[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 14879-14888]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      VETERANS BENEFITS CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS RESOLUTION, 2014

  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
joint resolution (H.J. Res. 72) making continuing appropriations for 
veterans benefits for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
  The text of the joint resolution is as follows:

                              H.J. Res. 72

       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That 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 veterans benefits for fiscal year 2014, and for other 
     purposes, namely:
       Sec. 101. (a) Amounts are provided for entitlements and 
     other mandatory payments whose budget authority was provided 
     in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and 
     Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division E of 
     Public Law 113-6), to continue activities at the rate to 
     maintain program levels under current law, under the 
     authority and conditions provided in the applicable 
     appropriations Act for fiscal year 2013, to be continued 
     through the date specified in section 103(3).
       (b) Notwithstanding section 103, obligations for mandatory 
     payments due on or about the first day of any month that 
     begins after October 2013 but not later than 30 days after 
     the date specified in section 103(3) may continue to be made, 
     and funds shall be available for such payments.
       Sec. 102.  Amounts are provided for ``Department of 
     Veterans Affairs--Departmental Administration--General 
     Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration'' at a 
     rate for operations of $2,455,490,000: Provided, That such 
     amount shall be made available subject to the authority and 
     conditions as provided under the Military Construction and 
     Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 
     2013 (division E of Public Law 113-6) and shall be available 
     to the extent and in the manner that would be provided by 
     such Act.

[[Page 14880]]

       Sec. 103.  Unless otherwise provided for in this joint 
     resolution or in the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal 
     year 2014, appropriations and funds made available and 
     authority granted pursuant to this joint resolution 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 joint resolution; (2) the 
     enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for 
     fiscal year 2014 without any provision for such project or 
     activity; or (3) December 15, 2013.
       Sec. 104.  It is the sense of Congress that this joint 
     resolution may also be referred to as the ``Honoring Our 
     Promise to America's Veterans Act''.
        This joint resolution may be cited as the ``Veterans 
     Benefits Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Culberson) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous materials on House Joint Resolution 72, and 
that I may include tabular material on the same.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Throughout human history, whenever there has been disagreement in 
ages, ages past, that has been settled with armed conflict. But in a 
civilized world, we settle those disputes in an amicable way under the 
law.
  In this remarkable House Chamber, we are surrounded by images of 
great lawmakers from throughout human history. It is, I think, 
incumbent upon us as lawmakers, as civilized human beings, to use a 
little common courtesy and common sense to find areas of agreement and 
set those aside, get those behind us, and then move on to those areas 
where it is more difficult to find agreement.
  In the House of Representatives, the constitutional conservative 
majority in the House has attempted to do so many times here over the 
last several weeks. When it comes to funding the government, the House 
of Representatives has sought to do so and, in fact, has done our job.
  In the first week of June, the House of Representatives passed 
legislation to fully fund the Department of Defense. In the first week 
of June, the House of Representatives passed legislation to fully fund 
our Department of Veterans Affairs and Military Construction 
requirements of our men and women in uniform around the world.
  We also made sure in the first month of the summer that the House of 
Representatives passed legislation to fully fund the Department of 
Homeland Security and sent that to the Senate as well. We have even 
passed an appropriations bill to fund the departments of the government 
that are responsible for the Department of Energy and the Department of 
Water. That legislation was also passed out of the House this summer 
and sent to the Senate.
  It is common courtesy and just common sense that where you have a 
disagreement, you sit down and you work it out. If you've got serious 
disagreements, you, again, find those areas where both sides can agree 
there is common ground and put those behind us.
  What better place to start, Mr. Speaker, than with the veterans who 
have served our Nation in defense of our freedom who make it possible 
for us to enjoy the prosperity, the liberty passed on to us by our 
ancestors. It is a real privilege for me to serve with my good friend 
from Georgia (Mr. Bishop) and my colleagues on this subcommittee for 
appropriating funds for the operation of the Veterans Affairs and 
Military Construction to be sure that our veterans receive everything 
that they have earned for the sacrifices they have made on behalf of 
this Nation.
  So we have brought the bill to the floor today as an obvious area of 
agreement in support of our veterans to ensure that not only are their 
health benefits taken care of, which under current law they are a year 
in advance, but we are here today to ensure, to absolutely guarantee, 
that there is no interruption to the veterans who are applying for 
disability compensation.
  We have had a terrible backlog in disability claims that the 
committee has worked together arm in arm in a bipartisan way to ensure 
that it is fully funded. We included in our bill, which was sent to the 
Senate in the first week of June, language that would ensure that the 
Veterans Administration lives up to their own deadlines on handling 
those disability claims.
  But the legislation before us today would also ensure that veterans 
receive on-time compensation for their pensions, for their post-9/11 
education training, and employment assistance. Again, common courtesy 
and common sense compels us to do what is right by our veterans to find 
those areas of agreement.
  We bring this bill to the floor today, Mr. Speaker, in order to 
ensure that these veterans are fully protected, that they have a 
transition into civilian life that is as easy as humanly possible, and 
that they don't encounter any delays as they move into civilian life.
  This bill, as the other does, provides funding through December 15 
for VA disability claims, education, and employment benefits and 
provides $2.5 billion for claims processing to make sure that we are 
getting at the claims backlog.
  I look forward to hearing from my colleague from Georgia (Mr. 
Bishop), and reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  This, I believe, is really a fraud. This is just a part of the simple 
game that has been played to justify keeping this government shut. The 
proposed rate of $2.5 billion is the same amount provided in the House-
passed MilCon-VA bill earlier this summer, which passed 421-4. It is 
the same funding request level by the administration.
  This CR does not touch or do anything for the remaining VA 
discretionary accounts. In fact, the CR fails to include $155 million 
for the Veterans Benefits Management System. It fails to include $136 
million for the Veterans Claims Intake Program. These two programs are 
vital to speeding up the claims process; yet they are not included.
  The medical research account, not included; construction, major and 
minor, not included; Office of the Secretary, including the Board of 
Veterans Appeals, $438 million, not included; the VA Office of 
Inspector General, $116 million, not included; the VA IT, $13.68 
billion, not included; grants to State veterans homes, to State 
cemeteries, the National Cemetery Administration, not included.
  On June 4, we passed a full bill, a complete bill, a bipartisan bill 
421-4. Mr. Speaker, if this measure goes on to become law, which I 
doubt that it will, a majority of the Federal Government will still be 
shut down.
  For example, the Department of Defense will not have the materiel 
support needed to conduct training to ensure their readiness for the 
forces at home. Regular training exercises, including large-scale 
training rotations, depend on equipment that is in proper working 
order, facilities that have been properly maintained, and supplies 
needed to support the soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen in their 
training efforts.
  Under this bill, pay would still be denied to more than 42,500 fellow 
law enforcement agencies and correctional workers at the Department of 
Justice, 4,000 weather forecasters and other National Weather Service 
employees. On extreme weather events, we won't have employees to 
protect us.

