that's not their mission and that's not what we are paying for and we should stop paying for it. and i yield back to mr. buck. the chair: the chair would remind members that remarks during the debate may not engage in personalities towards the president including the repeating of remarks that were said elsewhere. that would be improper if spoken here by the members here in their own words. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. lewis: i yield one minute to thegentleman from kentucky, chairman of the state foreign operations committee. mr. rogers: i rise in respectful disagreement with my colleagues who offer this amendment. the united states institute of peace works to help prevent, reduce and resolve violent conflicts abroad. the institute along side our military, our diplomats in the most conflict affected including iraq, afghanistan, tunisia, south sudan and ukraine. eliminating the u.s. institute of peace would hamper our efforts to stabilize these areas and to prevent further outbreaks of conflict. the institute works with local leaders and other partners to find solutions to religious freedom and mitigate the rise of extremism and persecution. let me point out, too, that the staffer the gentleman just mentioned in his remarks is no longer with the institute. she's gone. and so, mr. chairman, i urge a no vote on this amendment. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. lewis: mr. chairman, i yield one minute to the gentlewoman from texas, ms. granger, a member of the appropriations committee. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. granger: i rise in strong opposition to this amendment. as a former chairwoman of the state and foreign operations subcommittee, i worked closely with the u.s. institute of peace. from firsthand of experience i can tell you how important their mission is. they send staff to some of the most volatile areas of the world. for instance, the afghanistan, they had peaceful elections in 2014 despite taliban calls for violence. also in 2015, the institute facilitated a local sunni and shia agreement in iraq that let 380,000 people internationally displaced people return home. let's not forget it was under president reagan that the institute for peace was created. funding the institute for peace is an important investment and i strongly urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment. the chair: the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. lewis: can you give us the amount of time left? the chair: the gentleman has one minute left. mr. lewis: mr. chairman, i ask mr. ous consent -- chairman, i yield one minute to mr. boyer of pennsylvania, a member of the foreign affairs committee. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. boyer boyer thank you. mr. speaker, the u.s. institute of peace gives people in conflict abroad the skills and techniques to solve their conflicts without resorting to violence. the institute owes to the men and women who worked hard in its creation during the reagan administration. one of the early founders was father ted helpsburg, who is the president of the university of notre dame. he passed away in 2015, but back in 2011 when the institute was threatened, he wrote this, quote, that congress would seek to eliminate to the u.s. institute of peace is and hornt and unthinkable. as a man of faith and reason, we need to balance our budget but you cannot balance the budget on the backs of our men and women in uniform nor can we make the risk of making our country less safe. we need the tools of diplomacy and peace building to stop international conflict before it starts and manage its aftermath. i ask for an additional 30 seconds. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. boyer mr. boyle: i ask to submit this op ed. the chair: it will be covered under general leave. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. lewis: i ask unanimous consent to submit a letter from many of our colleagues supporting usip, to the congressional record. i urge all members in this body to protect peace by voting for peace, to oppose this amendment. the chair: covered under general leave. for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york seek recognition? mrs. lowey: i rise to strike the last word. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized for five minutes. mrs. lowey: the comments of a single individual should not be an excuse to eliminate funding for an entire institution. my understanding is that individual has already offered her resignation. the united states institute of peace is one of the best tools that the united states has to bring people together. government officials, civil society practitioners and defense experts to creatively solve problems that are some of the world's thorniest issues. congress created usip for this purpose in 1983. usip applies practical solutions directly in conflict zones and provides analysis, education and resources to those working for peace. usip has specialized teams of mediators, trainers and others in some of the world's most dangerous places, including iraq, afghanistan, equipping others with the skills necessary to prevent or resolve their own violent conflicts before they threaten the united states. n 2015, usip facilitated a ocal sunni-shea accord and let 380,000 internally displaced persons return home. in burma, they train civic leaders, government officials and police to help achieve a peaceful 2015 election for more democratic from autocratic rule to democracy. usip works on the grouped with local partners on the root causes of conflict that all too frequently results in america's military gains and development investments going to peace. mr. chairman, i am pleased to yield to the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, the ranking member of the foreign affairs committee. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: i thank my friend for yielding to me and i rise in strong opposition to this amendment to completely eliminate funding for the united states institute for peace would be a serious mistake. let me thank mrs. lowey for the work she is doing here, john lewis, american hero. and for anyone who doesn't know what the usip does, it saves lives, lives of u.s. service members, military personnel and civilians. the united states institute of peace stops conflicts and works to diffuse crises. it provides conflict resolution teams and skills vital to our military forces. they are quiet successes rarely grabbing headlines. and military leaders agree on september 1 that a distinguished group of retired three and four-star flag officers who served our country value antly wrote to speaker ryan and leader pelosi expressing about deep concerns. i ask unanimous consent that this letter be entered into the congressional record. usip is neither a republican nor democratic institution. the institution was created in 1984 by bipartisan legislation signed into law by president reagan and since then usip has saved the united states billions of dollars by investing in peace. let me share one short example of the incredible work that usip has done. after 52 years of war and more than a quarter million lives off there was a peace agreement signed. it was reached in no small part thanks to the incredible work and the chief operations in colombia. usip trained religious organizations and many others in methods to support peaceful resolution of the conflict. jenny recently passed away at age 58, but i would like to believe her legacy of peace building in colombia can move on and continue support for usip. reject this harmful amendment. and i yield back to mrs. lowey. the chair: the gentleman's request will be covered under general leave. mrs. lowey: i yield back. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from colorado. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. he amendment is not agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 95 printed in art b of house report 115-295. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. engel: i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: number 95 printed in part b of house report 115-295 offered by mr. engel of new york. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 500, the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: let me thank my colleagues and fellow co-chairs caucus. use t.b. mr. young of alaska and mr. gene green of texas and i appreciate their help. this bipartisan amendment would help move that work forward. mr. chairman, america's investments in global health are not handouts. combatting disease around the world isn't a pet project to make us feel good. when we invest in global health, we are investing in our own security and leadership on the depobal stage. infectious diseases don't respect borders. when we respond to a pandemic overseas we risk having to respond once it reaches our shores. at the same time, healthier communities are more productive and more stable communities. healthier countries are stronger partners on the world stage. when the united states helps to advance those conditions, we are showing the world what kind of country we are when american values demand of us. the reality is we should be investing in these efforts and one area where we need support is in the fight of t.b. t.b. kills more people than any other people worldwide. this is especially heart broken because we know how to prevent t.b. and know how to cure it and we know how to cure it and people are still dying and it is unfathomable. 