Good morning. I called a meeting on appropriations to order. Before we begin, house rules require me to remind you we have set up an email address to which members can send anything they wish to submit in writing at any of our hearings or markups. The email address has been provided to your staff. First, consideration of the interior environment appropriations bill, fiscal year 2021. I will now recognize ms. Mccowan to present the bill. Good morning. I want to thank Ranking Member, for his strong collaboration of partnership throughout this entire process. He has been a great partner from the great lakes and a little geography being social studies teacher, he borders with the great state of ohio, lake erie and in minnesota, we border on lake superior. Id like to thank all members of our subcommittee for all contributions and especially the way in which continue our tradition of nonpartisan work, to Work Together on issues that affect Indian Country. Im also grateful for the leadership
Are the Health Care Workers themselves, the medical workers themselves, the doctors, the nurses, the support staff who weve relied on from the very first moments that we began to realize that this virus was bigger than any health issue weve dealt with in a long time. Were still depending on it today. At some point you run out of some of the capacity and steam that you had to do the job that needs to be done. But we see these heroes continue to step up. Some giving their lives. In bill in birmingham and kansas city was an emergency medical technician. He was with the Kansas City Fire Department and he died of coronavirus in april. His son described billy as selfless. He said billy had decided he wanted to find new ways to help people and so he reinvented himself as an e. M. T. When he was in his 40s so he could help others and then he was an e. M. T. For about 22 years. We see the Emergency Medical Technicians, the First Responders out there saving lives, bringing people in a desperate
Its fullness in eternity, we bring our petitions to you using some of his final words. Bless the members of this peoples house and those in authority on all levels of society with wisdom and courage to address the unholy oppression that awaits so many of our brothers and sisters of color. May there be a new creative way of establishing Something Like Community Policing that peace and security might be enjoyed where we live. O lord, do we dare to consider the power of nonviolence in our homes, our communities, our nation, and perhaps in leadership for our world. Might we truly be called, if not challenged, to beat our swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks so that nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall we learn war anymore. And as we are reminded, the greatest expression of nonviolent challenge to injustice is the vote. Bless all efforts to secure access to the ballot for all american citizens. Help us, o lord, to answer the highest calling of our he
The house returns in about 50 minutes to vote on amendments to a federal spending bill that would fund six Government Departments for fiscal year 2021. Until then, debate from the floor from earlier today. We begin with remarks from appropriations chair nita lowey. . Mrs. Lowey mr. Speaker, to House Resolution the bill h. R. Defense, commerce, water , science, energy, development, Financial Services government, homeland security, labor, health and education, ces, transportation, housing and rban development, appropriations act for fiscal ear 2021, and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of bill. The clerk Union Calendar number 7617, a bill making appropriations for the department of defense for the 30,al year ending september 2021, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore resolution house 1067, an amendment in the nature consisting of the text of rules committee 11660, modified by the mendment printed in part
Withdrawing the amendment. If there is no further debate, the amendment we are back live at the House Appropriations committee. Theyre working on 2021 spending levels for the defense, commerce, justice and transportation department, as well as the department of housing and urban development. The markup is excited to go into the evening. You are watching live coverage on cspan. Chair lowey for what purpose does the member from california rise . The member of california . Thank you. I havent amendment at the desk have an amendment at the desk. Chair lowey the clerk will read the amendment. I ask unanimous consent to dispense of the reading. Chair lowey without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with. Thank you. This amendment is straightforward. It would block a president from starting a war with iran absent expressed authorization from congress. This amendment consists of language that the house is already adopted as part of h. R. 550 in january of this year. Let me be