                              {time}  1830

  Mr. Speaker, as Members of Congress, we don't have the luxury to pick 
and choose which parts of the Federal Government we want to fund. It is 
our responsibility under the Constitution to fund the entire Federal 
Government. Let me repeat: the entire Federal Government. So, instead 
of playing games, let the House of Representatives vote

[[Page 14881]]

on a clean Senate CR and end this shutdown very quickly.
  I am disappointed. I am downright disgusted. I truly resent the way 
that those on the other side of the aisle are trying to use veterans as 
pawns in this cynical game of government shutdown. All we have to do is 
pass a clean CR. This CR--this budget--should not be a Democrat CR, and 
it should not be a Republican CR. It should be an American CR for all 
of us. I urge that we defeat this cynical effort and that we adopt a 
full, clean CR.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, at this time, it is my privilege to yield 
3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), the chairman of 
the Appropriations Committee.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding me this 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation and in support of 
continuing to provide our Nation's veterans with the important benefits 
they have earned for their service and their sacrifices. I am shocked 
to hear our friends on the other side of the aisle who are unwilling to 
help our veterans receive the benefits that they have earned in the 
defense of our Nation. For their unwavering commitment to this Nation, 
our veterans deserve to receive consistent, quality service and 
disability benefits. Any lapse in these services for our heroes is a 
failure on our part to do our jobs as Members of Congress.
  I would like to remind the House that the language in this bill was 
essentially included in the clean continuing resolution I initially 
offered several weeks ago. For that reason, as well as my dedication to 
our veterans, I am happy to endorse this bill today.
  The legislation before us continues funding to process and deliver 
disability claims and services at the Department of Veterans Affairs 
for those who have served in our Armed Forces, at the current annual 
rate of approximately $82 billion. The funding will last until December 
15 or until we enact full-year appropriations.
  In addition to providing for our former servicemen and -women, this 
bill will continue to move the ball down the field, closer to our 
ultimate goal of funding the entire government. Conversations must 
continue on how we as an entire Congress can come to an agreement that 
funds every agency and department, that ends this shutdown and reopens 
the government.
  That's why I was so disappointed this morning when the U.S. Senate 
declared that they didn't want to meet with us to talk about how to end 
this shutdown. We offered to sit down and talk in a conference 
committee. The Senate at 9:30 brusquely says, No way. We don't want to 
talk to you. I thought that's what Congress was all about, was working 
out differences from this body across to the Senate, but, apparently, I 
am wrong.
  I urge my colleagues to support our veterans and to take the next 
step toward ending this unnecessary government shutdown. Pass this bill 
today.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am delighted to 
yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Lowey), the 
distinguished ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Republican 
shutdown.
  Of course we support the funding for our veterans. The proper way to 
do that, as our distinguished chairman knows, is to fulfill our 
constitutional responsibility--make the hard decisions and pass regular 
appropriations bills.
  Mr. Speaker, as the chairman knows, the House already passed in June 
a full-year funding bill for veterans by a vote of 421-4. As our 
distinguished chairman knows, that bill is $6.2 billion more than 
today's bill. So our veterans, as a result of this shutdown process, 
are going to have their funds cut by $6.2 billion. We need to pass a 
bill that helps them and that funds other critical initiatives. As our 
distinguished chairman knows, we could do this. We could pass these 
bills by regular order and prevent children from being part of clinical 
trials.
  I just got an email from Francis Collins of the National Institutes 
of Health. Nearly three-quarters of the staff were furloughed. About 
200 patients who otherwise would be admitted to the NIH clinical trials 
each week will be turned away. This includes about 30 children, most of 
them cancer patients. We know this is not the only place. It's Head 
Start, and it's funds for transportation. We've heard that. We can go 
on and on.
  We could do this because there is a process in place. We don't need 
to shut down the government and invent new ways to pass these 
appropriations bills. Funding one budget item at a time while hundreds 
of thousands of Americans are on furlough and are losing pay is no way 
to fulfill our constitutional responsibility.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I yield the gentlelady an additional 30 
seconds.
  Mrs. LOWEY. The bill we are considering today is nothing more than a 
Republican ploy. It would not be necessary if Republicans had not been 
so reckless throughout the budgetary process, forcing us into a 
shutdown. We could end the Republican shutdown today if the majority 
would only allow a vote on the Senate-passed bill to keep the 
government running, which includes the funding levels that the 
Republicans support and that would be signed by the President. The 
House majority, apparently, can't take the heat from the fire they lit, 
so now they've put forward this reckless political attempt to shift 
blame for their shutdown.
  Mr. CULBERSON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I think it's important to point out that, as I said 
earlier, with any disagreement, you find those areas in which you are 
in agreement. You come to an agreement and make sure you get the most 
important things done first and set them aside. The House and the 
Senate have actually done that.
  We note that our military has been paid. Legislation to fully pay for 
our military was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate, and it was 
passed out of this House. I would also reiterate that the House has 
done its job in funding our veterans in passing this legislation in the 
first week of June and in funding our Department of Defense in the 
first week of June. We have done our part.
  This shutdown that we face today is a deliberate result of the 
Senate's refusal to take action on the legislation that we sent them 
over 90 days ago, and that's why we are bringing this bill to the floor 
today, because this is one area in which we can all agree. Our veterans 
have earned our help, and they deserve our help. It is our duty to pass 
this bill as quickly as possible to ensure no interruption in the 
services that they have earned by their service to this Nation.
  At this time, Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 3 minutes to 
the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Nunnelee).
  Mr. NUNNELEE. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding 
time, but I also thank him for his leadership on behalf of veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, the House and the Senate have already passed a measure 
that would pay for our troops in the middle of this government 
shutdown, and it's proper that we do this.
  This morning, I had the privilege of meeting with 91 veterans from 
all over the State of Mississippi, who were in our Nation's Capital as 
part of an Honor Flight. When we arrived at the World War II Memorial, 
we found the entrance was blocked because of the government shutdown. 
Now, for these heroes of the Greatest Generation--those men who stormed 
the beaches of Normandy while facing German machine gun nests, those 
men who saw their friends die on Iwo Jima--even though these heroes may 
now be confined to wheelchairs, a few Park Service barricades were no 
obstacle.
  It was my privilege to meet with them at the memorial that has been 
built in their honor. But the real way that our Nation pays tribute and

