we have seen in this 
Congress. It is blatant, and I know my stating this fact will cause 
some howling complaints on the other side, just as it did last night 
when the House approved almost $3 billion in funding for the Veterans 
Benefit Administration.
  This was done with a lot of misinformation and mudslinging about how 
this is all the fault of the Biden-Harris administration rather than 
recognition that this is the bill coming due for the true cost of war 
and what we owe to veterans, which we finally started paying with the 
Honoring our PACT Act.
  This is not a last-minute request, and it is certainly not grounded 
in mismanagement, despite my Republican colleagues making this 
accusation.
  This $12 billion shortfall is a direct result of President Biden and 
the VA's rapid implementation of the Honoring our PACT Act, which I got 
signed into law in 2022.

[[Page H5369]]

  The VA Secretary McDonough told Congress in July that the Veterans 
Health Administration will need the $12 billion to continue to provide 
world-class care and ensure it has the resources and staff to uphold 
that standard.
  Therefore, why not include the needed funds in the CR? My colleagues 
think that I am somehow opposed to oversight on this issue, which is 
not true. I support oversight when it is well-intentioned, and we want 
to ensure we improve the budget process and not put veterans in a 
position that they become concerned about the availability of 
healthcare or benefits.
  I agree with my colleagues' calls for more oversight, but let's be 
honest about that oversight because what is needed is significantly 
more oversight of the funding going from VHA direct care to for-profit 
healthcare, a part of the budget that has grown over 15 percent year 
after year, and this is unsustainable.
  With these growing costs, I would think the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee would have held several oversight hearings to determine 
whether veterans are receiving the same quality of care by the for-
profit providers and that taxpayers are getting the best value from 
these providers.
  We have held no such hearings.
  The VA has been transparent about both the VBA and VHA shortfalls. 
The VBA supplemental passed the House unanimously last night and is 
awaiting prompt action in the Senate.
  The need for the VHA funding is fast approaching, so why add the 
uncertainty for veterans who receive their care at VA? Let's end the 
political games and get serious.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano).
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, have my colleagues across the aisle proposed 
a plan to leadership to address these additional funds needed by the 
VA? No. Of course not. My Republican colleagues would rather point 
fingers under the guise of accountability than legislate. In the 
process, my colleagues are shortchanging veterans.
  Why do my colleagues insist on wasting time? We are wasting time 
voting today on a CR we know will not pass and will never become law, 
and we are wasting time by not doing our jobs and prioritizing funding 
for the VA.
  Mr. Speaker, we have the opportunity to stand with veterans and fix 
this now.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Bean), my very good friend.
  Mr. BEAN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, one citizen, one vote. It is the foundation of our 
government, and it is the ability to vote in a free and fair election, 
but the pillar of our democracy is under vicious attack because the 
Biden-Harris administration refuses to enforce the law.
  Since 2021, this administration has allowed over 10 million illegal 
immigrants into our Nation. It is the most, Mr. Speaker, in recorded 
history. That number is greater than the population of 36 existing 
States.
  Mr. Speaker, the far left claims illegals are not registering to 
vote. My Democratic colleagues claim illegals are not voting in our 
election. Members on the other side of the aisle claim it is already 
illegal. Democrats claim that the SAVE Act is not needed.
  Mr. Speaker, I have some breaking news. It is happening. I spoke to 
my supervisor in Nassau County, Florida, Janet Adkins, yesterday. She 
has, indeed, found illegals who have already registered to vote and 
have already voted in previous elections. She is working on cleaning up 
the rolls.
  Our team reached out to other election supervisors in my district in 
