[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 146 (Thursday, September 19, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E931-E932]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS AND OTHER MATTERS ACT, 2025

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2024

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this six-month 
Continuing Resolution and the accompanying SAVE Act.
  Most of us do not want a CR and it is deeply unfortunate that one is 
necessary. Once again, the Senate did not get its work done and failed 
to pass any 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. And still, Republicans only 
passed half their bills--why? Because they were so unpopular with their 
own conference.
  Having failed to complete this work, Republicans now want to kick the 
can for six months. They will waste half the fiscal year, costing 
taxpayers billions of dollars. A CR this long would be irresponsible. 
The Department of Defense has also identified the consequences for our 
national security. A six-month CR would have negative impacts on our 
Military Personnel and their families. It would not include funds to 
cover the 4.5 percent pay raise for Service Members. It would not fund 
the nearly $3 billion increase required by law for the Basic Housing 
Allowance. And it would not include funds needed to cover medical costs 
for military families and stabilize the Military Healthcare System.
  The Services would not be able to offer new enlistment and 
reenlistment bonuses--harming recruitment efforts. New program starts 
can't happen under a CR. This harms innovation and delays getting 
weapons and equipment into the hands of our personnel quickly. Keeping 
major defense programs on time and on budget will be more difficult. A 
CR will delay multi-year procurement of platforms like: heavy lift 
helicopters and Virginia Class Submarines. It will pause investments in 
our space-based satellite architecture. It will prevent full funding 
for the Columbia Class Submarine, and delay procurement of the B-21 
Raider. Finally, CR's damage the readiness of the Joint Force. Training 
exercises and operations that are needed to ensure we can win any 
fight--they won't happen.
  The Navy will suffer a delay of 58 ship maintenance availabilities, 
limiting work for our public and private shipyards. Air Force flying 
hours, weapon system sustainment, and ground combat readiness will 
suffer. We know this to be true--why?
  We just had a nearly six-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. Because if all 12 appropriations bills are not enacted by the 
end of April, sequestration takes effect.
  What does that mean? Across the board spending cuts impacting 
everything from national security, to infrastructure, to healthcare and 
education. That is a gamble none of us should want to take.
  To make a bad deal even worse, the Speaker has tacked on a partisan 
voter-suppression tool known as the SAVE Act, in an attempt to appease 
his most extreme Members. If this bill became law, the vast majority of 
Americans would need more than one document to vote. We need to be 
removing barriers to the ballot box not adding more. The Senate will 
not pass this bill, and it will not become law. We should reject this 
legislation--pass a clean short-term CR--and roll up our sleeves and 
get to work.

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