[[Page 14882]]

thanks them for their service is for us to keep our commitment to them, 
our commitment in the form of VA benefits, of health care benefits, of 
disability benefits. Let us not fail those who have sacrificed so much 
for our Nation by failing to ensure that our veterans are provided the 
benefits and the services that they have earned. That's why I rise in 
support of this bill.
  Our obligation to our troops does not end when a war is over, and we 
must ensure that our military men and women are provided with the care 
and the benefits they deserve both during and after their service. We 
have all agreed to unanimously fund this generation's military. Let us 
also agree to fund that of the previous generation's.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am delighted to 
yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), the 
assistant Democratic leader.
  Mr. CLYBURN. I thank my friend for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill we are about to vote on is as unnecessary as 
it is disingenuous. My congressional district is highly populated by 
veterans whose service and sacrifices are greatly appreciated. That is 
why I came to this floor on June 4 and enthusiastically joined with 420 
other Members of this auspicious body to keep our obligations to them 
at higher levels than are included in this legislation.
  Last night, the Tea Party Republicans shut down the government 
because they refuse to accept the verdict of the American people in 
last year's election. They shut down our government over the 
implementation of settled law--a position that polling shows that 72 
percent of the American people oppose. Now they are using our patriotic 
heroes as pawns in their petty, partisan, political game.
  Veterans should not have to choose between having their claims 
processed and their grandchildren educated. Their family members should 
be able to receive their medical treatments and enjoy our national 
treasures.
  This piecemeal approach is the Tea Party's plan. They want to pick 
and choose winners and losers and only fund the priorities that they 
like. That's not how our government works.
  As one of my favorite Republicans stated back in 1860, President 
Abraham Lincoln:

       Your purpose, plainly stated, is that you will destroy the 
     government unless you be allowed to construe and enforce the 
     Constitution as you please on all points in dispute. You will 
     rule or ruin in all events.

  We should end this reckless stunt tonight. Let's reject this partisan 
gamesmanship and reopen our government like honorable men and women.
  Mr. CULBERSON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would point out that the only people who would be 
holding our veterans hostage would be those who would vote ``no'' 
against this legislation which we have brought to the floor today in an 
earnest, honest, commonsense, courteous way to ensure that our veterans 
are given everything they need for the service they have given this 
country.
  It is my privilege at this time to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Miller), who is the chairman of the House Veterans' 
Affairs Committee.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. I thank the chairman for yielding.
  I rise in support of the Honoring Our Promise to America's Veterans 
Act. Let me explain why this bill is necessary.
  Last weekend, the administration revised an initial shutdown 
contingency plan with the following statement relating specifically to 
the effect that a prolonged shutdown would have on the VA:

       VA has accepted VBA claims processors so that it can 
     continue to process claims. Beneficiaries will continue to 
     receive their payments. However, those benefits are provided 
     through appropriated mandatory funding, and that funding will 
     run out by the end of October. At that point, VA will be 
     unable to make any payments.

                              {time}  1845

  What this means is that absent a deal on a CR--and we have anxiously 
awaited the Senate to do something over there, negotiate with the 
House--payments to veterans and their survivors that are due in 
November for a variety of benefits that have been earned by that 
veteran through honorable service may, in fact, be in jeopardy. That 
would mean a suspension of over a billion dollars per month in GI Bill 
tuition payments to nearly 1 million veterans or their dependents. It 
would end the subsistence allowance to over 66,000 disabled veterans in 
vocational rehabilitation programs. It would cease payments to low-
income wartime veterans with incomes that are just above the poverty 
level. It would end dependency and indemnity compensation to the 
surviving loved ones of servicemembers and veterans who died as a 
result of their service.
  Mr. Speaker, this must never, ever be allowed to happen. Even more 
veterans and their loved ones should not even have to worry about 
something like this occurring. This bill would immediately remove any 
doubt from their minds that the dysfunction that's here in Washington 
would, in fact, jeopardize their earned benefits. These are America's 
heroes who have already gone above and beyond the call of duty. The 
last thing they deserve is for the country they courageously defended 
to abandon them in their time of need.
  This bill will avoid all the calamitous events that I've mentioned, 
and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I'm delighted to yield 2 minutes 
to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the ranking member of 
the Appropriations Subcommittee of Homeland Security.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, the American people have 
had enough of this cynical attempt to shift blame for the Tea Party 
shutdown.
  Of course we want the American people to have access to our national 
parks, and I wish our Republican colleagues had thought a little bit 
more about that World War II Memorial before doing what they did last 
night.
  Of course we want the D.C. government to continue to function. Why 
weren't Ms. Norton's compelling arguments given more attention before 
what our Republican colleagues did last night?
  Of course we want the Veterans Administrations to resume their 
operations for those who have worn this country's uniform, although we 
do not like seeing our veterans used to score political points.
  What about the thousands of Department of Defense civilians who were 
told not to come into work today, including those in my district who 
serve Fort Bragg? What about those EPA scientists in the research 
triangle who spent today on a community service project instead of 
conducting important research on air quality or the firefighters across 
the Nation who depend on FEMA grants to keep their communities safe? 
What about those Agriculture Department-funded researchers at NC State 
whose paychecks are running out? What about the NIH researchers at Duke 
and UNC whose grants are under threat, or those desperately ill people 
who will now be cut out of NIH clinical trials?
  The American people deserve a government that works for everybody. 
The Senate has passed a responsible, bipartisan funding bill that would 
pass this House easily if the Republican leadership would simply allow 
it to receive a vote.
  Let's dispense with this political theater. Let's get back to the 
basics: keeping the government open, paying the country's bills, and 
negotiating a comprehensive budget plan that lifts sequestration, that 
revives our economy and reduces our deficit. The first step is to pass 
a clean continuing resolution.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, can you tell me how much time I have 
remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 7\1/4\ minutes 
remaining, and the gentleman from Georgia has 10 minutes remaining.
  Mr. CULBERSON. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Salmon).
  Mr. SALMON. Mr. Speaker, it's with great emotion that I rise today.

