January 24, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 15 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H1176-H1181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, 
                                  2019

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 61, I 
call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 31) making further continuing 
appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 
2019, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 61, the joint 
resolution is considered read.
  The text of the joint resolution is as follows:

                              H.J. Res. 31

       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled,
       Section 1. The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019 
     (division C of Public Law 115-245) is further amended--
       (1) in section 105--
       (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``or'' at the end;
       (B) in paragraph (3)--
       (i) by inserting ``except as provided in paragraph (4),'' 
     before ``December''; and
       (ii) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; 
     or''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(4) with respect to appropriations and funds made 
     available, and other authorities granted, pursuant to section 
     101(5) of this joint resolution for the Department of 
     Homeland Security, February 28, 2019.''; and
       (2) in section 110, by adding at the end the following:
       ``(c) With respect to mandatory payments whose budget 
     authority was provided in the Department of Homeland Security 
     Appropriations Act, 2018 (division F of Public Law 115-141), 
     subsections (a) and (b) shall be applied by substituting 
     `section 105(4)' for `section 105(3)' each place it 
     appears.''.
       Sec. 2. (a) Amounts appropriated by operation of the 
     amendments made by section 1 for the salaries and expenses of 
     employees shall be available for payment of salaries in 
     accordance with section 1341(c) of title 31, United States 
     Code (as added by the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act 
     of 2019).
       (b) All obligations incurred in anticipation of the 
     appropriations made and authority granted by this joint 
     resolution for the purposes of maintaining the essential 
     level of activity to protect life and property and bringing 
     about orderly termination of Government functions, and for 
     purposes as otherwise authorized by law, are hereby ratified 
     and approved if otherwise in accord with the provisions of 
     this joint resolution, and for purposes of such obligations 
     the time period covered by this joint resolution shall be 
     considered to include the period beginning on or about 
     December 22, 2018, during which there occurred a lapse in 
     appropriations.
       Sec. 3. (a) If a State (or another Federal grantee) used 
     State funds (or the grantee's non-Federal funds) to continue 
     carrying out a Federal program or furloughed State employees 
     (or the grantee's employees) whose compensation is advanced 
     or reimbursed in whole or in part by the Federal Government--
       (1) such furloughed employees shall be compensated at their 
     standard rate of compensation for such period;
       (2) the State (or such other grantee) shall be reimbursed 
     for expenses that would have been paid by the Federal 
     Government during such period had appropriations been 
     available, including the cost of compensating such furloughed 
     employees, together with interest thereon calculated under 
     section 6503(d) of title 31, United States Code; and
       (3) the State (or such other grantee) may use funds 
     available to the State (or the grantee) under such Federal 
     program to reimburse such State (or the grantee), together 
     with interest thereon calculated under section 6503(d) of 
     title 31, United States Code.
       (b) For purposes of this section, the term ``State'' and 
     the term ``grantee'', including United States territories and 
     possessions, shall have the meaning given such terms under 
     the applicable Federal program under subsection (a). In 
     addition, ``to continue carrying out a Federal program'' 
     means the continued performance by a State or other Federal 
     grantee, during the period of a lapse in appropriations, of a 
     Federal program that the State or such other grantee had been 
     carrying out prior to the period of the lapse in 
     appropriations.
       (c) The authority under this section applies with respect 
     to the period of a lapse in appropriations beginning on or 
     about December 22, 2018, and ending on the date of enactment 
     of this joint resolution with respect to

[[Page H1177]]

