Not become law. Because if this doesnt make a difference, if these bills are moving together and this is all about giving people yet another chance to vote on something they already voted on, whats the point . I mean, the rule provides 30 minutes of debate on this side car ukraine funding bill. 30 minutes, 15 minutes on each side. Boy, what a debate thats going to be. I mean, come on. Ill tell you what the point of all this is. Let me read you the words of our colleague margry Taylor Greene when she left the Conference Meeting this morning, she told a reporter, and i quote, were not funding ukraine. Thats what i heard in there. End quote. Let me inform the gentlelady we all had a chance to vote our conscious, up or down. Those who voted to strike aid can go home and tell their constituents they voted to strike ukraine aid. Its not that complicated. What concerns many of us is the signal these extreme maga republicans are sending to putin. Putin is an authoritarian thug. What hes doing in ukraine is sick. His troops are shelling Nuclear Power plants, killing civilians, bombing hospitals, abducting women, massacring people. And my maga colleagues want to send him a message and that message is just hold on a little longer, wait a little longer and you can do whatever you want. This house had a vote. And we are here to overturn it. All because Speaker Mccarthy is letting extreme maga republicans blackmail him because he cares more about keeping his job than doing his job. And i urge a no vote. With that i reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts reserves. The gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. Mr. Cole thank you very much, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Cole thank you. I want to begin by reminding my friend again, we agree on this issue and both feel strongly in support of ukraine. I know my friend will vote accordingly, so will i. The reality is this measure actually makes it more likely that ukraine will get support, not less likely. As a part of the defense bill, that bill may or may not pass and my friends are united on that opposition. And thats their right to do so. But they actually do support this particular measure almost unanimously. Why not take it out of a bill that may or may not pass the floor and have a separate vote . My friends will actually be able to vote to move forward something they agree with, and quite frankly, something the majority of my conference agrees with. So i dont see how this imperils ukrainian funding but makes it almost certain. Moreover, i do believe discussion on this floor has considerable merit on this issue. The reality is that we havent had that discussion. And its time we did. I wish the president who i happen to support in this instance, not every nuance of his policy. I think he was too slow to commit here, too slow to get aid there, has been unclear about what the final objectives of this exercise is, an exercise i remind everyone is extraordinarily expensive and over 100 billion invested and a request for more. You know, i wish the president would do that. The house is going to endeavor to do that to at least some degree through this discussion. But again, i think its important to note, if you support ukraine, you should support this measure, because my friends, who i know sincerely do support that effort, are going to almost and probably unanimously oppose the defense bill in which its contained. Why in the world would they be upset because we take it out and put it on its own and make it more likely to pass and frankly do what were supposed to do around here, actually let every american see how his or her member of Congress Votes on this issue and how they choose to defend it. I just think its the appropriate way to go. Now, ill be candid with my friend, as i always try to be, it also helps us pass the defense bill. We have some people, because they feel very strongly about this particular issue, that might not vote for the defense bill that otherwise will. So im not going to apologize because we strengthened our ability to actually move an important piece of legislation through. But the one thing we do do, and its really not disputable, is we increase the chances that ukraine will get at least this 300 million of additional training aid that i think they ought to get. And my friends agree with. So having one more vote on the house floor, particularly at a time when were having so many does not seem to me to be a high price to pay. Let me, too, mr. Speaker, quickly address one other point my friend made. He talked about an imminent shutdown. We are coming close, and my friend is absolutely correct in that. I do remind him the rules committee actually passed a measure a week ago, i believe, roughly a week ago, that actually is an amendment that would continue funding the government while we work out our motions. That amendment can come out of the rules committee and placed on the floor at whatever time the speaker and the leadership of the majority choose to do that. So there are vehicles in place to act. I also remind my friend, of course the United States senate is doing the same thing. So, you know, id prefer not to get as close to the deadline but were here. But it doesnt appear something is not being done and time is wasting. I expect well have a vote relatively soon on continuing to support the government. It may or may not pass. I suspect the United States senate will have a similar vote. I suspect that one probably will pass and move to this chamber. So the idea that nothing is being done while trivialities are being debated i think is out of hand. Thats not the truth. Those issues are coming to a head right now. But again, once more ill state the obvious point, if you care for ukraine, you ought to be voting for this measure. I will. I know my friends almost unanimously will and will ensure that important funding moves forward and we have a fuller debate on the house floor about american objectives, goals, the price tag associated with that. I think these are all good things, all things where the house is actually doing the right thing and frankly, where i think the majority is giving the minority