[[Page 14883]]

  First of all, we're right in the midst of a government shutdown, and 
this is a terrible time. Second of all, this is my greatest hero's 
birthday; it was my father's birthday, October 1.
  My dad passed away about 5 years ago. He was part of the Greatest 
Generation, as denoted by Tom Brokaw. He fought bravely in New Guinea 
during World War II, and he represented his country proudly.
  My son-in-law is a captain in the Army. He's the father of my four 
grandchildren in Stuttgart, Germany. My nephew is an Army Ranger who 
has fought proudly in Afghanistan. It is for them that I rise today.
  Make no mistake, the other side today says that they want to support 
these things, but they don't. Why? Because it's political posturing. 
They don't want to mitigate the pain because that might somehow hurt 
their ability to try to extract whatever they can politically.
  Our constituents don't live in political rhetoric land. They live in 
the land where the rubber meets the road.
  Let's be really clear: You have an opportunity on the other side of 
the aisle to fund the veteran programs, and you're going to be held 
accountable for that. If you vote ``no,'' that's where the rubber meets 
the road. You'll be responsible for denying them these benefits.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I'm pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished Democratic whip.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, there is not a Member of this House who does not respect 
and support the veterans of this country.
  The gentleman who just spoke talked about preventing pain. What we 
want to do is prevent pain not only to veterans, but to children, to 
families, to teachers, to medical professionals, to farmers, to all 
those who every day rely on the Federal Government to be in operation--
not piecemeal, not choosing between this and that, between the winners 
and the losers.
  Why are we at this place? Why, as the gentlelady, the ranking member 
of this committee said, are we at a place where we're presenting a bill 
that cuts $6 billion from the bill you talked about, that I voted for 
and you voted for? I speak, of course, of the chairman.
  Mr. Speaker, we are here because of the pain that has been visited 
not by the Senate. The Senate passed the only CR that didn't have a 
poison pill, the CR--we talk in this jargon--keeping government 
operating for the American people, the only body that's passed a bill 
that will do that that didn't include a poison pill that you knew the 
other side could not take and would not take and the President said he 
would not sign. You continue to not come to grips with the loss of the 
election.
  You need a compromise. You would not go to conference. You talked 
about going to conference at 5 minutes of 12 a.m. last night. You've 
had 6 months to go to conference. For 6 months, Mr. Speaker, the 
Republicans have had the opportunity of going to conference. Mr. Van 
Hollen, I'm sure, will talk about that.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 
seconds.
  Mr. HOYER. It's been 6 months and no action. That's why we have had 
this gridlock, because you have refused to go, as you talk about the 
regular order, to work out an agreement between the Senate and the 
House. So we find ourselves where we need more time.
  We have tried to provide for 6 weeks, between now and November 15, to 
try to work together to get to compromise and pass appropriation 
bills--and not in piecemeal. I don't know that I've seen an 
appropriation bill on a suspension before.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the wrong process, it's the wrong time, and we 
ought to pass a CR and keep government operating for the American 
people.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, there's only one question before the 
House tonight: Will we unify in support of our veterans and ensure 
their peace of mind for themselves, their families, and their 
survivors, that they don't miss a moment of the benefits that they've 
so rightly earned?
  At this time, it's my privilege to yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Benishek).
  Mr. BENISHEK. I thank the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. Speaker, today veterans in northern Michigan and across the 
country woke up to the news that the United States Government had shut 
down. The government that they served, risked their lives for, could 
possibly further delay the disability claims process. This simply isn't 
fair.
  As the House has offered four times, I might add, plans to keep the 
government open, the Senate continues to reject our offers and insists 
on shutting down the government. Last night they refused to even sit 
down and have a reasonable discussion with us.
  As we work toward a solution, it is vital that those who have risked 
it all be able to continue to receive the services that they need.
  Mr. Speaker, I've been a doctor for over 30 years. I've treated 
veterans at the VA hospital at Iron Mountain on a regular basis. I 
don't know how any Member in this body could think for even 1 minute 
that we should turn away our servicemembers.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Honoring Our Promise to Veterans 
Act.


                        Parliamentary Inquiries

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary 
inquiry.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. As the Speaker knows, a number of Members of Congress 
have asked unanimous consent to proceed to the Senate and pass the so-
called ``clean CR.'' I want to understand the rule.
  My understanding is that if the Democratic leader and the Republican 
leader both give their consent to that, then that bill would come 
before the body now; is that correct?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The request for consideration of certain 
measures must receive clearance from both sides.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. So to further clarify, if both Democrats and 
Republicans were to agree to bring the Senate-passed CR before this 
House, it would come up for a vote now; is that correct?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would entertain a request only if 
prior appropriate clearance had been given.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Further parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary 
inquiry.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, when you say prior appropriate approval, 
do you mean approval from the Republican leader and the Democratic 
leader?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Leadership from both sides of the aisle must 
provide clearance.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, further parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary 
inquiry.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, with respect to the current status of 
H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR, if this body were to take it up and pass 
that bill, would that bill go back to the Senate or would that bill now 
go directly to the President?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. That measure is not currently pending, so 
the gentleman's inquiry is not appropriate at this time.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, further parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary 
inquiry.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, if the Democratic leader and the 
Republican leader were to give their consent, as you indicated, to 
bring that bill before this body and this body then adopted that bill, 
voted for it, would that bill then go to the President?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's request does not relate to 
the measure that is before the House at this time. The Chair will not 
give an advisory opinion.

[[Page 14884]]


  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, further parliamentary inquiry with 
respect to the current bill before us, H.J. Res. 72.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary 
inquiry.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, if this bill were to pass the House, 
would this bill go directly to the President, or would this bill go to 
the Senate, H.J. Res. 72?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All House-passed bills would be messaged to 
the Senate.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. So this bill that we're currently discussing would go 
to the Senate?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. If it passes the House, yes.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary 
inquiry.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, is it the Chair's ruling that you cannot 
rule whether or not a resolution that's agreed to by the House and the 
Senate does not go to the President? Is that the Chair's parliamentary 
ruling, that you cannot give us an answer to that basic parliamentary 
question?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will only respond to inquiries 
that relate directly to the current proceedings.
  Mr. RANGEL. The current proceeding, if I am not correct, involves a 
concurrent resolution. The whole world knows what is before this House. 
Is the Chair saying, from a parliamentary point of view, that we can't 
deal with the issue of an agreement between the House and the Senate? 
Is that the ruling?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The pending question relates to House Joint 
Resolution 72.
  Mr. RANGEL. I yield back because I know my friend knows a better 
answer than that. We've been around a long time.