     the Department of Homeland Security which, but for such lapse 
     in appropriations, would have paid, or made reimbursement 
     relating to, any of the expenses referred to in this section 
     with respect to the program involved. Payments and 
     reimbursements under this authority shall be made only to the 
     extent and in amounts provided in advance in appropriations 
     Acts.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The joint resolution shall be debatable for 
1 hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective 
designees.
  The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard) and the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
insert extraneous material on H.J. Res. 31, currently under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today, we are considering a continuing resolution to 
reopen the Department of Homeland Security after a funding lapse that 
is now 33 days and counting.
  This bill simply extends 2018 funding until February 28, with no new 
funding anomalies.
  The only new provisions in the CR authorize the Department to provide 
backpay to reimburse personnel and State or other Federal grantees, 
consistent with prior precedent following a lapse in appropriations.
  Mr. Speaker, there are only two approaches to take: either we reopen 
the Department and the rest of the Federal Government without 
conditions, or we continue to use Federal workers and everyone who 
depends on them as bargaining chips in funding negotiations. It seems 
to me the choice is straightforward.
  I hope my friends on the other side of the aisle will reconsider the 
necessity of opening up the government and paying Federal employees 
without any preconditions.
  There have been a number of funding lapses over the last few decades, 
all ill-considered, all harmful to our country, our economy, and our 
Federal workforce.
  History has shown that the American people do not approve of using 
the Federal Government and workforce as pawns in a legislative chess 
game. The side that has tried to use the shutdown as leverage in a 
negotiation has routinely failed, and polling shows that this recent 
iteration of the shutdown is no exception.
  I know my friends on the other side of the aisle have criticized the 
consideration of clean CRs on the basis that the Senate will not pass 
them and the President will not sign them.
  Mr. Speaker, to my friends on the other side of the aisle, I would 
say that, in order to change that, reopen the Department of Homeland 
Security by having every member of the minority party support this CR.
  This possibly could help change the thinking of the Senate majority 
when it votes on reopening the entire government later today and 
perhaps even change the thinking of the President.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume. I rise today in very strong opposition to the joint 
resolution.
  Before I do that, Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank our full ranking 
member, Ms. Granger from Texas, my dear friend and colleague, for 
allowing me to chair this important subcommittee and for allowing me to 
manage this time today.
  Mr. Speaker, I also would like to acknowledge my friend and colleague 
from the other side of the aisle, Ms. Roybal-Allard, who I look forward 
to working with over the next 2 years, she in her capacity of chair of 
the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and me in my role as 
ranking member, the highest member of the Republican Party on that 
subcommittee.
  Mr. Speaker, I also see my friend, Mrs. Lowey from New York, the full 
chairman, as well.
  Mr. Speaker, how did we get here? The fiscal year that the government 
operates on started in September. It runs from September to September, 
so it started in the 115th Congress.
  The Appropriations Committee, of which I am very proud and thankful 
to be a member, is a very special committee. For those who are watching 
us now, I would offer, and I have said time and time again, the 
Appropriations Committee is something special.

                              {time}  0915

  I am the only Member on the Appropriations Committee from my great 
State of Tennessee. And I admire every Member in this House and the 
positions and the committees they serve on, but the Appropriations 
Committee is a problem-solving committee. It is a committee that funds 
things, funds the government on the discretionary side, including 
Homeland Security.
  During the course of the debate during this long and arduous 
shutdown--and let me say this: To the men and women who are working all 
across this Nation without pay, thank you. I sympathize with you--not 
empathize, but sympathize. This is wrong.
  About 24 percent of the government is shut down, and that is never a 
good situation for us to be in as a nation; and that is why we must 
come up with a cure that will work, something that will pass the House, 
something that will pass the other Chamber.
  And I add, today, as we debate this bill and as I oppose this bill, 
in the other Chamber, the United States Senate is debating bills. I 
would submit that the solution could and should come from the United 
States House of Representatives, and that solution is plain and simple.
  The American people want and deserve border security. The American 
people want and desire a barrier. Call it a wall. Call it a fence. It 
is something that the American people want. It has been proven, whether 
in San Diego, El Paso, or other jurisdictions, that these walls do 
work.
  But regardless where we stand on that issue, I support the 
President's position. The President has made it very clear that he is 
not going to sign a bill that does not include border security with a 
wall, or an analogous vehicle to a wall.
  So if we keep coming back to the table, even with the best 
intentions, even with the best passions, even with the best hopes to 
help get the government open and running again and protect our 
borders--and I do believe Members on both sides of this aisle and in 
the other Chamber and, of course, in the White House want border 
security, want our country kept safe. The humanitarian crisis is 
outrageous. Women and children are being abused. Drugs are pouring in. 
But above all else, we need to secure our southern borders. We need to 
keep the American people safe.
  The cure lies in a compromise. The cure ought to come from this body 
and if our friends in the majority would see fit to put a sufficient 
number on the table as part of a compromise.
  Think of the boldness and courage of our President who stood up and 
basically said: I will come up with a cure for DACA, a solution on 
DACA.
  That is courage. That is leadership. That is boldness. And I think 
that is what the American people deserve.
  Let us, today, make a resolve that this great House, this great 
people's House, which I believe is closest to the people--we are 
elected every 2 years.
  Think about it. The fiscal year, Mr. Speaker, is going to end in 
September. We are going to be back replaying this same argument again, 
this same debate again in just a few weeks. Come up with a solution 
that we can all work with. That means a wall. That means other areas of 
border security. That means full funding of the government.
  Again, I close by saying to all of those who are working without pay, 
whether it is in our great Coast Guard, the TSA, the contractors who 
are hurting, I will continue to work hard to come to a compromise with 
my party, with my colleagues, to come to a conclusion to this national 
nightmare.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
  I would just like to point out to the minority that there are 
billions of dollars in border security in this continuing resolution, 
and I agree that we