northeast Florida: Duval County, Jacksonville, Florida, the office of 
Jerry Holland, and in Clay County, the office of Chris Chambless. Both 
of them also found illegal immigrants who have voted. Oh, wait a 
minute. Is it not happening? I hear that it is not needed, but it is.
  I challenge each of my colleagues to call their supervisor and ask 
them: Is it happening in my county? Then ask: What are you doing to 
ensure that we have free and fair elections and only citizens vote? How 
do you know? How do they know?
  The best example is it is already illegal for a minor to purchase 
alcohol, yet we still card them. We still enforce the law. Mr. Speaker, 
87 percent of Americans want our election laws enforced.
  I guess the 13 percent that don't are sitting on that side of the 
aisle, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me and pass the SAVE Act.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Kennedy).
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Connecticut 
(Ms. DeLauro) for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this extreme MAGA 
Republican continuing resolution that will defund our veterans.
  We have mere days to fund the government and avoid a shutdown that 
will force millions of Federal employees to be without pay, halt work 
on critical infrastructure projects, and prevent Americans from 
receiving the benefits they rely on.
  Unfortunately, extreme MAGA Republicans have abdicated their 
responsibility to govern even further. This continuing resolution fails 
to meet the needs of our heroes who have fought and served in our 
Nation's military. It shortchanges our veterans by $12 billion.
  This is funding that is desperately needed by the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to maintain its workforce at VA hospitals across the 
country, which is critical to providing the quality of medical services 
our veterans need.
  Without the full $12 billion included in the continuing resolution, 
the VA is being forced to make choices regarding care that could 
degrade services for patients, reduce support for veterans who 
experience homelessness, and limit programs that support caregivers.
  We are already seeing the harm being done from a lack of resources 
for the VA across our country. In my district, the Buffalo VA does not 
have the funding needed to maintain its workforce, driving nurses to 
the picket line to call for more hires, all while patients are 
receiving delayed care in crumbling facilities.
  It is unacceptable, and it will directly impact the 40,000 veterans 
living in my district and more than 18 million veterans across the 
country. This disastrous budget also comes as the Honoring our PACT Act 
brings a record number of benefits to our veterans, including those who 
were exposed to toxic burn pits during tours in Iraq and Afghanistan 
while defending our Nation, and who deserve to receive the benefits 
they have earned.
  Now is not the time to disinvest from our veterans. We need to follow 
through with a bipartisan commitment this body made to make the men and 
women who served in our military whole.
  In funding the United States Government, we need to deliver for the 
heroes who have sacrificed so much for our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to vote against this 
measure as-is and work with us to pass a clean CR that ensures our 
Nation's veterans are treated with the dignity and respect that they 
rightfully deserve.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to 
close.
  Mr. Speaker, let me state a fact. The Illegal Immigration Reform and 
Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 prohibits noncitizens from voting 
in Federal elections. It is not legal in any State for a noncitizen to 
vote for a Federal office. It is the law of the land of the United 
States.
  Mr. Speaker, moving to appropriations, vote ``no'' on this bill. This 
bill is an admission that the House Republican majority cannot govern. 
It abandons veterans. It abandons our military, our Social Security 
recipients, and our cities and families who are grappling with 
disasters and no disaster relief.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that every appropriator on both sides of the 
aisle would prefer a 3-month continuing resolution. Republicans and 
Democrats need to come to the table. Let us move to setting a date in 
December. Let us get on with the business of governing, hammer out the 
programs and the numbers with regard to the programs,