                              {time}  1900

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), who is on the Defense 
Subcommittee of Appropriations.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the House of 
Representatives as the daughter of a World War II veteran, a veteran 
who was disabled, a veteran who watched very carefully what his 
government, what this august body and the Senate and the President 
signed into law that would affect his benefits, our family's benefits.
  And I rise today to oppose this new Republican scheme. Selecting 
random government agencies, programs, and museums to fund while the 
rest of the Federal Government languishes in a shutdown is simply 
irresponsible. The majority is making a desperate attempt to create 
distractions so that they're not held accountable for their actions. 
Congress needs to fund the entire Federal Government with a clean 
continuing resolution and end this reckless and unnecessary GOP--or, 
should I say, ``Grand Old Party''--shutdown.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, the only question before the House 
tonight is whether we will unite and fund the veterans who have served 
this Nation. That is the only question before us.
  And at this time, it's my privilege to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bentivolio), a veteran of Vietnam and 
Iraq.
  Mr. BENTIVOLIO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman.
  Today I was reminded just how our Nation is made up of the people, 
not the government.
  Just a few hours ago, dozens of World War II veterans, in an act of 
civil disobedience, defied the President's closure of the World War II 
Memorial on the Washington Mall and celebrated their historic defense 
against tyranny so many decades ago.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that this shutdown could be a learning 
experience for both everyone in this Chamber and the people of the 
country. It allows us to determine what is essential and what isn't, 
what government should do and what it shouldn't.
  When I first arrived here in Washington, I wrote an op-ed in my local 
newspaper, laying out some obvious budgetary reforms. One of them was 
to make every department justify its spending on the floor of the 
House. The Department of Veterans Affairs could easily do that. 
Currently, the VA is not shut down completely. But the time is soon 
coming where our former servicemembers will not be able to receive the 
benefits they earned fighting to defend our freedom.
  Because of the Democratic Senate's inability to compromise, services 
to our veterans will be impacted if we don't do the right thing. In the 
military, we don't leave people behind on the battlefield. We shouldn't 
do that at home either. Surely my friends on the other side of the 
aisle do not believe that the Democratic Senate should hold our 
veterans hostage as we negotiate the CR. The people helped by the VA 
are American heroes. Let's not leave them behind.
  I urge my colleagues to pass this important legislation.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. At this time, I am delighted to yield 2 
minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen), the ranking 
member of the Budget Committee.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Georgia.
  If you want to help our veterans tonight, we should take up the 
Senate-passed clean CR bill which keeps the government open for our 
veterans and funds programs that help their children and grandchildren, 
like education, like scientific research at the National Institutes of 
Health. And as we heard from the Speaker, if we take that bill up and 
pass it, it will be on the President's desk tonight, and he can sign 
it, whereas this bill just goes back to the Senate.
  So why aren't we doing that? Well, it was reported in The Washington 
Post, since the Republicans want to shut down the government, now 
they're going for the Cruz idea for plan B. ``House GOP will go with 
Cruz's idea for plan B.'' That's Senator Cruz. So again, Senator Cruz 
is calling the shots here in the House of Representatives.
  But here's what's particularly strange and cynical: our veterans are 
being used as props here. I don't think the American people understand 
that if we were to pass the CR tonight for veterans, it is actually a 
higher level of funding for the veterans by billions of dollars than 
what is in your bill before us today. So how can you say you want to 
help veterans by sending the Senate a bill with less money for veterans 
instead of sending immediately the President a bill with billions of 
dollars for veterans?
  This cuts the amount that this House voted for for veterans in June. 
It cuts billions of dollars. Every Member of this House who voted in 
June on that Veterans appropriations bill who votes on this is voting 
for a cut from what this House provided for veterans earlier this year, 
and it represents a cut compared to the continuing resolution that we 
could send tonight to the President's desk and have him sign.
  So, yes. If you really want to help veterans, Mr. Speaker, you should 
take up the Senate bill. Send it to the President. It will be done 
tonight at a level billions of dollars higher than this Republican 
bill.
  Let's help our veterans, and let's help tonight.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton).
  Mr. BARTON. I thank the gentleman from Houston.
  Mr. Speaker, last night we voted to go to conference with the other 
body. Our friends on the minority side opposed that. And the leadership 
in the other body refused to appoint conferees.
  This afternoon we brought three bills to the floor on the suspension 
calendar to open our national parks, to give the District of Columbia 
the local funds that it rightly deserves, and to fund our veterans. 
These bills are under suspension, which means they need to come to the 
floor and get a two-thirds

[[Page 14885]]

vote. We can't pass these bills if my friends on the minority side 
don't vote for them.
  And I would point out, on the District of Columbia, the last time the 
voters of the District of Columbia voted for a Republican for 
President, his name was Abraham Lincoln in 1864. We need to pass these 
bills. We're just trying to help.
  I would point out that being in the minority party does not mean you 
have to be automatically the opposition party. Let's do what makes 
sense, what's the right thing to do. Vote for the veterans bill, and 
vote for the other two bills on suspension. We cannot pass them if our 
friends on the minority side, some of them don't vote for these bills.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, if I could inquire how much time remains.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 1 minute 
remaining. The gentleman from Georgia has 4\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. CULBERSON. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. At this time, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gallego).
  Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, Ronald Reagan told a story many years ago 
about a little boy who encountered a pile of manure and was very 
excited because he thought there might be a pony in there somewhere. 
And the truth is that a lot of people across the country are looking 
for a pony.
  So many people understand across the board that this isn't really 
about veterans or parks or the Washington, D.C., budget. It's a fight 
over ObamaCare and whether ObamaCare gets funded or not, a subject that 
has had some 40-something votes in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  And I will also tell you that today, I've spent my day talking to 
people on the phone. I spoke to a veteran employed with the Federal 
Government in San Antonio who is a single dad and is worried about how 
he will pay his bills. A retired sergeant in Fort Stockton with the 
same story. Two people who were very interesting, one who told me 
straight up that he was a Tea Party member in San Antonio, Texas. He 
said, If you have a fight about ObamaCare, that should be separate and 
apart from keeping the doors of government open. And a woman in Ozona, 
Texas, who told me the same thing.
  But perhaps the best statement that I have had came from an airman 
who serves in the 23rd District who wrote me this:

       While I and many others appreciate the gratitude expressed 
     in times like these, we have also become weary of the same. 
     Whenever the actions of our national leaders have a negative 
     impact on us, as government employees--which seems to have 
     become the norm over the last years--we hear the same 
     rhetoric. We don't want to hear how grateful and appreciative 
     our leaders are. We want them to show their gratitude through 
     deeds. Passing a fiscally sound budget.