20 15, 1.8 people died, million became infected. some can be-positive. and countries with a high prevalence can see g.d.p. shrink by 4% to 7%. the world health organization tells us we need $2 billion every year to control t.b. my amendment would help make up part of that shortfall. ramping up health programs by $209 million. that would bring our investment to $450 million. these efforts have a proven track record, mr. chairman in the countries where we're working on the problem. incidence of t.b. has dropped by a fifth since 2000. and that's tens of thousands of precious lives saved and we played a major role in that. my amendment won't wipe out this disease, mr. chairman, but it will save lives. it will build on past successes and move us in the direction of putting a stop to this killer once and for all. i ask all members to support this bipartisan amendment. and i reserve the balance of my time. . the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. rolingtsubs -- mr. rogers: i rise in opposition to this amendment. this amendment is a 16% reduction in the fight against narcotics. there's already money in the bill for t.b. $240 million which is the same as current levels. and that exceeds the last obama request and the first trump request for t.b. it also includes another $1.35 billion for the global fund to fight a combination of h.i.v., aids, malaria, t.b. which includes money for t.b. programs so there's already money in the bill for t.b. this would cut the international narcotics control and law enforcement account by $209 million, 16% cut, when it's not really needed. funding for this account supports counterdrug and law enforcement activities, strengthens the rule of law and increases border security. mr. chairman, i just came back with my subcommittee to a trip to the ukraine and georgia, and i understand by seeing it firsthand the importance of our assistance that helps governments combat corruption and improve the rule of law. a portion of this funding also helps partners in our own hemisphere fight drug trafficking and violent crime before it reaches the border of the united states. undoubtedly, every agency can do more with more, but the allocation for this bill was cut by 17% from last year, and rather than cut every account by 17%, we deliberately and carefully considered each program and directed the funding recommendations to reflect our priorities. among those priorities is funding for t.b., which is held at last year's level. this means, of course, that other accounts and programs took a disproportionately higher cut to make that possible. i know the gentleman wants more funds for t.b., and i sympathize with him in that desire, and i can assure him preserving last year's level of a ing puts t.b. in different part of the bill because it's treated well. so i urge a no vote on the gentleman's amendment and i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: thank you. et me just say i hear what the chairman is saying, and i certainly am a strong supporter of international narcotics funding, but the question is, where do you put it? where do you put the money? the international narcotics funding account is well funded and even has money in the pipeline from previous years. meanwhile, t.b. control is -- hugely underfunded and continues to kill people more worldwide than any other disease and that's why the funding is necessary. so passing my amendment we can save thousands of lives to this preventable and curable disease. i now yield to ranking member lowey. mrs. lowey: i rise to support my colleague from new york's amendment. t.b. is the biggest killer of people worldwide. yet, strategies to combat the disease is not keeping pace with the burden and complexity. in an increasingly connected world, t.b. will increase its threat to u.s. citizens directly without investments in new technologies and building the system to diagnosis and treat active infections, we risk failing even further. already scientists estimate two million people have been infected with multidrug resistant t.b. we can and should be more to fight this disease. i urge my colleagues to support his amendment. the chair: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. rogers: mr. chairman, i have no further speakers. if the gentlelady is prepared as ose, this gentleman is well. the chair: has the gentleman from new york yielded? mr. engel: yes. the chair: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. rogers: i urge a no vote and yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from new york. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. the chair: it's now in order to consider amendment number 96 printed in part b of house report 115-295. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? s. frankel: thank you, mr. chair. i rise in support of my amendment -- the chair: does the gentlewoman have an amendment at the desk? ms. frankel: yes, i do. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 96 printed in part b of house report 115-295 offered by ms. frankel of florida. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 500, the gentlewoman from florida, ms. frankel, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida. ms. frankel: thank you, mr. chair. this bill inexplicably defunds the u.n. women. what's u.n. women? u.n. women was created by the united nations in 2010 to direct activities on gender equality issues. the organization helps meet the most urgent needs of women and girls by supporting women's full participation in a country's political, economic and social life. so as i said, this bill inexplicably takes away funding, $8.5 million that we're trying to get back, from this very important program. i think this defunding of this is wrong. it's unwise. it's immoral. let me tell you what happens , en we abandon the u.n. women because this is what we're walking away from. providing services for survivors of human trafficking. we're walking away from registering women to vote and participate in their political system, including women in the peace making process. we're walking away from combating child -- bride kidnapping and fighting child marriage. that's what we are walking away from today. you know, i now we have a lot of issues here in this country. we've been battling the hurricanes. you know, our hearts go out to all those impacted. there's something else that's been going on in this world for years now, which is the greatest humanitarian crisis that we have seen since world war ii, and that's what's happening in syria. and you have millions of people fleeing into neighboring countries, running away from rape, from murder, from chemical attacks. and what's the united states doing? well, we're banning we have gr jordan, for example, who have now taken in over a million syrian refugees, including, including this very young girl who is at a program that i had an opportunity to visit when i was in jordan at a facility run by the u.n. women where they are working with women to give them skills, to teach them. this young girl fled her home in syria under rocket fire leaving her family, her brother killed and fleeing to syria -- to jordan where she's now learning to be a journalist. we're defunding programs like that in this bill. so we're putting so many women's lives at risk like ziad, the girl i talked about. leaving girls vulnerable to sex trafficking, poverty, homelessness and hunger, and we're saying we want to bring stabilization to these regions across the country -- across the world. and let me tell you what research shows. research shows that when women are empowered, economies grow and societies are more stable with less violence and our own u.n. ambassador said we want to make sure our government supports girls and supports women and we should encourage every country to support these basic rights. o what are we doing today? we're defunding u.n. women. it's inexplicable, it's wrong it's actually idiotic. i am going to yield to my great chairlady, nita lowey, who i think can tell us more on this subject. mrs. lowey: well, i think my good friend who has certainly worked with many women and women who focus on the needs of women around the world and i thank you very much for this very important amendment and that's why i'm rising in support of my colleague's amendment. one of the deficiencies of the f.y. 2018 state and operations bill we are considering is is the treatment of international organizations that serve u.s. interests and help our own resources reach farther and deeper. raises the ague contribution of u.n. women for its work. u.n. women ensures that the critical role of women is part of the international dialogue and that the effects of policies that considered on both women and men before they are implemented. u.n. women works in complex environments like afghanistan where the treatment of women and their involvement in the economy and political system. there are these reasons and so much more why i urge my colleagues to support this amendment and u.n. women. the chair: the gentlewoman's time has expired. does any member claim time in pposition? ms. frankel: mr. chair, i am going to respectfully withdraw this amendment today and i really am urging my friends on the other side of the aisle -- the chair: the amendment is withdrawn. ms. frankel: as this process continues that we look to renew the funding. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. rogers: pursuant to section 4 of h.res. 500 as a designee of chairman frelinghuysen, i move to offer a pro forma amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. rogers: and i yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. brady . the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. brady: thank you. i rise to engage with the gentleman from kentucky in a colloquy. mr. rogers: i'm happy to engage the gentleman. mr. brady: mr. chairman, chicago bridge iron company is a major international engineering procurement and construction firm with headquarters in woodlands, texas, where i live. their headquarters is a mere mile from my home. the company employs nearly 34,000 people across the united states. more than 1,000 people in the congressional district of texas. the worldwide petro chemical refinely in colombia valued at nearly $8 billion. commercial dispute has arisen. in an attempt to gain leverage entirely unfounded and unprincipled criminal charges have been filed against current and former executives both of whom are u.s. citizens. is it the intent of the committee, mr. chairman, that the secretary of state should report to the committee on appropriations on any efforts by the colombian government to use its criminal process against any united states citizen to advance commercial or political objectives? is it further the intent of the committee the department of state should engage with colombia to examine and report on allegations by united states citizens, procedural or substantive due process of law violations relative to commercial disputes? if the gentleman will yield? mr. brady: takes seriously reports of americans abroad being treated unfairly, denied due process or being used as political pawns. colombia is a friend and ally of the united states and an important trading partner. we expect the government of colombia to ensure our citizens are treated fairly in their courts. the committee will follow up on this matter with the department of state to ensure our embassy is engaged on this issue. i thank the gentleman for bringing this matter to our attention. mr. brady: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield back. the chair: does the gentleman from kentucky yield back? r. rogers: i yield back. the chair: it is in order to consider amendment number 97 in part bmp of house report 115-295. mr. hastings: i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: amendment number 97 printed in part b of house report 115-295 offered by mr. hastings of florida. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 500, the gentleman from florida and a member opposed each will control five minutes. mr. hastings: i thank the members of this committee for allowing the opportunity to present this amendment, the extraordinary work of mrs. lowey and mr. rogers as well as mr. frelinghuysen and other members of the appropriations committee. deeply appreciated by all of us. this amendment adds an additional $12 million to the economic support fund to ncrease assistance to the eeth ethiopian-israeli community. through the middle east partnership initiative, our bassy in tel aviv is already engaged invaluable participates with the eeth ethiopian community in israel. these programs are commendable and i hope their funding remains robust. my amendment would extend the modest amount of aid to a ifferent subset, yeeth ethiopian-israeli. and determined how to best meet the needs of the community. the plan that was presented and adopted included approximately $20 million for programs to improve integration of the agent ethiopian community into israeli society focusing principally on education and more specifically language and math skills. israeli organizations that have focused on this area for years have had great successes. my first visit to israel was rather because of today's events, with mrs. lowey and other members. during that period of time, we visited one of the areas where eeth ethiopian jews were being absorbed and since that time i have followed israel's continuing courageous concerns with reference to those from not only areas that are right there, ethiopia. away as they work with american philanthropic organizations such as the jewish organizations of north america and private stakeholders, but they do not sufficient resources to meet the needs of these communities. supporting this type of program would be an effective way to continue upon improving this country's bilateral relationship and will build upon programs implemented on the ground. i urge a yes vote on this matter. and i reserve. the chair: the alreserves. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. rogers: i rise in opposition. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rogers: as i mentioned in my statement, the bill before us today contains $3.1 billion in foreign military financing program funded for israel, which fully funds the last year of the current memorandum of understanding with queal. this amendment would reduce the foreign military financing program account by more than $80 million. in addition to israel, this account provides funds for egypt, jordan, tunisia, colombia and ukraine. the president's budget request proposed deep cuts to this account which we clearly rejected in the committee mark. i should also note that the bill already provides over $6 billion for humanitarian assistance. i do appreciate the gentleman's esire to help the eeth ethiopian-israeli community but i can't afford a cut to security assistance. i urge a no vote and reserve my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. squasm florida is recognized. mr. hastings: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. rogers: i yield back and urge a no vote. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. mr. hastings: i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6, rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 98 printed in part b of house report 115-295. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: amendment number 98 printed in part b of house report of 115-295 offered by mr. hastings of florida. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 500, the gentleman from florida, mr. hastings and a member opposed each will control five minutes. mr. hastings: my amendment adds to the economic support fund for the purpose of providing clinically needed humanitarian aid to peoples persecuted by isis. these groups include the survivors of sexual slavery and christian shabbah and other religious and ethnic minorities. i found it interesting in the past few weeks that the rohingya are literally being expeled from their country. while i as well as others were proud of the extraordinary work hat she did and her nobody ell prize, i'm -- nobe lmp prize, 'm concerned about what mimics genocide in that area and i would be remiss if i didn't mention it. there are a lot of examples that i could stress the importance of this amendment. briefly.t to focus the crimes committed are among the most horrible we have heard of. mass executions, organized kidnapping, child soldiers and sexual slavery. at the height of its power, the islamic state sold girls and women into open slave markets in a recent article titled "freed from isis," the women returned in severe shock. he "new york times" quotes a yazidi doctor who has treated over 1,000 of the rape victims and describes the victims as virtually unconscious and in severe shock and sikecoling call upset. thousands of women remain enslaved and those who have escaped or been rescued, for them, the road to recovery is daunting. as we debate about how best to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid, we must ensure this community is provided with support. time is of the essence, mr. chairman. i urge a yes vote. and i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. rogers: in opposition, mr. chairman. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rogers: i thank the gentleman from florida for raising this important issue. the plight of religious and ethnic minorities persecuted by isis has been and remains a priority for this community including the need for sikecow-social services to those affected by the crisis. apple funding has been provided to assist communities affected by isis, including persecuted religious and ethnic minorities. the fiscal year 2017 security assistance appropriations act provided over a billion dollars for programs to counter isis and address the needs of those affected by isis. funding was also provided in the fiscal year 2017 regular appropriations bill. finally, we included language on this very issue in the fiscal year 2018 bill including designating $10 million for programs to protect vulnerable and persecuted religious minorities. the amendment, however, would reduce the foreign military financing account by more than $70 million. this account funds our friends and allies, like israel, egypt, jordan, tunisia, colombia, ukraine. the president's budget request proposed deep cuts to this account, which we clearly rejected in the committee mark. in short, we have already addressed the gentleman's concerns and i cannot support such a large cut to security assistance. so i urge a no vote and i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. hastings: i'm very pleased to yield to the ranking member of this distinguished committee, mrs. lowey. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. lowey: thank you, mr. chairman. i appreciate my colleague who is always there to speak out against injustice and help respond to the tremendous challenges we have. i was as shocked as you have been on the recent actions in burma and mir and march and i look to addressing that from you. and the isis-controlled areas are truly hoff i haveic especially for the women and children that have been most vulnerable. victims is as important as food, shelter and water. i look forward to continuing to work with you to address these issues, because we have to speak out and act and respond to these horrors. and i thank you very much. i urge my colleagues to support this amendment. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. mr. rogers: i yield back and urge a no vote. the chair: the the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. mr. hastings: i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6, rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 99 printed in part b of house report 115-295. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? mr. grothman: i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: amendment number 99 printed in part b of house by mr. 5-295, offered grothman of wisconsin. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 500, the gentleman from wisconsin and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. grothman: thank you for ielding, i think of a 1960's sitcom. yesterday, we voted $8 billion and wake up this morning and supposed to vote for another $8 billion but as a result we ought to find ways to see if in the bill as it passed out of the appropriations committee maybe we can spend a little less somewhere. i have a modest suggestion and 1% reduction in the economic support fund. this was in the trump budget combined with another fund and subject to a 40% cut, i think because president trump wanted to put america first. i realize political reality is such that we will not get the 40% cut that president trump wanted, but i ask for a small approximately 1% cut of $12 million. part of the money of the economic support fund goes for universities abroad. sometimes these universities, like our own universities, have a little bit anti--american, perhaps anti--israeli bent. for that reason, there is no question that we should eagerly look forward to the chance to cut the spending in the economic support fund by 1% particularly in light of the fact that we are now $20 trillion in debt and particularly because later today i bet after spending $8 billion yesterday, we will go for another $8 billion today. i would like to ask for support for this resolution. and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. rogers: i rise in opposition. there was scholarship programs funded in this bill, that are popular among our members because most of these support american educational institutions abroad. students who get an education based on american values help shape their societies. they are more likely to embrace democratic principles, counter extremism and foster greater economic opportunity. these programs are an important part of the so-called soft water of america. so i urge a no vote on this amendment and reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. grothman: we love the chairman. we feel like a 1% cut on something going for programs abroad would not be out of line. but i yield the reminder of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. rogers: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from wisconsin. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. mr. grothman: we'll appeal that. not appeal. we'll ask for a roll call, yeah. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from wisconsin will e postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk as a designee for donovan. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 101 printed in part b of house report 115-295 offered by mr. paulsen of minnesota. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 500, the gentleman from minnesota, mr. paulsen, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota. mr. paulsen: mr. chairman -- mr. speaker, first, i'd just like to thank subcommittee chairman rogers and ranking member lowey, along with the full committee, and chairman frelinghuysen and their staff, for their willingness and help on this amendment as well as for all the hard work they have done in putting together this important funding bill. i also want to recognize congressman donovan who was not able to be here today, but i offer this amendment along with him because it does seek to increase funding for the u.s. african development foundation by $15 million, bringing it up to the $30 million it was awarded back in fiscal year 2017. the u.s. african development foundation is an independent u.s. government agency that excells at doing development differently. it uses small grants to focus on ventures in the fields of food security, health care, education and technology. our taxpayer money is maximized to its full potential as host african governments invest a share of their own money in this grant program. these grant programs that's leading to self-sufficiency and sbureship in countries that are plagued by conflict across the world. in fact, the center for global development has ranked the u.s. .d.f. second only to the millennium corporation. mr. speaker, the u.s. african development foundation represents the very best of modernized foreign assistance because they're so innovative and ime honored to -- and i'm honored to support it and i hope the rest of my colleagues will support it as well. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. does any member claim time in opposition? for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. rogers: in opposition, mr. chairman. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rogers: i really appreciate the gentleman's concern, but not enough to support his amendment. as he knows, the administration proposed to close the united states african development foundation. given the significant reduction in our subcommittee's allocation, it would be very easy to agree to the administration's request. the bill before us, however, does not close the foundation but instead doubles the requested amount. if our conference allocation is more generous, then perhaps we can be more generous with the foundation. until then, however, the bill reported out of committee strikes i think the appropriate balance of assistance and diplomacy. and i urge a rejection of the amendment. and reserve. the chair: the gentleman has the only time remaining. the gentleman from kentucky has the only time remaining. mr. rogers: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from minnesota. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. the chair: it's now in order to consider amendment number 106 printed in part b of house report 115-295. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i have an amendment, 110, is that the correct one, from ms. ros-lehtinen of florida? the chair: it's now in order to consider amendment number 106. the chair understands the amendment will not be offered. the chair understands amendment number 107 will not be offered. it's now in order to consider amendment number 110 printed in part b of house report 115-295. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i rise as the designee for ms. ros-lehtinen of florida, and i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 110 printed in part b of house report 115-295 offered by mr. yoho of florida. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 500, the gentleman from florida, mr. yoho, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the gentleman from florida is recognized. simple, this is a straightforward amendment that will limit the taxpayers' burdens to hundreds of millions of dollars that work against the interest of our ally, israel. this u.n. agency has operated with a singular focus, to isolate and delegitimize one of america's closest friends and allies, israel. since its reformation -- in fact, israel stands alone as the only nation to have an entire agenda, item 7, devoted solely to it. israel is the only democracy in the middle east, but one would never know -- one would never know if you only saw what came out of the human rights council. in fact, while israel was targeted repeatedly for unwarranted criticism, some of the world's worst human rights abusers are ignored. when the body that was created to promote and protect global human rights has its agenda driven by the very worst human rights abusers, you have to stop and ask, how does this make sense and why should the united states continue to legitimize this agenda by remaining part of that body? and the same goes for the u.n.'s office for high commissioner for human rights, which serves as the secretariat for the council. there is an indemic and systemic anti-israeli bias at the council and the high commissioner office fuels and serves this agenda. in fact, this is the office that's currently putting together the black list for the council and the high commissioner has signaled his intent to publish this list. this effectively puts the human rights council and the high commissioner at the forefront of the anti-israeli boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. there is simply no justification for the american taxpayers to fund this sort of activity aimed at isolating and delegitimizing our ally, israel, and harming our national interests. there's also no justification for the american taxpayers to support our participation at a body that enables human rights abusers. when cuba, venezuela, china, saudi arabia and others are allowed to sit on the human rights council and dictate its direction, you know that the body has strayed far from its mandate. in fact, these countries use the council to actually shield themselves from criticism, turning the body meant to promote and protect human rights into a tool for the world's worst despots to hide the atrocities that are coming at home. at this time i'd like to yield couple minutes to mr. lamborn from colorado. the chair: how much time does the gentleman yield? how much time does the gentleman yield? mr. yoho: two minutes. how much time do we have, mr. speaker? the chair: 2 1/2 minutes. mr. yoho: two minutes. mr. lamborn: i rise in support of congresswoman ros-lehtinen's amendment. and i appreciate my friend ted yoho of florida. this would prevent funds to contribute trams that single our our ally, the state of israel, for poor treatment. there are numerous issues with these agencies, but as for unrwa, the size of the agency is an underlying problem. unrwa addressed the short term needs of refugees but it has per pet lated the problem -- per pet lated the problem. compared to the u.n. high commission for refugees staff of 7,700 in 2013, which provides support for 42.9 million ref jees in more than 100 countries. so the proportion is just way out of scale when you compare those kinds of agencies. unrwa is out of control. their grounds have been used to store rockets. israel has been fired upon from unrwa facilities and unrwa has employed individuals affiliated with hamas, a designated terrorist organization. these are just a few examples how u.n. agencies have mismanaged funds. it's unacceptable that american taxpayer dollars contribute to this problem so i thank the congressman and congresswoman for offering this important amendment and i hope that my colleagues support it so that the united nations can get to helping individuals who need it the most. thank you, mr. chairman. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. yoho: thank you. by passing this amendment, congress will send a very clear message to these agencies and to the entire u.n. that the status quo is no longer, that we want to seat reforms that we want to address now before we return to full participation. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment in an effort to change the status quo at the u.n. by starting with the most egregious of the entities. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. does any member claim time in opposition? >> mr. chairman, i rise to claim time in opposition. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. >> and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. >> the agencies listed in this amendment are by no means perfect, and on multiple occasions i have condemned some of their actions, both publicly and behind closed doors but i do believe we lose the ability to influence both agencies' agendas towards the united states priorities if we cut off all u.s. funding. mr. meeks: despite my past criticisms of their significant shortcomings, i continue to believe that each of these agencies plays a pivotal role in providing critical services for the palestinian people. we should never lose focus on helping the people who need aid the most. we should also think strategically about u.s. interests. the united nations' relief and works agency is an effective alternative to hamas. each year they provide health services to more than three million individuals and education to half a million students in the west bank and gaza. cutting off funding will simply strengthen hamas by driving countless individuals into hamas-controlled schools and services. additionally, the human rights council and the high commissioner for human rights highlight the voices of the oppressed and underserved globally and have elevated the rights of women and sexual assault victims. as human rights are increasingly threatened around the globe, now is not the time to walk away from these agencies. i oppose the amendment because i strongly believe that here in congress we must do all we can to preserve and advance u.s. interests and influence. this amendment would diminish u.s. influence at a time when our nation's global standing is already slipping, and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman has the only time remaining. mr. meeks: how many minutes remain? the chair: three minutes. mr. meeks: three minutes. so i give the chairman, mr. rogers, i yield two minutes. mr. rogers: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i wanted to take this time briefly to -- the gentleman from florida has raised a number of concerns with regard to these organizations, many of which i share. that's why the base bill includes some pretty tough conditions on these organizations. in fact, these conditions have never been stronger. . no funds can be provided until the secretary of state certifies to congress that participation in the council is one in the national security interest of the united states, and the council is taking significant steps to remove israel as a permanent agenda item, and increased transparency in the election of its members to the council. we raised these issues, ma -- these issues, mr. chairman, with ambassador haley, when she appeared before our committee. we know she's actively engaging on these matters. and our conditions give her additional tools with which she can use to get the council to make some real reforms. next, the bill prohibits funds for the u.n. relief and works agency until the secretary can certify to the congress that this organization is conducting regular inspections of its installations, to ensure they are only used for humanitarian purposes and that the content of educational materials does not induce excitement. these conditions provide secretary tillerson with leverage to demand accountability and reform. also we should be mindful that the president is re-engaging with israel and the palestinians on a middle east peace deal. which will allow -- which we all know is difficult and a very complicated task. prohibiting funds to unra at this time may have an adverse impact on those delicate processes that the president and his team have before them. this committee has and will continue to follow these issues very closely. it's a top priority and the tough conditions in the bill reflect that. i thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: i yield 50 seconds to the gentleman from minnesota. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. els els mr. speaker, cutting off -- mr. ellison: mr. speaker, cutting off funds to unrwa would force to shut down. if they shut down, they will not be able to operate and all of the services that it provides will fall to the predominant power, which is hamas. i don't think this is what the gentleman wants. the fact of the matter is it right now provides education, food, shelter and a whole host of services in very dire conditions. over the last number of years we have seen 90% of the tap water not fit for human consumption, rolling blackouts, 20 to 22 hours a day. and unrwa in this context is making sure that necessities like education exists. it would be counterproductive to cut off unrwa. because somebody is going to have to help the refugees. the chair: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: i yield myself the balance of the time. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. meeks: as stated, now is not the time to walk away from the u.n. human rights council. this amendment would do nothing to change the agency for the better. it would only weaken our ability to influence the advancements we want to see. we can't be lead fathers we're not at the table. i urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. mr. rogers: mr. speaker, i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to -- pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida will be postponed. the chair understands that amendment number 112 will not be offered. it is now in order to consider amendment number 113 printed in art b of house report 115-295. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> to introduce the amendment. the chair: the clerk will introduce the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 112 offered by mr.gate of florida -- mr.gates of florida -- mr. gates of florida. -- mr. gaetz of florida. the chair: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from florida and someone opposed will each control five minutes. mr. gaetz: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. speaker, it does not advance the interests of the united states to fund schools that insight terror and hate throughout the world. 34 of those such schools exist in the area currently controlled by the palestinian authority. and this amendment would defund those 34 schools that are named after terrorists, killers and nazi collaborators. i'll provide a few examples. .he coastal road massacre she killed 37 people, including 12 children and injured another 70. three schools are named after her. two students attending one of these schools were interrued on march 27, 2014, they said, she is a great leader. she walks among us and i am personally proud to attend her school. a second little girl who attended that school said, my life's ambition is to reach the level of the martyr fighter of her. a p.l.o. terrorist organization's military wing, he planned attacks that killed over 125 israelis. five schools are named after him. the black september terrorist organization planned the murder of 11 israeli athletes at the munich olympics and the murder of two american diplomats in the sudan. four schools are named after him. co-founder of al qaeda, the mentor of saddam hussein, known as the father -- osama bin laden, known as the father of modern jihad. he was the head of the fattah military in the 1960's. a high school for girls carries his name. a nazi collaborator during world war ii, he moved to berlin are we served as a hitler associate. in yugoslavia he was designated a war criminal. when the nazis offered to free some jewish children, he prohibited their release, resulting in five -- 5,000 jewish children being sent to the gas chambers. an elementary school is named after him. also a nazi operative was sent by the nazis during world war ii to poison the water supply near tel aviv. two schools are named after him. mr. speaker, i care deeply for the education of our youth. but we have to demand that curriculums be reformed so that the schools that american taxpayers fund do not promote hate and i would yield such time as he may cumet to mr. lamborn. -- may consume to mr. lamborn. the chair: does the gentleman reserve? mr. gaetz: yes, sir, mr. speaker, i reserve. no, i'm sorry, mr. speaker, i was yielding to mr. lamborn. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lamborn: thank you, mr. chairman. and i also applaud the leadership of representative gaetz on this important amendment. this commonsense amendment prohibits american taxpayer dollars from supporting palestinian elementary schools at are named for palestinian terrorists who have murdered innocent human beings. many of these terrorists have murdered children who are no different than the very children in the schools named after terrorists them. the law -- a palestinian terrorist blew herself up on a bus in 1978, killing 37 israelis, including 13 children. her name is plastered on count l elementary schools, summer camps and memorials around palestinian authority-controlled territories in israel. i applaud denmark, norway and other countries that have frozen funds from u.n.-affiliated palestinian organizations that name their buildings after terrorists like that. the united states congress should have undivided moral clarity on this issue in this year's appropriations bill. we cannot use taxpayer dollars to fund palestinian incitement to murder innocents. and that is why i introduced legislation to stop sending american aid to the palestinian authority until they end their practice of financially supporting terrorists and the families of terrorists. we must end u.s. contributions to the p.a.'s campaign of incitement wherever we find it. i thank mr. gaetz for offering this important amendment and i hope it passes with unanimous support as it should. thank you, mr. chairman, and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. does anyone wish to speak in opposition? seeing none, the gentleman from florida is recognized. gaetz get a mr. speaker, i yield -- mr. gaetz: -- mr. gaetz: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. he amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 114 printed in art b of house report 115-298. it is now in order to consider amendment number 115 are printed in a part b of house -- printed in part b of house report 115-295. it is now in order to consider amendment number 116 printed in art b of house report 115-295. it is now in order to consider amendment number 118 printed in part b of house report 115-295. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. chairman, pursuant to section 3 as the designee of the gentleman from new jersey, mr. frelinghuysen, i rise to offer amendments en bloc number 1. the chair: does the gentleman have a motion to rise? mr. -- the chair: does the gentleman have a motion to rise? mr. calvert: mr. chairman, i don't believe we need a motion to rise. i rise to offer amendments en bloc number 1. the list of the amendments included is at the desk and has been agreed to by both sides. the chair: the committee do now rise. the question is on the motion that the committee rise. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the committee rises. the speaker pro tempore: mr. chairman. the chair: mr. speaker, the committee of the whole house on the state of the union having had under consideration h.r. 3354 directs me to report that it has to no resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration h.r. 3354 and has come to no resolution thereon. pursuant to house resolution 504 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 3354. the chair appoints the gentleman from georgia, mr. hice, to preside over the ommittee of the whole. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the further consideration of the bill h.r. 3354 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill making appropriations for the department of the interior, environment and related agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2018, and for other purposes. the chair: when the committee of the whole rose earlier today, amendment number 113 printed in house report 115-295 offered by the gentleman from florida, mr. gaetz, had been disposed of. pursuant to house resolution 504, no further amendment to the bill, as amended, shall be in order except those printed in house report 115-297. amendments en bloc described in section 3 of house resolution 504, and available pro forma amendments described in section 4 of house resolution 500. each further amendment printed in the report shall be considered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by a proponent and an opponent, may be withdrawn by the proponent at any time before action thereof, shall not be subject to amendment except those described in section 4 of house resolution 500 and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question. it shall be in order at any time for the chair of the committee on appropriations or his designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting of amendments printed in the report not earlier disposed of. amendments en bloc shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the committee on appropriations or their respective designees, shall not be subject to amendment except as described in section 4 of house resolution 500 and shall not be subject for demand of he division of the question. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. calvert: mr. chairman, pursuant to section 3 of house resolution 504, as the designee of the gentleman from new jersey, mr. frelinghuysen, i rise to offer amendments en bloc number 1, the list of the amendments included in the en bloc is at the desk and has been agreed to by both sides. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendments en bloc. the clerk: amendments number 3, , 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 19, 20, 47, 48, 5, 26, 34, 35, 49, 58 and 79 printed in house report 115-297 offered by mr. calvert of california. pursuant to house resolution 500, the gentleman from california, mr. calvert, and the gentlewoman from minnesota, ms. mccollum, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. calvert: i reserve. the chair: the gentleman eserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. mccollum: i reserve as well. the chair: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. the gentleman from california. mr. calvert: the gentlelady has no speakers? ms. mccollum: mr. chairman, at this time, if the chairman of the subcommittee is not going to make remarks, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from washington, mr. heck. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. heck: thank you, mr. chairman. and i thank the gentlelady for the opportunity. mr. chairman, this amendment helps our local communities preserve and restore important historic sites through a successful federal-state partnership. for more than 40 year the historic preservation fund has helped our states and native tribes leverage funds to revitalize communities and create opportunities for economic growth. in my district, for example, the historic preservation fund was used to rehabilitate olympia's historic stoker house which is now home to a small clinic that provides much-needed mental health counseling services. this year's fund was used for the youth heritage project in tacoma which introduced high schoolers the great maritime hair tage in the pugent sound. it would restore funding to last year's levels. it's a small but effective federal program that deserves continued support. it's a bipartisan amendment, and i'm thankful to have the support of the co-chairs of the historic preservation caucus, congressman turner and blumenauer, along with congressman smith, courtney and keating. i urge adoption of the amendment and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. calvert: i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. mccollum: i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. calvert: mr. chairman, i rise in support of the en bloc and i urge its adoption. i yield time to the gentleman rom maine. the chair: how much time? r. calvert: two minutes. mr. poliquin: i am thrilled to rise and speak on behalf of my amendment which will remove unnecessary and redundant and burdensome regulations from our ea urchant and sea cucumbers in the state of maine. now, we have some of the hardest working people in the state and about 600 of them along with the processing part, they brave the cold dark waters of the great state of maine and ve for sea urchant and cucumbers and it's a process that is dangerous but these del cassies are sold all around the world, mostly in the far east and we need to make sure our government helps these individuals work this terrific fishery that's been doing so ell in the past. i want to thank chellie pingree of maine. i represent the second district of maine. we've worked for quite sometime on this issue in a bipartisan way to make sure, mr. chairman, many e don't have too regulations and expensive as such to make sure this part of our fishery is healthy and goes forward. again, i appreciate it, mr. chairman, very much, for giving me to speak on behalf of my amendment. i thank you, mr. speaker. yield back my time. the chair: the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. mccollum: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers present at this time so i yield back. mr. calvert: does the gentlelady have no other speakers? the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. calvert: i rise in support of the en bloc and urge its adoption. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields. mr. calvert: yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the question son the amendments en bloc offered by the gentleman from -- the question is on the amendments en bloc offered by the gentleman from california. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the en bloc amendments are agreed to. it's now in order to consider en bloc -- it's now in order to consider amendment number 2 297 ted in house report 115- -- for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. chairman. i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in house report 115-297 offered by mr. grijalva of arizona. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 504, the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. chairman. my amendment will restore $12 million in cuts to the already underfunded superfund enforcement program with an equivalent cut to the bureau of land management's oil and gas leasing program. it is the epitome of federal fiscal responsibility. it ensures that polluters pay for the cleanup and the mess they have caused. over 35 years, e.p.a. superfund enforcement program has enabled thousands of site investigations and cleanup and has required viable responsible parties to either conduct the work or pay for the cleanups of these superfund sites. in other words, hold parties accountable for the action and correction of their activities. . any cut to these funds clearly place the corporate interest over those of the health and financial well-being of the american people. according to the e.p.a., the superfund enforcement program's efforts to negotiate settlement agreements and issue orders for cleanup work accounts for approximately 69% of all the cleanup work currently under way at superfund sites around this country. for every $1 superfund enforcement program spends, private parties commit $ toward cleanup work -- $8 toward cleanup work. the fund something eseng to saving taxpayer dollars and the roars of the superfund trust fund to address truly abandoned and orphaned sites. as of august 1, 2017, there were 1,845 superfund sites in the country. these sites include dangerous and toxic substances, not just in my backyard, but in everybody's backyard. and perhaps not surprisingly, superfund sithe sites tend to be located near lower income communities and around communities of color. approximately 53 million people live within three miles of a superfund site in this country. and 46% of them live in poor communities an communities of color, and 15% of those residents live below the poverty level. according to a national association of clear air agency's report, without e.p.a. enforcement, companies would avoid reporting or minimizing the reporting amount of toxic materials released into the environment. and following one of the most catastrophic hurricanes to hit texas, the e.p.a. found that 13 superfund sites have been flooded or could face damages as a result of hurricane harvey. administrator pruitt has repeatedly tried to justify his cuts of the agency by claiming that he want the agency to go back to the basics. i can't think of anything more fundamental to the e.p.a.'s mandate than cleaning up the most toxic sites in the nation to protect the health of the people and -- that live nearby in those communities. restoring the ability of the e.p.a. to self-sustain its core mission should be a no-brainer for those of us on both sides of the aisle. and in order to restore the funding, my amendment would make a modest cut to the b.l.m.'s oil and gas program. this program is a massive giveaway to the very polluters that have made the existence of the superfunds program a necessity. currently 7,950 drilling permits are approved and not being used. and there are 14.4 million acres of public land under lease and not producing. there is no justification to dole out more taxpayer money in order to expedite and speed up permitting and leasing practices when we have that amount not being used and close to 15 million acres under lease as we speak. a report by oil change international recently found that u.s. government provided about $6 billion annually in financial support to oil, gas and coal industries between 2013 and 2015. meanwhile, oil giant exxonmobil's profits more than doubled in the first quarter of this year, which equaled $4.1 billion in profits for just that one quarter. they certainly do not need more taxpayer money while communities across the united states continue to be exposed to toxic and hazardous pollution. my amendment restores in part the e.p.a.'s core mission to protect the public health of the american people, hold polluters responsible and liable for the environmental and health risks that they cause. i urge a yes vote on the amendment and reserve the balance of my time. the chair: is there a member that seeks time in opposition? >> i rise in opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized for five minutes. >> i certainly appreciate the gentleman's support for robust funding of the superfund program. particularly the cleanup program. there's a need for congress to make progress to address the backlog of 1,300 sites on the national priority list. mr. calvert: the bill proposes to do so, with a $47.6 million increase for cleanup work. however, the amendment proposes merely to increase e.p.a.'s enforcement budget by $12 million, with stated object beive of reducing b.l.m.'s oil and gas management program. the committee wrote a balanced bill and i support the wise use of federal oil and gas resources. therefore i oppose the amendment and urge my colleagues to vote no on the gentleman's amendment. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. for 15 seconds. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. chairman. i urge a no vote. this is a prudent, necessary protection of public health and the environment and i would urge a yes vote on this amendment. thank you very much. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. calvert: i would ask memberses to vote no on this amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. and the amendment is not agreed to. mr. grijalva: mr. chairman. on that i would request a recorded vote, sir. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 4 printed in ouse report 115-297. it is now in order to consider amendment number 5 fingerprinted in house report 115 -- printed in house report 115-297. for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska seek recognition? mr. bacon: mr. chairman, i rise to offer amendment 5. i plan to ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment. however, before i do -- the chair: there's an amendment at the desk. the clerk: amendment number -- the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 5 offered by mr. bacon of nebraska. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 504, the gentleman from nebraska and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the nebraska.from mr. bacon: before i withdraw the amendment, i would ask for unanimous consent to engage chairman calvert in a brief colloquy. i yield to the gentleman. mr. calvert: i would be happy to engage the gentleman in a colloquy. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bacon: the fish and wildlife service has a back loffing 49 species waited to be down listed or delisted. 49. this issue is further compounded by the fact that an additional 839 species are overdue for their mandatory five-year status review to determine if e.s.a. protections need to continue. it's no wonder why stateses are frustrated that species are put on the list and rarely removed. to be more effective in species conservation, the fish and wildlife service must address this backlog so stateses can better focus their recovery efforts. i respect the committee's progress made on this front. but i hope we can make further efforts to ensure fish and wildlife service is an effective ally in species conservation under e.s.a. i yield. mr. calvert: i thank the gentleman for his comments and for his amendment. and i fully agree with his concerns about the backlogs. but i have concerns with the proposed offset and appreciate the intention to withdraw it. the committee has made a concerted effort in recent years to fix these problems and has increased the recovery accounts by almost $4 million. over the last two years. under house republican pressure over the past seven years, the fish and wildlife service has delisted more species than all other previous years combined. but clearly we still have a long way to go. the service has been directed and funded to complete all five-year reviews within the period required by law. and a committee will continue to press the service to see that they eliminate these backlogs. i thank the gentleman again for raising this issue and i pledge to work with him on this. mr. bacon: i thank you for your feedback apped -- feedback and your efforts. i ask unanimous consent to withdraw amendment number 5. the chair: the amendment's withdrawn. thank you. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from minnesota seek recognition? >> i rise as the designee of ranking member lowey to strike the last word. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized for five minutes. ms. mccollum: mr. chairman, i yield to the gentleman from the na, mr. -- and gentlewoman from the virgin .slands the chair: the gentlewoman can yield to one member at a time. ms. mccollum: then i'll yield for mr. o'halleran. thank you for the direction. mr. o'halleran: mr. speaker, my amendments address the critical health needs in indian country by providing the bureau of indian affair and indian health services an additional funding to complete projects. my first amendment ensures communities, including the hopi in my district, who need funding to complete their arsenic mitigation projects. my second amendment fulfills part of our trust relationship with federally recognized tribes, by ensuring indian health service clinic and hospitals opening this year receive staffing and operations funding. in my district the red hawk -- red tail hawk health care center is scheduled to be opened and has not received staffing or operation funding. these health care profacilities are badly needed to increase access to health care in the communities. again, i would like to thank the speaker and the chair and the ranking member. i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. mccollum: thank you very much, mr. chair. at this time i'd like to recognize the gentlewoman from the virgin islands. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. plaskett: thank you, ranking member mccollum, and thank you, mr. speaker, for -- we are asking that you include my provision for raising funds for the department of interior's assistance to territories in this en bloc amendment. this is a very modest uptick of the $1 million in federal support for the united states territories, namely the virgin islands, guam, northern mariana islands, and american samoa. it is crucial that the federal government keep its commitment to address the pressing needs of americans living in these territories as we face grave natural disasters and security threats. right now thousands of people are feeling the effects of the -- of one of the most catastrophic hurricanes ever to strike the caribbean region. hurricane irma has toppled buildings and leveled many homes. making the virgin islands whole again will require a massive and coordinateded effort spanning a long period of time. much of the federal government's support for americans in the u.s. territories come out of this territorial assistance, funding channels toward necessary community facilities like schools and hospitals and critical infrastructure systems. this support is imperative. one of our hospitals now after this hurricane is partially destroyed. the other faces egregious deferred maintenance issues, due in part to extremely high proportion of uncompensated care because the territories face inequitable treatment in federal health programs like medicaid and medicare. construction and repair to schools and hospitals account for much of the capital improvement projects, expenditures that is come directly out of this assistance to the territories account. thank you and we're asking that the territories receive the same funding for -- that they have received previously and please approve this amendment to reverse this cut as a simple matter of fairness to the territories. thank you so much and i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. mccollum: i thank the chair. and i thank the chair of the subcommittee for the opportunity to do this. i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. calvert: mr. chairman, pursuant to section 3 of house resolution 504, as a designee of the gentleman from new jersey, mr. frelinghuysen, i rise to offer amendments en bloc, number 2. list of amendments included in the en bloc is at the desk and the been agreed to on both sides. the clerk: en bloc number 2 consisting of amendments 52, ed 1, 6, 24, 28, 33, 54 and 70, printed in house report 115-297 offered by mr. calvert of california. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 504, the gentleman from california, mr. calvert, and the gentlewoman from minnesota, ms. mccollum, each will control 10 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. calvert: i recognize mr. emmer from minnesota. 1 1/2 minutes. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mrs. emerson: i thank the chairman for -- 'em m i thank the chairman -- mr. emmer: i thank the chairman for yielding and i'm pleased to support this en bloc amendment because it contains language i offered to support the hardworking people of minnesota. this haltses a last-minute effort by the previous administration, which would restrict all leasing, exploration and potential development of approximately 234,000 acres of federal land in northeast minnesota. if this ban were to take effect, it auto have a devastating impact -- it would have a devastating impact on economy of my state, as well as our nation as a whole. minnesota's department of natural resources has estimated there are roughly 500 billion dollars worth of minerals in the area proposed for withdrawal. in addition to nearly three billion in royalty revenues for minnesota's permanent school trust fund, which would support almost 900,000 k-12 students statewide. through this amendment, we have a real opportunity to get the federal government out of the way so this land can remain available for future development to bring much-needed jobs and revenue to the great state of minnesota. these efforts have garnered the support of more than 60 members of the minnesota legislature, from both parties, i might add. we also have the backing of chairman bishop of the house natural resources committee, as well as the chairman of the energy and mineral resources subcommittee, representative paul gosar. the national mining association, mining minnesota, and the congressional western caucus are in favor of the amendment and it could not be more in line with the current administration's priorities to create jobs and reinvigorate the american economy. because we know that somehow, somewhere, someone will find a way to mine the precious metals in this area in a safe and environmentally responsible way and when that happens, minnesota deserves to have that opportunity. when that happens, minnesota at the serves to have that opportunity and the jobs and economic prosperity that will ensue. again, i thank the chairman for the opportunity to speak in support of my amendment, and i encourage everyone to support the en bloc package. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. calvert: i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. mccollum: thank you, mr. chair. mr. chair, i rise in opposition of this en bloc amendment. at this time i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from washington state, mr. kilmer. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kilmer: thank you, mr. chairman. i thank the gentlelady for yielding. i rise in opposition to this block of amendments and i do appreciate that this block seeks to increase funding to address the national park service's $11.3 billion backlog of deferred maintenance. i firmly believe that we need to increase annual appropriations for our parks, but that funding shouldn't come at the expense of other critical agency accounts. in my neck of the woods, the olympic national park has $150 million in backlog maintenance needs so we weren't accomplish this important goal a few million dollars at a time. congress needs to have a dedicated funding source. that's why i partnered with representative hurd from texas and representative reichert to introduce the national park service legacy act which will create a dedicated source of funding to address the national park service maintenance backlog. this bipartisan and bicameral bill is funded through unobligated mineral royalties and would generate up to $500 million annually through 2047. if we're serious about addressing the overwhelming maintenance backlog at our parks, i ask you join in supporting the national park service legacy act. i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. mccollum: thank you, mr. chairman. i am opposed to all these amendments included in the en bloc. many of them use offsets from accounts, the environmental protection agency, the fish and wildlife services that are severely underfunded. am troubled by one of the amendments, the emmer amendment. the boundary waters canoe located in northern minnesota is one of the last truly wild places in america. these 1.1 million acres of