[[Page H1178]]

need to open up the government. And while the President refuses to do 
so, our homeland is, every day, getting more vulnerable to our lack of 
security. I hope that the President recognizes that and that he opens 
up the government so that then we can have a real discussion on border 
security.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. 
Lowey), the chairwoman of the full Appropriations Committee.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, the Trump shutdown is now in its 34th day.
  Yesterday, the House passed six bills to reopen most of the 
government, and with this bill today, we can reopen the entire 
government while providing time to negotiate a full-year bill for the 
Department of Homeland Security.
  This continuing resolution would ensure that the Department of 
Homeland Security is open, and its public servants, including Secret 
Service agents, Transportation Security officers, Border Patrol, 
Customs officers, and the brave men and women of the Coast Guard are 
paid for their work.
  According to The New York Times, as many as 1 of every 10 
Transportation Security officers are not coming to work. Frankly, they 
simply can't afford to. As a result, some of our busiest airports are 
deploying backup and reserve workers. Other airports have closed 
checkpoints and entire terminals. Notwithstanding the long lines for 
travelers, this reduction in staffing puts our Transportation Security 
workforce on the brink and could risk national security.
  Additionally, 41,000--41,000--Active-Duty servicemembers and 2,100 
civilians in the Coast Guard are working without pay.
  No one should have to face the uncertainty of not knowing when they 
will get paid, especially the men and women of our Armed Forces.
  Each week of the Trump shutdown costs the United States economy $1.2 
billion. Instead of continuing down this wasteful road, I urge my 
friends on the other side of the aisle, reopen the government, pay our 
Federal workers, and then we can work together in a bipartisan way to 
determine the most effective border security. But we must open the 
government.

  Make no mistake--I want to make it very clear--Democrats support 
smart investments in our homeland security, including increased 
infrastructure investments at our ports of entry, advanced technology 
to scan for contraband, new technology for detecting unauthorized 
crossings. We can work together to meet these needs--there is no 
question in my mind--because we have worked together in a bipartisan 
way for many years. If we sit down together, we can work out answers to 
these questions that could be supported by both sides of the aisle.
  But, frankly, Mr. Speaker, until the government is open, the 
President's actions are hurting hardworking families and putting our 
security and economy at risk.
  We are appropriators. We know how to work together in a bipartisan 
way. Frankly, it is not that difficult. The facts are there. We have 
all gotten many, many briefings on the best way to secure our borders.
  And, by the way, drugs have been mentioned. The facts are that 90 
percent of the drugs are coming through at the ports of entry.
  We can work this out. But to keep the government closed and to see 
thousands of people suffering, not being able to support their 
families, is just unconscionable.
  So let's open the government. Let's sit down. Let's get to work. 
Let's resolve this now.
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield as much time as 
she may wish to consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), 
the ranking member on the full Appropriations Committee.
  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.J. Res. 31.
  Mr. Speaker, we have a true humanitarian and security crisis on our 
southern border. In the month of December alone, Border Patrol agents 
apprehended more than 50,000 individuals on our southern border. Of 
those, a record-breaking 27,518 were family units; nearly 5,000 of them 
were unaccompanied children.
  Due in part to the treacherous journey, Border Patrol refers 
approximately 50 individuals a day for medical treatment. In 1 week 
alone, at the end of December, they referred 451 people to medical 
providers for treatment; of those, 259 were children. Seven out of ten 
people are victims of violence on their journey to the southern border; 
31 percent of women are sexually assaulted.
  There has been a significant increase in drugs like methamphetamine, 
heroin, and fentanyl coming across the border. Unfortunately, this is a 
crisis partly of our own making. For years, Members on both sides of 
the aisle have warned against the growing threats posed by our failure 
to enforce and reform our Nation's immigration laws. Just this week, 
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said:

       We want border security. We want to make sure that people 
     who come into the United States of America are authorized to 
     do so, and we know they come in. We don't want contraband. We 
     don't want drugs coming in. We don't want dangerous people 
     coming into the country. So we are for border security.

  Given this, we would think that they would be jumping at the chance 
to vote for a bill that includes:
  Provisional status for 3 years for 700,000 current DACA recipients, 
giving them access to work permits, Social Security numbers, and 
protection from deportation;
  Provisional status for 3 years for 300,000 immigrants whose current 
temporary protected status is set to expire;
  $805 million for technology, canines, and personnel to help stop the 
flow of illegal drugs, weapons, and other contraband;
  $800 million in humanitarian assistance, medical support, and new 
temporary housing;
  $782 million to hire an additional 2,750 border agents, law 
enforcement, and staff;
  $563 million to support our immigration court system, including 
hiring 75 new immigration judge teams to reduce the immigration court 
backlog of 800,000 cases.
  All of this was included in the reasonable compromise that President 
Trump put forward over the weekend, but that is not the bill we have 
before us. Not only did House Democrats reject this plan before they 
even heard the details, the bill they put on the floor today provides 
not one single reform for our broken immigration system. All this bill 
does is extend the status quo.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been to the border more times than I can count. I 
have talked to these families who are risking their lives and the lives 
of their children to come here. I have heard the stories of Americans 
whose family members' lives were cut short due to drugs and bad actors, 
who seek to exploit our immigration system.

                              {time}  0930

  We owe it to all of these families to do something about this crisis, 
and I call on my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to end the 
political games. It is past time for them to come to the negotiating 
table and work to resolve this crisis in a reasonable, meaningful way, 
and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this measure.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds.
  Mr. Speaker, for whatever reason, there seems to be reluctance on the 
part of the minority to accept the facts. And the reality is, while 
there has been an increase in drugs crossing at the border, the vast 
majority of drug interdictions have occurred at the ports of entry, not 
between the ports of entry.
  In fiscal year 2018, only 3 percent of all heroin was interdicted 
between the ports, and 5.8 percent of the meth was interdicted between 
the ports.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself an additional 30 
seconds.
  The remainder of the interdictions were at the ports of entry along 
with a small amount at CBP checkpoints north of the ports of entry.
  So this idea that somehow we need to have this wall between the ports 
of entry because of the fact that drugs are coming through that area at 
large numbers and contributing to the drug problems that we have here, 
is absolutely false.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Cuellar).
  Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairwoman Roybal-Allard 
for her leadership on the Homeland Security Subcommittee, and for her 
ideas

[[Page H1179]]