  Mr. CULBERSON. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. At this time, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ 
minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott), a strong 
advocate for veterans.
  Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Ladies and gentlemen of America, don't be 
fooled. Don't be fooled by what the Republicans are doing tonight.
  Just 19 hours ago, they closed down this government. They closed down 
the government on the veterans. They closed down the government on D.C. 
They closed down the government on those who serve our parks. Many of 
them, when they left here 19 hours ago, were high-fiving and 
celebrating. We closed 'er down. We closed 'er down. And now they're 
here. They're here today with this hypocritical and deceitful act that 
now they want to do something for the veterans.
  And to use these veterans--ladies and gentlemen, this is nothing but 
a fig leaf, a fig leaf to hide the shame of what this Republican Party 
did last night. And to use the veterans and to send--we are talking 
about just a period of just 10 or 12 weeks--to be able to send them 
$5.2 million and think you've done something? We have 21 veterans 
committing suicide every day. Where are you talking about that? Four in 
my district alone.
  We need to treat our veterans with the respect that they deserve by 
making sure that we pass that full budget. Bring a clean CR. Lift up 
the American people, and treat them all with respect. Don't pick one or 
the other.
  Let's vote down this fig leaf of shame that the Republican Party is 
presenting here today in this resolution.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time we have 
remaining on each side.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 1 minute 
remaining. The gentleman from Georgia has 1\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. CULBERSON. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. At this time, I am delighted to yield 1 minute 
to the gentlewoman from California, Ms. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic 
leader who is a strong advocate for veterans and a strong advocate for 
this government.
  Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for his 
great service to our country and for his leadership on behalf of our 
veterans. They are precious to us. They make us the home of the brave 
and the land of the free. We couldn't be who we are, as a Nation, 
without the service and sacrifice of our veterans and their families.
  Mr. Ranking Member, I thank you for your participation in our 
meetings that we have on a regular basis with the Veterans Service 
Organizations, where so many of them come and give us their priorities 
of how we can help them. Whether it was the veterans' budget, the 
forward funding, or a long list of concurrent receipts, there are so 
many issues that we talk about there. And now, of course, the backlog 
and the rest.
  And in those meetings, almost every time we meet, either at the 
beginning or the end, we always practically in a prayerful way quote 
what we say about our soldiers. The military says, On the battlefield, 
we leave no soldier behind. And we say, And when they come home, we 
leave no veteran behind.

                              {time}  1915

  The gentleman has said that we have one purpose here today, and that 
is to unite and support our veterans.
  Do we support our veterans when we leave their families behind?
  Our veterans are willing to go to battle to fight for our country, 
for our values, for our families, for their well-being, for our 
freedoms. And those people are not just veterans. They're fathers, 
they're mothers, they're grandparents, they're aunts and uncles. 
They're members of families. They want the best for their children and 
their grandchildren.
  It may surprise you: sadly, some of them receive food stamps. Some of 
them receive Meals on Wheels. All of them, again, want a better future 
for our country.
  So we're not uniting to support our veterans when we do what we're 
doing here today, because they would want us to support what they were 
fighting to defend, the ability of our country to be great. And that 
greatness springs from the health and well-being of the American 
people, in addition to our military might.
  That's how we would define our strength; and I think, from listening 
to them, they would too.
  I listened with interest to how people identified with their 
families. Four of my brothers were in the Army. My uncle died at the 
Battle of the Bulge, and that has always been part of the great pride 
of our family, that great war of World War II, that my father's brother 
was killed there.
  So this World War II Memorial means a lot to all of us. Even if we 
didn't know anyone, even if we didn't have someone in the family, it's 
really important to us. And so we have to think of the ramifications of 
our actions.
  When we shut down government, we can't say, oh, we're not respecting 
our veterans because they can't go to the World War II Memorial. That's 
what shutting down government is, shutting down much of what they 
fought for, shutting down the tributes that we pay to them.

[[Page 14886]]

  So let's not leave our veterans behind by leaving their children, 
their grandchildren, their families and what they need.
  Just to go into it, this bill is billions of dollars less than what 
over 420 Members of this House passed in June.
  We're all there for our veterans. There is no question about that, as 
our distinguished whip, Mr. Hoyer, said. There is no question. Nobody 
questions the commitment that we all have, the gratitude that we have, 
the appreciation, the pedestal that we have our veterans on.
  But we leave them behind when we leave behind all that they fought 
for, and we leave them behind when we put a bill on the floor that's 
billions of dollars less than we all came together to support just a 
few months ago.
  Don't exploit them. Don't use them. We owe them too much.
  On the battlefield, we leave no soldier behind; and when they come 
home, we leave no veteran behind, and all that they know and love.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, we live in the greatest country 
on the face of the Earth. We enjoy freedoms that they enjoy no place 
else like in America, but freedom is not free. The freedoms we enjoy 
were bought with a price, and that was the price of the men and women 
who sacrificed.
  I am very, very saddened tonight that our colleagues would use and 
would hide behind the garment of sacrifice of those veterans and put 
forth a CR that does not fund, as the Senate CR does, the discretionary 
budget fully, the mandatory budget fully. But theirs, this CR, will 
not.
  I urge the defeat of it, and let's not allow them to hide behind the 
sacrifice of our veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, at this time, it's my privilege to yield 
our remaining 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Cotton), a 
distinguished Army Ranger who served this Nation both in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, to close.
  Mr. COTTON. Mr. Speaker, no country that forgets its veterans can 
long endure, and that's why America has always celebrated and cherished 
our veterans' service.
  George Washington, in his first days as President, demanded, in one 
of the most forceful requests he made to the Congress, that they honor 
our veterans.
  Abraham Lincoln, who presided over our bloodiest war, dedicated two 
of his most beautiful speeches, the Gettysburg Address, and his second 
inaugural, in part or in full, to honoring our veterans.
  This is something that has long united our parties on both sides of 
the aisle. The Democratic Party has many distinguished veterans, as 
does our party. That is why, today, we should continue this commitment.
  We should ensure that the veterans who have been calling my office, 
who have been calling your offices, who've been calling all of our 
offices, don't have to face the kind of uncertainty and confusion that 
they do now because they aren't sure about what the Veterans Affairs 
Department can do for them.
  We have our differences about ObamaCare, about funding levels, about 
many other matters. But let us, for our veterans, come together, as 
Abraham Lincoln said, and appeal to the better angels of our nature.
  Uphold our veterans. Support and honor their service.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, the drama that has played out on the 
floor of the House would make for a great movie. I must remind my 
colleagues that we aren't in Hollywood, and their dangerous and 
thoughtless actions aren't without consequences.
  We are elected representatives of the United States of America. We 
are not actors. We are here to legislate. So I ask my Republican 
colleagues to stop pontificating to the cameras and get to the work of 
reopening the federal government.
  The Democratic Leader came to the Floor yesterday and pleaded with 
the majority to bring the Senate's amended CR to the Floor for a vote. 
Last night as midnight drew closer, my colleague from New Jersey Mr. 
Andrews asked the Chairman of the Rules Committee to do what is right 
and fair and bring the Senate's amended CR to the Floor for a vote. The 
Rules' Committee Chairman refused to acknowledge Mr. Andrews' plea.
  Shame on House Republicans for not giving members an opportunity to 
cast an up or down vote on the Senate's clean CR. Their refusal to move 
beyond Obamacare--a law that was upheld by the United States Supreme 
Court as Constitutional--and continue their insistence on dismantling 
the law--is absolutely astounding.
  Because for every time we vote on a bill to delay, defund, or 
dismantle Obamacare knowing what the ultimate outcome will be, is time 
that we could spend working on behalf of the American people to advance 
important policies. Instead my Republican colleagues insist on holding 
the American people hostage.
  This is a sad day for America. This is a sad day for America because 
of House Republicans' complete inability to lead. This dysfunction has 
been allowed to continue for too long.
  I remind my colleagues that House Democrats are willing to accept a 
clean CR at the levels that Republicans demanded. It's not what we 
want, but we compromised in an effort to do the business of the 
American people.
  Now we are asking you to compromise. Your refusal to do so has shut 
down the most powerful government in the world. And for what? Political 
theater.
  Republicans are harming the American people and they deserve better.
  Colleagues, vote no on these senseless resolutions and demand--demand 
a vote on the Senate's clean Continuing Resolution.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the Continuing 
Resolutions to re-open our National Parks. Today, 368 national park 
sites were closed and we now see that the majority has noticed.
  Mr. Speaker, Texas is graced with 20 Federal Parks that include Big 
Bend National Park, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Amistad 
National Recreation Area, Big Thicket National Preserve; Chamizal 
National Memorial; Fort Davis National Historic Site; Guadalupe 
Mountains National Park; Lake Meredith National Recreation Area; Lyndon 
B. Johnson National Historical Park; Padre Island National Seashore; 
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site; Rio Grande Wild and 
Scenic River; and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park are all 
closed during the shutdown.
  Texas also has national Forests and grasslands: Angelina National 
Forest; Davy Crockett National Forest; Sabine National Forest; Sam 
Houston National Forest; Caddo and Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) National 
Grasslands; Black Kettle and McClellan Creek Grasslands; Kiowa and Rita 
Blanca National Grasslands.
  All of them are closed today because of the reckless behavior of the 
majority in the House of Representatives.
  Perhaps this is the day that members of the majority of the House of 
Representatives received their first education directly from 
constituents about our nation's national parks and how much our parks 
are love and appreciated.
  Federal parks also contribute to the local economies where they are 
found and create tens of thousands of tourist related jobs. Because 
they are closed today those jobs are at risk as well as the incomes of 
the Park Rangers who are stewards of our nation's most precious 
treasures.
  The House should take up the clean Senate Continuing Resolution to 
fund the entire government.
  If we only fund what the House majority wants then they will have no 
need to worry about funding the parts of the government that they do 
not like, which includes the Departments of Health and Human Services, 
the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department 
of Labor, the Social Security Administration, the Internal Review 
Service, the Department of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection 
Agency just to name a few.
  Mr. Speaker, negotiations are a part of life. We negotiate agreements 
everyday--with our spouses, children, and friends. We negotiate for 
commercial exchanges, and for most people they negotiate over matters 
related to work.
  From what we have learned from the majority is if they get what they 
want then they will leave everyone else behind. They do not see the 
nation at large, but as a small place with small minded people.
  They are wrong. The United States is a very large place with great 
minded people with big hearts, who do not believe in leaving others 
behind.
  We have seen the majority's attacks against the poor in the form of 
legislation that would undermine programs to feed the poor--the most 
recent was a bill to cut $40 billion from the nation's food safety net 
programs under