unspoiled wood lds and more than 1,000 pristine lakes are beloved by adventurers, canoers and sportsmen across our country. this lies in the watershed and goes onward toward canada. there has been a push to have copper mining less than three miles from the wilderness. this threatens to irreplaceable damage the waters. sulfur mining is toxic including waterways with acid drainage that includes arsenic, ercury and lead. an ore mine in canada failed dumping leerts of toxic sludge and leaving destruction in its wake. the forest service acted last december and launched a thorough environmental analysis with public engagement to assess what type of mining, if any, is appropriate on federal lands in this watershed for the next 20 years. the trump and the obama administrations have both agreed we need a thorough, scientific-based assessment of the best management of the sensitive ecosystem and conservation of our boundary waters. the emmer amendment appends this careful process. it pushes aside the forest service's ongoing study. it mandates that dangerous copper, sulfite mining will be allowed in the watershed regardless of the conclusions of this environmental study and intentionally ignores a public process that hundreds of thousands of americans weighed in on with comments on both sides of the issue. in my opinion, this amendment sets a horrible precedent, wastes taxpayer dollars already invested in the study and threatens a national treasure and it should never become law. mr. chairman, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. calvert: i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. mccollum: i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. calvert: i yield back the balance of my time, mr. chairman. i rise in support of the en bloc and urge its adoption. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is the amendments en bloc offered by the gentleman from california. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the en bloc amendments are agreed to. it's now in order to consider mendment number 8 printed in house report 115-297. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from arizona seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 8 printed in house report 115-297 offered by ms. mcsally of arizona. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 504, the gentlewoman from arizona, ms. mcsally, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from arizona. ms. mcsally: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in favor of my amendment to the make america secure and prosperous appropriations act. this amendment would approve access to america's prized treasures by increasing the national park service's facility, maintenance and operations account to $9.7 million bringing it up to the fiscal year enacted level. in doing so this amendment will help address the long standing deferred maintenance needs of the park service. currently the national park service has $11.9 billion backlog which is a figure that's increased steadily since 2009. according to the most recent n.p.s. deferred maintenance park, the yosemite national park in chairman calvert's home tate has a backlog of $555 million. yellowstone has $111 million. the grand canyon makes up a large portion of my home state in arizona in delayed and deferred projects. in fact, arizona has one of the largest backlogs, $565 million. this problem does not only impact the crown jewel of the park system in my district it requires attention at the swarrow national park of $12.9 million. hile another faces roughly millions in restoration projects. we have the most renowned landscapes and natural beauty. by -- my amendment will ensure americans have unimpaired access to parks and the enjoyments of the wonders available for future generations. with that, mr. chairman -- mr. speaker, i reserve. the chair: does a member seek ime in opposition? ms. mccollum: i rise in opposition to this amendment. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized for five minutes. mrs mccollum: i -- ms. mccollum: the e.p.a.'s main operating account is already cut by $240 million. the e.p.a. plays a critical role in keeping americans safe both during natural disasters like hurricane harvey and on a day-to-day basis. i know this because the e.p.a. right now is cleaning up a toxic waste site that has been recently discovered in my congressional district. unfortunately, the very air we breathe and water we drink is endangered by the funding and policy decisiones that are made in this bill. there are consequence -- their consequences will be felt in communities across this nation. this amendment would increase funding for the national park service, something i do support. i have just been to glacier national park where i saw their backlog, and i agree wholeheartedly we should be investing in our parks. but it cannot be done at the expense of our public health. republicans have chose to put forward an omnibus bill that leaves nearly $5 billion of nondiscretionary funds on the table. so rather than gutting the e.p.a. farther, we should be using all the resources available to us and working on a bipartisan budget agreement. i oppose this amendment and i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. calvert: i rise in support of the gentlelady's amendment. the appropriations committee and the congress is supportive of the national park service on a bipartisan basis. all americans love their -- the chair: does the gentleman move to strike the last word? mr. calvert: i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. calvert: again, i rise in support of the gentlelady's amendment. i certainly urge members to support it. this bill maintains the increases provided last year for deferred maintenance and increases the construction account by $10 million. this amendment will further our efforts to address the long standing deferred maintenance needs. i urge an aye vote on this amendment and reserve the balance of my time. the chair: does the gentleman yield, please? you may not reserve, sir. mr. calvert: i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: does the gentleman yield? mr. calvert: i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman from arizona is recognized. ms. mcsally: thank you, mr. chairman. i appreciate your support on the amendment, and i'd ask all members on both sides of the aisle to support our national parks and support this amendment and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from arizona. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. he amendment is agreed to. the chair understands that amendment number 12 will not be offered. it's now in order to consider amendment number 13 printed in house report 115-297. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. griffith: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 13 printed in house report 115-297 offered by mr. griffith of virginia. mr. griffith: mr. chairman, i'd ask the amendment be modified in the form i have placed at the desk. the chair: we will report the modification. pursuant to house resolution 504 -- the clerk: modification to amendment number 13. printed in house report 115-297 offered by mr. griffith of virginia. insert at the end the following -- page 28, line 8, after the dollar amount insert, increase by $75 million. page 64, line 1, after the dollar amount insert, reduced by $80 million. the chair: is there objection to the modification? if not the objection is -- the amendment is modified. pursuant to house resolution 504, the gentleman from virginia, mr. griffith, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. griffith: thank you very much, mr. chairman. i appreciate the consideration of what was two amendments but we just merged into one because they went hand in glove. my amendment restores critical funding to three additional appalhian states, the same number of states currently funded by the abandoned mine reclamation fund in conjunction with economic and community development and reuse goals. now, let me explain the program quickly. this was the brain chd of chairman rogers a couple years back and what the idea was originally when they did the abandoned land mine program, you could just restore the land. they came up with the concept of central appalachia we should not only allow it to be a restoration of the land but that that land could be used and looked as an economic purpose, a reuse that the community could use for community development or economic development and that was important. funding for these reclamation grants was first established in fiscal year 2016, but was originally provided only to the three appalachian states with the greatest amount of unfunded reclamation needs. unfortunately, that didn't of course reach all the states and so last year, an additional three states were added, those states being virginia, ohio, alabama, the original three being pennsylvania, west virginia and kentucky. so this year things were working through. virginia, ohio and alabama are not currently included. my amendment basically makes sure they're included. we've worked with the team on appropriations to word it correctly. we think we got it worded correctly so we now have the ability to add in all three states. i think this is important. folks often say to us, you know, those of you in coal county and central appalachia need to transition your economy. we can't transition our economy if we have huge blocks of land that are unusable due to prior acts that left them in a condition where we know they need to be reclaimed but you can't reclaim them looking at economic development. this is a way to retool. chairman rogers came up with it. we'd like to extend it to the other states that would be greatly helped by this, the three that i mentioned previously, ohio, alabama and virginia, and that's what my amendments do. i would ask all to support this amendment to help those areas that are economically devastated in central appalachian and expand on a -- appalachia, and expand on a program that's already showing signs of success. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: is there a member that seeks time in opposition? ms. mccollum: i do, mr. chair. the chair: the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized for five minutes in opposition. ms. mccollum: i strongly oppose an amendment that narkse money away from the e.p.a. this bill already cuts the e.p.a.'s main operating count by $240 million and the air we breathe and the water we drink are endangered by the policy decisions that are being made in this bill. the consequences will be felt in communities across the nation. now, i understand from many cutting the e.p.a. is an easy target. but i want my colleagues to understand what this amendment would be cutting if

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