on how we secure the border. I also want to thank the ranking member, 
my friend from Tennessee; the full committee ranking woman, Kay 
Granger, for the work that she has done; and our leader, Mrs. Lowey, 
the chairwoman of the full committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this joint resolution to reopen the 
government and the Department of Homeland Security. As we have said all 
along, we must first open up the government, and we can negotiate. We 
have always done that. We have always kept the government open and then 
we negotiate. We are doing this so the Federal employees do not suffer.
  It has been 34 days since the government shutdown, far surpassing any 
other previous record. That means that it has been 34 days that 800,000 
Federal employees have not received pay.
  I live at the border. I don't just go and visit the border. I drink 
the water. I breathe the air. I talk to Border Patrol agents almost 
every day. I have talked to CBP officers every day. I talk to TSA 
officers. I talk to other folks, and they are doing absolutely critical 
work to keep us safe, but not receiving a salary.
  Open up the government. Imagine trying to patrol the border or keep 
airline passengers safe without receiving a single dime for the last 34 
days. You might be concerned about not being able to pay your mortgage, 
your car payment, food, and medicine. Your kids are going to school. 
That is what is going through the heads of those Federal employees at 
the border. I have talked to them, and we need to make sure that we 
open up the government.
  The American public is ready for President Trump to put an end to 
this crippling shutdown. Let's keep the facts in mind. The President 
continues to reject any sort of compromise. We are ready. We are 
appropriators. We can sit down and work this out. I know we can. We 
have done it in the past.
  What I want to make sure is that we don't hold the Federal employees 
hostage for a 14th century solution to a 21st century problem that we 
are looking at.
  In Texas, we have natural barriers. Look at this, in west Texas, you 
have got probably over 100 feet of barriers up there. These are the 
natural barriers. Tell me how somebody is going to cross this natural 
barrier that we have.
  If you look at the southern part of Texas, you have a river. Private 
property rights are important. Tell me how you are going to cross over 
this river. Are you going to put a wall here and cut off people from 
their property that they have owned for so long? How are you going to 
do this?
  All I need is a $100 ladder to cross that particular area, or you can 
dig under with a tunnel.
  Listen to the latest drug case in New York. What are the bad guys 
saying there? They can either go under through a tunnel, or they can 
use a catapult. They can use a ladder. They can use other things.
  We want to make sure that we secure the border. I live on the border. 
I want to make sure we secure the border, but let's do it the right 
way. Now, if you want to stop people from coming in, remember, 67 
percent of the people who are here illegally, how do they come here? 
Through a legal visa.
  So even if you put up a wall, they are going to fly over, they are 
going to drive to a bridge, or they are going to go ahead and come 
through on a ship. Keep in mind, most of those visa overstays, do you 
know where they are from? Canada.
  Now, I am not asking you to look at the northern border to put up a 
wall, but I am saying Canadians. Look at the facts. So if you want to 
stop drugs, just like the chairwoman said, DEA, CPB, the National Drug 
Threat Assessment, they will tell you that most drugs come through 
ports of entry, either in car compartments, in trunks, in trains, or 
other ways.
  So even if you put up a wall, they are going to go in. What we do is, 
we have got to make sure that we put canines at our bridges, make sure 
we have enough CBP officers, and make sure we have X-ray machines.
  Look at Laredo, my hometown. We get 15,000 trailers a day. We need to 
put technology there. We need to put canines there. We need to put in 
CBP officers to make sure that we work on securing our border.
  Everybody talks about a crisis. In 2001, we had about 1.6 million 
individuals that Border Patrol stopped. Now it is 398,000. Look at what 
happened. The numbers have gone down.
  And if you want to talk about safety, our security, I will tell you 
that my hometown of Laredo is about three or four times safer than we 
are here in Washington, D.C.; murder rates, assaults, rapes, name all 
of the violent crimes, it is safer there.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to 
the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, the most dangerous thing that I do is leave 
the border to come to Washington, D.C. I am not talking about the 
politics. I am talking about, it is more violent here.
  So what should we do? Let's open up the government. Let's sit down, 
advocate for 21st century solutions, technology, increase personnel. We 
are losing more Border Patrol. What do we do? What does the 
administration do? They put a $297 million contract out to show them 
how to hire Border Patrol. They just put out a $14.8 million payment to 
hire two--two--two Border Patrol agents for almost $15 million.
  Increase personnel, increase the infrastructure at our ports of 
entry, and increase immigration judges. We have been increasing 
immigration judges for the last 3 years. This is nothing new. We have 
been doing that.
  Again, one of the most important things, do we play defense on the 1-
yard line, where we spend $18 billion at the U.S. border? Or do we play 
defense on the 20-yard line, which is working with the southern part of 
Mexico, where we put $80 million a couple of years ago? And what 
happened? They started stopping 220,000 individuals a year, a lot of 
people who are coming in, and putting money in Central America, which 
we have done before, to do that.
  So, again, given the facts, I just call upon our friends: open up the 
government; let's negotiate. We are appropriators. I feel very 
confident if we open up the government and we sit down, we will find a 
solution.
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Aderholt).
  Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to speak in opposition to the 
majority's temporary funding bill for the Department of Homeland 
Security. However, our crisis that we are at at this point and at our 
border is not temporary, and it continues to grow during this 
government shutdown.
  I am not sure why my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will 
expect a different outcome today when the real solution, as we all 
know, starts when everyone sits around the negotiating table.
  The people elected the President and they elected each of us. They 
elected each of us to do our job, and this is a serious job. 
Legislating is governing; not putting bills on the floor of the House 
that we know the President will veto. He has continued to say that he 
will veto this legislation, and we know what the outcome will be.
  I think all of the political points have been made here this morning, 
and I believe that it is time that we put partisanship aside to try to 
work together to try to find a solution.
  Instead of using the words ``coming together to compromise,'' I think 
we should use better words to say, ``We need to find common ground.''
  Just saying ``no'' to the physical infrastructure is not really a 
negotiating position. This House yesterday had the opportunity to vote 
to pay Federal workers who have missed their paychecks, and it is 
disappointing that together, as a Congress, we couldn't come together 
for the needs of these public servants.
  We must put this political gamesmanship aside and seek to work 
together to find some common ground. I think that is where the solution 
lies.
  The solution is really simple. One side does not win at the expense 
of the other. Instead, what we need to do is find a way where each side 
cannot put our individual parties' interest before the needs of the 
country and the people who serve this country.
  So this morning as we debate this legislation and continue to have 
this legislation before us, I would urge my colleagues on both sides of 
the aisle--