[[Page 14887]]

the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs.
  SNAP benefits the working poor which include those who earn 130% of 
the federal poverty guideline, but the majority of households have 
income well below the maximum: 83% of SNAP households have gross income 
at or below 100% of the poverty guideline this translates into incomes 
of $19,530 for a family of 3 in 2013. These households receive about 
91% of all benefits.
  These are the people who we know the majority will leave behind if we 
allow a piece meal approach to managing the CR process.
  The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of 
the federal government are paid and that important things like our 
parks are open and our children are feed.
  Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the 
harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on 
reopening the government as soon as possible.
  Texas will soon begin experiencing the impact of cutbacks in the 
$64.7 billion in federal spending that it receives annually, including 
the loss of:
  $518 million in federal highway funds;
  $411 million for interstate highway maintenance;
  $130 million in home energy assistance for the poor;
  $71 million, in Homeland Security grants;
  $55 million in coordinated border infrastructure and $97 million in 
federal Adoption assistance;
  For these reasons, we cannot wait for the majority to discover all of 
the reasons why we have a federal government or the importance and 
purpose of each agency.
  We have to pass a clean CR as soon as possible.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 72, 
the so-called ``Honoring Our Promise to Veterans Act,'' which purports 
to fund those activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs that are 
required to cease due to the House Republicans' decision to shut down 
the government last night.
  The bill before us is a cynical attempt by the Republican majority to 
extricate themselves from the mess they created when they voted to shut 
down the government.
  Mr. Speaker, it would not be necessary to have to devote the 
considerable amount of time needed to debate and pass this legislation 
in the House and Senate and present it to the President if the House 
would simply pass the clean continuing resolution passed yesterday by 
the Senate.
  The CR approved by the Senate funds the government and would bring an 
end to the unnecessary shutdown engineered by House Republicans that 
disrupts the lives of innocent and hard working federal employees and 
their families and the millions of Americans who depend upon the 
services they provide.
  The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of 
the Federal Government are paid for the valuable and important service 
they provide to our Nation.
  President Obama has reiterated that he will sign that CR--and only 
that CR--into law.
  Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the 
harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on 
ending the House Republicans' shutdown, which helps no one and hurts 
our economy.
  Those of us who were serving in this body 17 years ago remember the 
harm caused when the Republicans shutdown the government on two 
different occasions, which directly cost taxpayers $1.4 billion. That 
is $2.1 billion in today's dollars.
  The last time Republicans engineered a shutdown of the government:
  368 national park sites were closed;
  200,000 applications for passports went unprocessed; and
  $3.7 billion of $18 billion in local contracts went unpaid.
  My State of Texas will again be hit very hard and suffer 
unnecessarily by this Republican shutdown.
  Within days Texas will begin experiencing the impact of cutbacks in 
the $64.7 billion in federal spending that it receives annually, 
including the loss of: $518 million in federal highway funds, $411 
million for interstate highway maintenance, $130 million in home energy 
assistance for the poor, $71 million in Homeland Security grants, $55 
million in coordinated border infrastructure, and $97 million in 
federal adoption assistance.
  As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am 
particularly concerned over the impact of a government shutdown on 
operations and activities that protect and secure the homeland.
  For example, a shutdown would adversely affect the following:
  Law Enforcement and Other Training: Law enforcement training would 
cease, including that conducted through the Federal Law Enforcement 
Training Center and the Secret Service's J. Rowley Training Center. 
This would impact CBP, ICE, Secret Service, and the Federal Air Marshal 
Service, and would delay their ability to bring new hires into 
operational service. TSA would also not be able to conduct training for 
screeners, Behavior Detection Officers, or canine units.
  Frontline Personnel Hardships: The majority of workforces in Custom 
and Border Protection's (CBP) Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement (ICE) enforcement efforts, Transportation Security 
Administration's (TSA) aviation passenger screening, and the Coast 
Guard, who are heavily reliant upon receiving biweekly paychecks, would 
not be paid biweekly during a federal funding hiatus.
  Grant Programs for State and Local Preparedness: All DHS and Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel working on grants programs 
would be furloughed, ceasing any further activity intended to help 
build State and local resiliency. Should a federal funding hiatus be 
prolonged, State and local communities may have to eliminate jobs that 
are dependent upon grants funding. Further activity under the Securing 
the Cities program would be suspended.
  In addition, a government shutdown will hurt children, seniors, 
working families, and the economically vulnerable:
  Military Readiness: In Texas, approximately 52,000 civilian 
Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay 
by around $274.8 million in total.
  Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and 
Prosecution: Funding will be halted to Texas on an annualized portion 
of the $1,103,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law 
enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, 
corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, 
and crime victim and witness initiatives.
  Vaccines for Children: In Texas around 9,730 fewer children will not 
receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, 
whooping cough, influenza, and hepatitis B due to reduced funding for 
personnel who administer programs that provide funding for 
vaccinations.
  Nutrition Assistance for Seniors: Texas would lose approximately 
$3,557,000 in funds that make it possible to provide meals for seniors.
  For these reasons, instead of wasting time on piece-meal CRs like the 
one before us which have no chance of becoming law, we should be 
working to pass H.J. Res. 59 as amended by the Senate. That is the best 
way to keep faith with all persons who serve the American people as 
employees of the Federal Government, and those who depend upon the 
services they provide.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the joint resolution, H.J. Res. 72.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. CULBERSON. 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, this 15-
minute vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass House Joint 
Resolution 72 will be followed by 5-minute votes on the motions to 
suspend the rules and pass House Joint Resolution 71 and House Joint 
Resolution 70.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 264, 
nays 164, not voting 4, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 506]