an opportunity to move forward something i know they feel passionately about. I share that passion. And many on our side do. So again, with that, mr. Speaker, i would urge support for the rule which makes this possible and the underlying resolution, and with that, i would reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oklahoma reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, i appreciate the comments from my good friend from oklahoma, who he knows i have great affection for him. But im dizzy from all the spin, quite frankly. First let me say about the c. R. , what we know may or may not pass in the house based on the fact that the Freedom Caucus seems to be calling the shots, will never pass the senate. We know whatever will come out of the rules committee the next 2448 hours, whatever, if anything, will ever be able to get the votes not just among democrats but republicans in the senate. Secondly, we do know the senate is working in a bipartisan way. They already have moved forward with the process to bring up a c. R. And with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote. But we know what they pass would pass this house if put on the floor. And the reason why this government will in all likelihood shut down is because the speaker of the house is so beholden to a small group of the most extreme members that he wont put that on the floor. He will rig it so we do not have a chance to be able to vote on it. Thats how this government will shut down. Secondly, my good friend talks about how its really no big deal and just another vote and everybody should be happy. Let me ask, if this were good for ukraine and ukraines ability to defend itself against russias illegal war, then why would members of the proputin caucus even agree to this . If everyone genuinely thought there was no difference between keeping the funding in the defense bill and moving it separately, why insist on all of this . The answer is really simple, republicans who seem to be enamored with putin want this funding sent separately to the senate because they know thats their best shot to prevent this money from going to ukraine at all. In fact, when marjorie Taylor Greene left the republican Conference Meeting this morning and i quoted it already but ill quote it again, she said, were not funding ukraine, period. Thats what i heard in there, end quote. And we all know there are senators like rand paul and Tommy Tuberville who will block a separate ukraine funding bill from moving forward. Theyre actively preventing the senate from completing its work as we speak. This is not a flaw in the side car plan, its a main feature and a goal. So lets be clear, this funding that were talking about here is longstanding Security Assistance. It has been in the defense bill for years, even before putin invaded ukraine. This is not the supplemental funding that president zelensky requested when he met with Speaker Mccarthy last week. This is not the supplemental funding they requested in the emergency funding request and its not the supplemental funding the senate is trying to put in their bipartisan c. R. So spare me the argument that somehow this is a good thing and it gives everybody a chance for their voice to be heard on this topic. If everybody wanted their voice to be heard on this topic, you would have speaker after speaker after speaker right now speaking on this bill and speaking about their concerns about our ukraine policy. Theres no one over there. I mean, lets all be real here with whats happening. The house already had its voice heard and it overwhelmingly voted to support funding in the defense bill, a 3 4 majority. You cant get that many people to agree on lunch in this place. And its a majority of your majority. I mean, the proputin extremists didnt like the outcome so they talked the speaker into rigging the vote. Thats what this is all about. And mr. Speaker, so i am here to offer the house the opportunity to demonstrate for a third time that we stand by ukraine in their time of need. And i urge we defeat the previous question and if we do, i will offer an amendment that would strike the provision of the rule eliminating Security Assistance funding for ukraine. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment into the record along with any extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, to discuss this proposal, i yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from minnesota, ms. Mccollum. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Mr. Mccollum mr. Speaker, the trying to bring the defense bill appropriations act to the floor. Three times it went to the rule committee. The first two times the rule failed on the floor and it failed in part because of a small minority of republicans do not support any ukrainian assistance, including support for ukraine that has been in the base defense bill for nine years. The republican conference knew for weeks that this was a problem for them, and thats why theyve created this pseudomini bus that were working on the past few days. Its loaded with extreme social policy riders to appease the far right so their party can even advance a defense bill. Earlier this week republicans could have used the rules committee to strip out the ukraine funding from the defense bill. They chose not to do so then. Instead, the rules committee made two republican amendments in order to strike any ukrainian funding. Then that amendment came to the floor and they asked the house to do its will. The biggs amendment was rejected by this house by a vote of 104330. The gaetz amendment was also rejected, 93339. In a closely divided congress, this is about as clearly a bipartisan vote as you can get. In both cases, the republicans and the democrats stood together with ukraine, but the republicans found out that they still had a problem with the extreme right in their party. Even after the votes, the vocal republican minority threatened the speaker again to take down the defense bill, all because the votes didnt go their way, so here we are today. The speaker has sent the defense bill back to the rules committee to override the will of this house. In its most basic