Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives U.S. House CR Debate 20171222

Is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. Next, the debate from the u. S. House on the continuing resolution to keep the government funded through january 19. Is 30 minutes. Appropriations. The chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. Mr. Frelinghuysen i rise and offer this amendment and yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Frelinghuysen i present house amendment to the Senate Amendment to h. R. 1370. This legislation keeps the government fully open, funds Important National Security Priorities and temporarily extends critical Government Programs like the Childrens Health Insurance Program, the National Flood Insurance Program and section 702 of the foreign Intelligence Surveillance act. This is our duty to the American People to keep them secure and to ensure they have access to Government Programs and services they depend on. The house must pass this bill now, today, without action on this bill existing government funding will expire tomorrow and the government will shut down. This legislation provides a simple clean extension of current funding levels through january of 2018. This additional time will allow house and Senate Leadership to complete their negotiations on overall spending levels. Once thats determined my committee will complete negotiations on all 12 appropriation bills for the rest of the fiscal year 2018. In the meantime, it is essential that congress maintain Government Programs and services for our nations stability, the stability of our economy and for the security and wellbeing of the American People. This bill also supports National Security by providing an additional 4. 7 billion in emergency funding to bolster Missile Defense and protect against growing threats and repair damaged navy ships. The bill includes 2. 1 billion in mandatory funding for the v. A. Choice program. This funding will guarantee our veterans continue to have access to medical care they need and deserve. Along with important funding for our armed forces and veterans, this bill contains extensions to several critical programs that millions of americans rely on. This includes the Childrens Health Insurance Program, National Flood Insurance Program and section 702 of the foreign Intelligence Surveillance act. I would like to thank the 12 appropriations chairs, the clerks and the very professional staff of the Appropriations Committee tore working overtime to bring this bill and others before the house today. We cannot delay in passing this critical legislation. Funding the government, protecting the nation and extending essential programs that hardworking americans rely on every day. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the bill and i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Mrs. Lowey mr. Chairman, i rise in opposition to this epic failure of governing. Nearly three months into the fiscal year, the republican majofert is advancing its third temporary continuing resolution with no foreseeable path forward on enacting full year appropriations and no urgency to address priorities that are critical to American Families and communities. Completely preoccupied with showering tax breaks on corporations and the wealthiest americans, the majority has failed to clear the extremely low bar of charting a course to keep the government open and meet deadlines they assessed for themselves. In short, the republican majority has made a complete mess of the very basics of governing. Now they want democrats to bail them out by caring a bill that negleggets our priorities. This continuing resolution should include the bipartisan dream act protecting from deportation young people who are brought to this country as small children and only know the United States as home. But this bill tells those facing deportation that their plight is not our concern. It should include a bipartisan reauthorization of the Childrens Health Insurance Program, providing longterm certainty for nine million children and families who depend on the program. Instead, this bill tells children and families their medical needs is not our priority. It should include an agreement to raise caps for defense and nondefense spending with parity so that appropriators can get to work on a full Year Spending package that keeps america secure and prosperous. Instead, the bill tries to make an end run around solely the defense cap by slipping in nearly 5 billion in new spending for the pentagon. And it should not clean up the mess the majority made triggering automatic reductions o medicare because the deficit busing tax bill. The majority wants to pass this bill and go home for the holidays. Somehow content with its performance on behalf of the americans they represent. In every sense, this bill fails to live up to our responsibilities as legislators and as representatives. Given these failures, i urge a no vote. And i resevere the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. Mr. Frelinghuysen i yield two minutes to the chairman of the energy and commerce committee, greg walden from the great state of oregon. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Walden i want to thank mr. Frelinghuysen for his incredible and tenacious work to bring us this legislation and by the way, all 12 Appropriations Bills have been passed by the house and sent to the senate. A vet against the c. R. Is a vote to shut down the government. Its that simple. Today is the day we keep the government operate, were not going to take the irresponsible path of shutting it down. I stand in support of the continuing resolution this legislation before us today not only keeps the doors of the federal government open and the services to our constituents available but also provides shortterm funding for the state, children for the state Childrens Health Insurance Program, also known as chip. This Program Provides vital Health Coverage for approximately nine million children nationwide. So when my colleagues on the other side of the aisle vote no, no that know that theyre also voting against these nine million children who need access to Health Insurance. While im glad we have the shortterm funding, i too am disappointing to stand here today without congress having completed its work to fully fund chip for the next five years. We did that in the house on a bipartisan says by. This basis. This bill also provides funding for Community Health centers. In my district, 63 Different Centers take care of men, women, and children. It takes care of Teaching Health Center Graduate education and special Diabetes Program as well. A no vote today is a vote against all those programs. Its worth noting that the house passed a bill, championing the healthy the championing healthy kids act, in november. It will fund the chip program for five years and the Community Health centers would be funded for two years. It would prevent billions of dollars of cuts to our safety net hospitals. Those cuts will be triggered in january because of inaction in the senate. Unfortunately, our friends on the other side of the capitol have yet to vote on our bill or find other offsets. This is disappointing because it Means Congress hasnt been able to provide certainty to those across the country who rely on these programs. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Frelinghuysen im pleased to yield the gentleman an additional minute. Mr. Walden i thank the gentleman. We are well pastime when we should have had this done. The committee has acted this eu. S. House of representatives has acted. The Senate Finance committee has act. The full senate is yet to do. So i know chairman hatch and Ranking Member pallone believe this should be done as soon as possible. We have been working together along with my fellow oregonian to figure out how to get chip and others across the finish line. So while were frustrate wed wont complete our work today we are determined to continue to work with my colleagues to get this done early in january. With that, i urge my colleagues to support the c. R. And these necessary funding extensions and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from new jersey reserves. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Mrs. Lowey im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from minnesota, the Ranking Member of the interior subcommittee, ms. Mccollum. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Mccollum i rise in opposition to this continuing resolution. The federal governments fiscal year started three months ago. The Republican Congress still hasnt passed a fullyear a full year of federal spending. Rather than protecting our nation and meeting the needs of the American People, we are now debating a third continuing resolution to kick the can into january. Republicans control this house, the senate, and the white house. But clearly they do not take their responsibility to fund the federal government seriously. Frankly, they should be embarrassed. For the past three months, democrats have sought to work with republicans to secure a budget agreement and responsibly pass appropriation bills. But republicans have been too busy to meet this basic responsibility. Instead, theyve spent months working in secret on their deficitbusting tax scam. Lets be clear. The republican tax scam is part of this c. R. As well. The c. R. Contains language to exempt the republicans lavish tax cuts for big corporations and billionaires from the statutory pay as you go act. Republicans pass their tax scam knowing it was fiscally irresponsible and that it would trigger cuts to medicare, the Crime Victims Fund and other vital programs and trigger an increase into the federal stunt loan. Now theyre asking democrats to help bail them out. Well, i didnt vote for the republican tax scam and im not going to paper over their mistakes so President Trump can sign it into law. But heres what i will do, mr. Speaker. As the Ranking Member of the interior environment appropriations subcommittee, i know republican appropriators are as frustrated as i am and i want to work with them to find Common Ground and responsibly fund our government. Its time for appropriators to do our job. Republicans and democrats to Work Together. It is time for us to get back to work and fund the federal government responsibly. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from minnesota yields back. The gentlewoman from new york reserves. The gentleman from new jersey is recognized. Mr. Frelinghuysen i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Mrs. Lowey im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from ohio, the Ranking Member of the energy and water subcommittee, ms. Kaptur. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from ohio is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Kaptur i thank Ranking Member lowey for yielding me this time and rise in opposition to this continuing resolution that some might consider ridiculous. Because no matter how you look at it, republicans have control of all the reins of the federal government and yet we find ourselves again rock locked in an artificial crisis of their own creation. On the third punt to try to run this government for another couple of weeks. First in september, then again two weeks ago and now here again today, the government will be set on automatic pilot. Because President Trump and his fellow republicans refuse to pass a real budget under regular order so the Appropriations Committee can get its work done within strict budget parameters. These last three months, congress has been left to twiddle its thumbs while the list of unmet priorities for americans has steadily grown. Most notably, let me address the Childrens Health