                               YEAS--264

     Aderholt
     Amash
     Amodei
     Bachmann
     Bachus
     Barber
     Barletta
     Barr
     Barrow (GA)
     Barton
     Benishek
     Bentivolio
     Bera (CA)
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (NY)
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blackburn
     Boehner
     Boustany
     Brady (TX)
     Braley (IA)
     Bridenstine
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Broun (GA)
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burgess
     Bustos
     Calvert
     Camp
     Campbell
     Cantor
     Capito
     Carson (IN)
     Carter
     Cassidy
     Chabot
     Chaffetz
     Coble
     Coffman
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Conaway
     Cook
     Cooper
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Culberson
     Daines
     Davis, Rodney
     DelBene
     Denham
     Dent
     DeSantis
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Ellmers
     Farenthold
     Fincher
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Fleming
     Flores
     Forbes

[[Page 14888]]


     Fortenberry
     Foster
     Foxx
     Franks (AZ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Gallego
     Garcia
     Gardner
     Garrett
     Gerlach
     Gibbs
     Gibson
     Gingrey (GA)
     Gohmert
     Goodlatte
     Gosar
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (MO)
     Griffin (AR)
     Griffith (VA)
     Grimm
     Guthrie
     Hall
     Hanna
     Harper
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hastings (WA)
     Heck (NV)
     Heck (WA)
     Hensarling
     Holding
     Hudson
     Huelskamp
     Huizenga (MI)
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Hurt
     Issa
     Jenkins
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Jordan
     Joyce
     Keating
     Kelly (PA)
     Kilmer
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kingston
     Kinzinger (IL)
     Kline
     Labrador
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Lance
     Lankford
     Latham
     Latta
     Lipinski
     LoBiondo
     Loebsack
     Long
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lummis
     Lynch
     Maffei
     Maloney, Sean
     Marchant
     Marino
     Massie
     Matheson
     McCarthy (CA)
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McIntyre
     McKeon
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     Meadows
     Meehan
     Messer
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Miller (MI)
     Miller, Gary
     Mullin
     Mulvaney
     Murphy (FL)
     Murphy (PA)
     Neugebauer
     Noem
     Nugent
     Nunes
     Nunnelee
     Olson
     Owens
     Palazzo
     Paulsen
     Pearce
     Perry
     Peters (CA)
     Peters (MI)
     Peterson
     Petri
     Pittenger
     Pitts
     Poe (TX)
     Polis
     Pompeo
     Posey
     Price (GA)
     Radel
     Reed
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Ribble
     Rice (SC)
     Rigell
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rogers (MI)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roskam
     Ross
     Rothfus
     Royce
     Ruiz
     Runyan
     Ryan (WI)
     Salmon
     Sanford
     Scalise
     Schneider
     Schock
     Schrader
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Sinema
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Southerland
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Stockman
     Stutzman
     Terry
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tiberi
     Tierney
     Tipton
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walorski
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westmoreland
     Whitfield
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Wolf
     Womack
     Woodall
     Yoder
     Yoho
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)
     Young (IN)

                               NAYS--164

     Andrews
     Bass
     Beatty
     Becerra
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Bonamici
     Brady (PA)
     Brown (FL)
     Brownley (CA)
     Butterfield
     Capps
     Capuano
     Cardenas
     Carney
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chu
     Cicilline
     Clarke
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Conyers
     Costa
     Courtney
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delaney
     DeLauro
     Deutch
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Doyle
     Duckworth
     Edwards
     Ellison
     Engel
     Enyart
     Eshoo
     Esty
     Farr
     Fattah
     Frankel (FL)
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Garamendi
     Grayson
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Grijalva
     Gutierrez
     Hahn
     Hanabusa
     Hastings (FL)
     Higgins
     Himes
     Holt
     Honda
     Horsford
     Hoyer
     Huffman
     Israel
     Jackson Lee
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Kaptur
     Kelly (IL)
     Kennedy
     Kildee
     Kind
     Kirkpatrick
     Kuster
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Levin
     Lewis
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lujan Grisham (NM)
     Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
     Maloney, Carolyn
     Matsui
     McCollum
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Meng
     Michaud
     Miller, George
     Moore
     Moran
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Negrete McLeod
     Nolan
     O'Rourke
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Pastor (AZ)
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Pingree (ME)
     Pocan
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Rahall
     Rangel
     Richmond
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruppersberger
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez, Linda T.
     Sanchez, Loretta
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schwartz
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Shea-Porter
     Sherman
     Sires
     Slaughter
     Smith (WA)
     Speier
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tonko
     Tsongas
     Van Hollen
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Walz
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watt
     Waxman
     Welch
     Wilson (FL)
     Yarmuth

                             NOT VOTING--4

     Herrera Beutler
     Hinojosa
     McCarthy (NY)
     Rush

                              {time}  1944

  Messrs. CARSON of Indiana and MAFFEI changed their vote from ``nay'' 
to ``yea.''
  So (two-thirds not being in the affirmative) the motion was rejected.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.

                          ____________________