[[Page H5370]]

and let the American people know that we are working on their behalf.
  Mr. Speaker, to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, 
particularly my Republican colleagues, it is now time to govern. Stop 
the game playing. Stop the foolishness and the wasting of the time we 
have, and let's get on to the business of the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, as usual, these debates, particularly at these moments, 
get a little overheated, and I think we have seen a lot of that. I 
think the essence of what we are talking about here is pretty simple, 
and I think some of the charges that have been made against my 
colleagues in the majority are pretty ridiculous.
  We are told we want to shut down the government. Really? What we are 
proposing actually keeps the government open longer than anything my 
friends on the other side are proposing.
  We are told we didn't get our work done. Really? The United States 
Senate hasn't passed a single bill. It has not passed all of its bills 
out of committee. To be fair to my friends, and I have been around here 
a long time, when Democrats were in the majority, my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle never got 71 percent of the bills passed in 
time, the money spent because Democrats couldn't pass a defense bill. 
My Democratic colleagues have never been able to do that. Once my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle do that, the minority, 
frankly, will exceed whatever the Democratic target was.
  All of this stuff about not getting our work done or whatever, or we 
are not taking care of veterans, we gave this administration more money 
than it asked for, for veterans. At the last minute, we come back. I am 
for the Honoring our PACT Act. I voted for the Honoring our PACT Act. I 
am anxious to make sure it is appropriately funded, but if my 
colleagues think I am going to take the word of this administration's 
Department of Veterans Affairs at face value, no, I am not.
  Frankly, that agency has a long history of surprising administrations 
at the last minute, and this one is particularly bad.
  We are more than happy to deal with this. It doesn't have to be dealt 
with in a CR. It ought to be dealt with in the full bill during the 
final negotiations, and that is true for most of the things my friends 
have brought up. My colleagues like to talk about a clean CR and then 
give us a list as long as our arm of what is not in it.
  Mr. Speaker, a clean CR is a clean CR. It is not full of all these 
other things that you are requesting and demanding. My Democratic 
colleagues need to decide which one it is.
  Mr. Speaker, let's talk about what this bill does. It is pretty 
simple. It keeps the government open until the end of March, or 
roughly, March 28, about 6 months. If we can get our business done 
faster, I am with my friend, the ranking member. I would prefer to do 
that. Looking at the record of Congress, I wouldn't hold my breath. 
Having some extra time is not a bad idea.
  Second, I am extraordinarily perplexed that the idea of reaffirming, 
in a time of unmitigated disaster at the southern border, that you have 
to be an American citizen to vote in an election is somehow 
controversial. That is mystifying.
  Frankly, we have every reason to be worried given the disaster on the 
immigration front this administration has allowed to unfold. As 
colleague after colleague of mine have pointed out, they can talk to 
local supervisors in their district who tell them, yeah, we have some 
people here who are illegal, and they are registered, and they voted.
  What is the big deal about saying we want to make sure, in what we 
know is going to be a close election, that only American citizens 
participate. That is incredible that that is a controversial thing.
  Mr. Speaker, I conclude by, number one, thanking my friends who 
participated in the debate and worked so hard to present this. All we 
are trying to do is what my colleagues are asking us to do: Keep the 
government open. This bill will do that.
  The controversial poison pill, as it is called, is simply saying: If 
you are going to vote in a Federal American election, you have to be an 
American citizen, and we are asking for proof to be provided.

                              {time}  1745

  I still get carded when I order a drink at a bar in some places. It 
is pretty flattering, but the requirement is there that I have to pull 
out my driver's license. I think it is a lot more important when we are 
talking about somebody voting in a consequential election that they be 
able to do that, so I think that is a perfectly reasonable thing.
  If my friends want to go on record opposing that, that is up to them. 
I hope my friends on my side of the aisle see the wisdom of keeping the 
government open, particularly a few weeks before an election, and see 
the importance of reaffirming that only American citizens can vote in 
American elections.
  We put those two things together. I think that is a very sensible 
thing to do, and I urge the support of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 1430, the previous question is ordered 
on the bill, as amended.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was 
read the third time.


                           Motion to Recommit

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to 
recommit.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Ms. DeLauro of Connecticut moves to recommit the bill H.R. 
     9494 to the Committee on Appropriations.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX, the 
previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit.
  The question is on the motion to recommit.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  Proceedings will resume on questions previously postponed.
  Votes will be taken in the following order:
  The motion to recommit H.R. 5339;
  Passage of H.R. 5339, if ordered;
  Passage of H.R. 5179;
  Passage of H.R. 7909;
  The motion to recommit H.R. 9494; and
  Passage of H.R. 9494, if ordered.
  The first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. 
Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, remaining electronic votes will be 
conducted as 5-minute votes.

                          ____________________