Insurance Program or chip that covers over nine million children in our country and more than 220,000 in ohio. In fact, that Insurance Program expired 81 days ago and covers half, yes, half the children in my district. How do you think it makes those families peel those families feel . What are they going to do after the end of march . Unfortunately this spending bill only provides enough funding for the chip program through march 31. Again, kicking the can down the oad. They serve more than 225 million patients and are the nations largest sort of source of comprehensive care for people in need. Dont they deserve full respect for this congress for the lifegiving work they do . Mr. Speaker, ill close with this. Up to 10 million private pensions are at risk across our country through no fault of the workers and Congress Must act. But where is the leadership. Our solution is the butch Lewis Pension act which ensures americas private pensioneers receive the benefits they earned. Whether its helping our retirees or caring for our children time and again, republicans are ignoring real middle class issues. Might i have an additional 15 seconds . The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for 15 seconds. Ms. Kaptur yet the republicans have no problem finding trillions for billionaires who end up funding their campaigns too. Simply this prescription is bad medicine for america and i ask my colleagues to vote no, thank you, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the the speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from ohio yields back, the gentlewoman from new york reserve the gentleman from new jersey. Mr. Frelinghuysen im pleased to yield three minutes to dr. Phil roe of tennessee. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Roe i rise in support of a provision in this legislation that would authorize and appropriate 2. 1 billion for the veterans Choice Program. Choice was created by congress in 2014 following a nation a nationwide department of Veterans Affairs access and accountability crisis. Make no mistake about it, choice is certainly not been without its faults in the last three years. However, the program is also resulted in millions of veterans receiving care they otherwise would have had to wait longer for or travel further or maybe ot have received at all. The program is expected to run out of money in early 2018 which would jeopardize the care veterans are receiving in their communities. This is totally unacceptable. The committee has been working diligently to replace and improve upon the choice and in fact i was proud to introduce h. R. 4242, the v. A. Care in the community act, last month. That legislation was favorably reported reported out of me just this week and i look forward to working with my colleagues on Community Care reform. In the meantime we cannot allow the care of our veterans received in the community through the Choice Program to be jeopardized by lack of funding. In fact, id like to submit a letter for the record secretary shulkin sent me earlier this month. In this letter he explicitly stated without additional funding before the end of the year there will be dramatic impact on the ability of the Veterans Affairs department to provide care for veterans. A vote against the continuing resolution is a vote against funding medical care for our nations heroes. The secretarys message is clear, mr. Speaker. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting an additional 2. 1 billion for the Choice Program. With that, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. Yields back. The gentleman from new jersey reserves. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Lee wee mr. Speaker, im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from california, a member of the Appropriations Committee, ms. Lee. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Lee thank you very much. I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding and also once again for your tremendous leadership on so many issues as our Ranking Member. As a member of the appropriations and budget committee, i rise in strong opposition to this continuing resolution which really could be called the failure to govern resolution. This bill as my colleague from ohio said shamefully kicks the can down the road once again. This time until january 19. And why . Because republicans have been too busy passing the greatest tax scam in history rather than to responsibly fund the government. This reckless shortterm resolution ignore ours critical yearend priorities. Like passing a bipartisan, longterm reauthorization of the Childrens Health Insurance Program. A daca program. Because every day 122 young people, daca recipients, are losing their protection. Theyre afraid. Theyre fearful. Theres so much anxiety. We should not do this today without protecting them. This continuing resolution does not have honoring our testify rare protected status for imgrants. Raising the budgetary caps for e it does not for equally defense and nondefense spending. Much needed funding for opioids is not included. Nor are Community Health centers and our veterans in terms of funding for their needs. I could go on and on about the problems with the c. R. But i just have to tell you the reality is that this bill, like the tax giveaway, underscores the majoritys complete lack of regard for Everyday Americans and struggling families. Continuing resolutions leave the American People out on a limb with no confidence in their federal government. I guess we should not be surprised by this approach since really the playbook for this administration from day one has been as steve bannon said, may i have an additional 30 seconds . The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for 30 seconds. Ms. Lee steve bannon said early on that their goal was deconstruction of the administrative state. That is exactly whats happening with this c. R. This is unacceptable. By passing a shortterm spending bill that entirely neglects urgent and vital needs and underfunds job training, Affordable Housing and education we really are selling the American People short. Unfortunately, this is another effort to disregard the lives of millions of people. It is totally irresponsible and it does nothing to help create jobs, better wages, or Better Future for our children and their families. I urge no on this bill and we need to begin to try to do our job here. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york reserves. The gentleman from new jersey. The gentleman from new jersey reserves. Mrs. Lowey im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman if florida, the Ranking Member of the military construction v. A. Subcommittee, ms. Wasserman schultz. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Wasserman schultz thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise in strong opposition to this continuing resolution which is yet again a complete abdication of our responsibilities as members of congress. What we have before us today is evidence that the socalled Republican Leadership simply cannot deliver on the promises they made to the American People. Instead, this congress has decided to continue taking the ludicrous approach of funding the government for just a few weeks at a time while ignoring the pressing issues that demand our attention. Over the last few weeks, republicans in this congress decided to focus only on pushing through legislation designed to further enriche giant corporations while adding one and a half trillion dollars to the deficit. Yet for the dreamers who teach our children, care for our sick and serve our nation, republicans continue to say, you just have to wait. For millions of our most vulnerable, young kids suffering from illness and debilitating disease, who are reliant on the Childrens Health Insurance Program, republicans have made it clear their priorities lie elsewhere. To those who have served our country with dignity and pride, the majority has failed to provide resources to address dire shortfalls at the v. A. The dreamers cannot wait. The threat of deportation looms over these courageous individuals every single day. Sick children deserve our attention now. They should not be used as bargaining chips in this delay. We cant deny them the health care they have earned. Dont tell me we dont have the funds while this Congress Gave a handout to those who need it the least. This pathetic continuing resolution fails to address the needs of the people who sent us hire. It doesnt even come close. With that i urge my colleagues to join me in voting no and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from florida yields back the balance of her time. The gentlewoman from new york reserves. The gentleman from new jersey. Mr. Frelinghuysen i reserve, mr. Chairman. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Mrs. Lowey mr. Speaker, im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from connecticut, the Ranking Member of the laborhhs subcommittee, ms. Delauro. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from connecticut is ecognized for two minutes. Ms. Delauro mr. Speaker, i strongly oppose this continuing resolution. Yet again we are punting one of our core obligations as members of Congress Funding Government Programs. The republican majority has failed to respond to the needs of the American People. They put services and investments that are critical to our families and our communities at risk. From apprenticeships to education for students with disabilities, childcare, afterschool programs that help working families make ends meet, and Financial Aid for students attending college. We should be negotiating spending levels for 2018 for both defense and nondefense spending. We should have spent the last two months fulfilling our responsibility as legislators by writing bipartisan bills to Fund Programs that help the middle class and the vulnerable, to put evidencebased, Scientific Research and help working people get the skills that they need to find good jobs with good wages. Instead the republican majority squandered the last two months focused on their tax scam, rewarding big corporations, millionaires and billionaires who wrote the rules to make government work for them. And our republican colleagues were their comrades in arms in rigging the game against he the middle class. Im horrified by the majoritys decision to put the future of the Childrens Health Insurance Program, or chip, in jeopardy. Kids checkups, their shots, prescriptions, dental and vision care, hospital care, the list goes on. They cut children off because of the majoritys delay. My own state of connecticut, the hardworking families who depend on chip deserve to know that it will be there for their children for the long term. How account majority go on vacation while millions of children worry about losing their Health Insurance . This is a disgrace. This bill also cuts 750 million from the prevention and Public Health fund which supports programs such as heart disease, stroke prevention, diabetes prevention, immunization, vaccination program. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for one additional minute. Ms. Delauro thank you. It was only yesterday, only yesterday that our republican colleagues voted to spend 1. 5 money, of taxpayers your money on tax cuts for millionaires. 83 of the tax cuts go to 1 of the people in this nation. Instead, they are cutting nearly 1 billion from Public Health programs that protect you and your family. I urge my colleagues, reject this continuing resolution because it fails to meet the obligation that we are entrusted with, the moral responsibility that we have to the American People, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from connecticut yields back the balance of her time. New york ady from reserves. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Mrs. Lowey i yield three minutes to the gentleman from maryland, the democratic whip, for three minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from maryland is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Hoyer thank you very much, mrs. Lowey. Here we are again, mr. Speaker. Two weeks ago the republican majority asked for another two weeks to write an appropriations package to fund the government. Now theyre asking to kick the can down the road one more time. We all knew that those two weeks were a pretense for getting the votes to pass their tax bill. We didnt make any progress on a bipartisan appropriation bill. Before that republicans asked or an additional 12 weeks in september. We all voted to give that 12 weeks. All of us know exactly why the can keeps being kicked farther and farther down the road. Its because the majority cannot muster the majority of their own members to support bipartisan funding bills. Because the governing party which controls the house, senate, and white house has not been able to govern. Senate republican john cornyn can always y, seemed to be kicked down the road. And here we are again with republicans doing exactly that. Mr. Speaker, lets call this c. R. For what it is, a chaotic retreat from rational regular order and fiscal responsibility. We have a supplemental bill that provides some emergency Disaster Relief for those affected by our natural disasters, but it ought to do more, in my opinion, to help those in puerto rico and the virgin islands. Its been three months since irma and maria devastated puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands and harvey visited so much water on houston. Many still do not have electricity in puerto rico or running water. These are our fellow americans. We owe it to them and to ourselves to help them in their time of need. Do ress, mr. Speaker, can better. It should do better. We should act in a bipartisan way. I was on the Appropriations Committee as an active member for 23 years. I was a member of the laborhealth committee, and i told people that you could take the 13 of us we were eight democrats and five republicans you could have taken the 13 of us, thrown us up in the air, we would have come down in random seats and had a markup and you would have been hard pressed to identify the democrat or the republican. Because we believed our responsibility was to fund the priorities of this country. Bills. Hat we passed 12 the speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one additional minute. Mr. Hoyer i thank the speaker and i thank the gentlelady from new york. The Appropriations Committee used to be an extraordinarily Bipartisan Committee where we worked together, not on a partisan basis but on a basis of trying to determine which priorities were important for our country, what funds were needed so that agencies could operate in an effective way. That, unfortunately, is not happening the way it did. So mr. Speaker, i urge my republican friends who control this house and all the levers of government to work with democrats on making sure that all those who need emergency Disaster Relief as well as those who need funds to operate their Government Agencies in a way that serves america best, i urge us to Work Together toward us because d i urge nobody believes these c. R. s are good policy but they unfortunately are becoming regular if not regular order. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentlewoman from new york reserves. Mr. Frelinghuysen i reserve, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Mrs. Lowey once again, my colleagues, this is an epic failure of governing. How many more times will we have to pass a continuing resolution which not only denies certainty to men and women in uniform and all federal employees but is an inefficient waste of taxpayer dollars . Will the re times majority stumble from crisis to crisis narrowly averted a shutdown . It is long past time that the majority work with democrats to increase the budget caps, write fullYear Spending bills. The Appropriations Committee stands ready to do our job. I hope that Republican Leadership finally does its job and agrees to permit reasonable spending bills that vests in americas future. I that invests in americas future. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york yields back the balance of her time. The gentleman from new jerse shutdown. S averted a quoteticle goes on to members. The fact of the matter is it is and we do not need to government down. Frustration lingered. Republicans clapped asir applause, some were not satisfied. Twoust have to punt for more weeks before we go home for christmas. Here is a look at house members leaving the capital after voting to pass a resolution keeping the governmentfunded. Willext legislative action be before the start of the new year. [indistinct conversation] Merry Christmas to you, too. Announcer cspan washington day withlive every issues that impact you. Talks, Stephen Mansfield bill pressook and inks about what to expect 2018. Join the discussion. Ceremony for the museum of the bible. Here is a look. How much it is appropriate nations capital, where people visit of around the world, that the museum of the bible will be built here. We are experiencing fantastic growth and with that group is international and domestic participation that goes up. I have gone to cities around the world and talked about the new destination and offerings in washington dc. And i look forward to talking about the museum of the bible as well. Visitors to our city come from every place in the world and for them to experience the wonderful journey of the bible is a great addition to the landscape of washington dc. Announcer speakers include the d. C. Mayor and israeli ambassador to the u. S. Ron sunday here