democratic process of amending bills. Its ironic the speaker is so focused on passing the defense bill in such an undemocratic way. He has wasted weeks letting the far right abuse the republican majority while at the same time failing to address the impending Government Shutdown. Today these extreme members are abusing the entire house of representatives. The lessons from the last three weeks could not be more clear. When you dont stand up to bullies, they continue to bully you and thats whats happening here. The bullies in the republican conference have won once again at the expense of this institution. And thats why i would ask my colleagues to defend to defeat the previous question. Lets stand up to the bullies in this chamber, lets strip this outrageous provision from the rule, and return this house to regular order. Where every vote matters, and where the vote and when the vote of the majority of the house speaks, it is respected. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore does the gentleman reserve . Mr. Mcgovern yes. The speaker pro tempore thank you. The gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. Thank you very much, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. Mr. Cole i wanted to address two points. One that my friend from massachusetts made about the potential of a Government Shutdown. As my friend knows, because weve spent a lot of time together, particularly recently, im very much opposed to a Government Shutdown. And im pleased we have a vehicle out of the rules committee to address that. Its not up to me to decide when it comes to the floor. But there is one prepared. And hopefully well have an opportunity to vote on it. I remind my friends that during the debt ceiling crisis, they said, oh, my gosh, well never get out of this without defaulting the debt. My gosh, its the end of the world. What did the house do . It passed its bill and had a negotiating position and sat down with the senate and the administration and negotiated a settlement. Some like it, some dont like it. You know, its like anything around here in divided government, its a compromise. But the reality is, we moved and acted before the deadline. We have that ability and i suspect we will do that before the deadline. I also remind my friends, and again, they would degree with this, i think, the United States senate is moving, will present a vehicle, we may be in a negotiating position, they, by the way, never passed anything on the debt ceiling on their own. They waited to have a negotiating position from the house and then finally woke up and sat down with us. Never moved their own vehicle. This is normal legislative process. Thats an important question, but i agree with my friend about the virtue of a shutdown. I think thats actually the sentiment, the overwhelming majority of the house on both sides of the aisle. So weve got something working on that, the senate has something, well see how that plays out over the next few days. In terms of this measure, again, i just im mystified by my friends position. Theyre overwhelmingly in favor of support for ukraine. I share that position. As does the majority of my side of the aisle. Right now, 300 million of that support is embedded in the defense bill that they themselves will oppose unanimously. We may or may not get everybody on our side. The reality is its a very narrow majority, people can have a different opinion, we might or might not be able to pass it. But they support that particular measure almost uniformly. Now when we take it out and say, heres something you support, the majority of us support, why dont we not risk this in a bill that could go your way, why dont we advance this portion of this . That somehow is a problem . I see it as something that ensures this particular issue will almost certainly move through the house. Moreover, i think it ensures a more robust discussion and an education on this important measure. The reality is, its hard for the average american to follow this. We have not had a president ial address laying out the goals, the reason, the strategy for this. I think more discussion about ukraine on the house floor would be helpful, not unhelpful, particularly when i think the majority would very strongly, the chamber, come out in support. So i dont see this in any way as somehow damaging our ability, it sort of clarifies opinions on this issue in a very narrowly clarifies where opinions on this issue in a very narrowly divide house is. Im not going to apologize if this helps us get another couple of votes on a defense bill, move toward a conference with the senate on the appropriations front, thats all to the good. I dont have any problem with that. So if i can remove somebodys moral objection or concern, give them an opportunity to express their opinion, bu when i agree h it or not whether i agree with it or not and recruit additional support, thats good politics and procedure. I want to reemphasize this. If you care about ukraine, you should like this. You should say, gosh, this at least makes sure that training money is going to get there. Gosh, our chances of going there i wont have to vote against a bill that contains a measure i support. That measures going to be taken out. I can support that measure, still oppose the bill if i wanted to. But at least this thing i care about deeply is actually going to be passed. Again, i think thats a prudent way to proceed. I think its the right thing to do for ukraine. And i look forward at that time and that vote to actually voting with my friends on that measure. With that, mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oklahoma reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, i again, i have nothing but great affection for the gentleman from oklahoma. But, you know, again, we have to deal with the reality that were now living in. This is a quote from minority leader mcconnell. He just tweeted it out today. Mcconnell with the message to the House Republicans on how a shutdown would impact the border. And mr. Mcconnell says, shutting down the government is a choice and its a choice that would make the crisis at our southern border even worse. And he says its