[[Page H1180]]

and let me say that, both sides of the aisle, Democrats and 
Republicans--to reject the proposal so that we can get back to some 
serious business of being a legislative body.
  Let's show the American people that we deserve the trust that they 
placed in us when they sent us to serve in this House of 
Representatives.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California 
for her years of service, appointed service, recognized service, for we 
have gone to the southern border many times.
  I am a resident of the southern border. I am committed to the people 
of the southern border, as I am to the people of the United States, and 
most importantly, to the heroic workers who work for the Federal 
Government.
  First, let me say that any regular order of business of this House 
should be the opening of the government and paying the workers now.
  I have been alongside of every aspect of the southern border, every 
State, including California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. I have 
been to every part of the southern border. I have seen the terrain. I 
have gone up to the Rio Grande and on the Rio Grande several times. I 
have seen it at its fullest and I have seen it at its most narrow.
  I have seen tunnels. I have seen the San Diego wall, if you will. I 
have seen the steel fencing. I have spoken to Border Patrol agents 
alongside of the border.
  The tragedy of young Felipe, who passed away; I went to the part 
where he walked up with his father and they presented themselves to the 
Border Patrol.
  My colleagues, including the gentle chairwoman, have likewise, walked 
with me or been to the border many times. They have solutions. So 
regular order now seems to be a straw man. We are placing on the floor 
of the House a bill that will open the government until February 28, 
but it will fund the Department of Homeland Security. May I say those 
words again? Homeland Security.
  We are sitting here today, and we are not considering that our 
Homeland Security Department, one of the largest--I believe second to 
Department of Defense, rightly so, because it is homeland security--
which I have had the privilege of serving since the heinous terrorist 
act of 9/11. I have never given up this committee because it is close 
to my heart. It means the protection of the American people day by day 
that they look to now. Post-9/11, we have a Homeland Security 
Department.

                              {time}  0945

  All of the leaders of that department whom I have worked with, most 
recently Secretary Kelly, formerly the chief of staff of this White 
House, and Jeh Johnson, have said in a letter: Open the government.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Texas an 
additional 2 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, you will begin to see the unraveling. 
It is unraveling.
  TSA officers make $28,000. Every one of you are going to see them 
going out and coming back in. You are counting on air traffic 
controllers to keep the planes aloft. You are counting on pilots and 
flight attendants to be there pursuant to the aviation system.
  I have been hearing pilots and airlines talking about putting pilots 
on layoff, if you will, because they are frightened about the planes, 
and they may have to shut down some of the routes.
  This is a ripple effect. The Smithsonian system is crumbling, $4 
million. They cannot afford one more day.
  But I want to get back to our TSOs and all of those line officers, 
the DEAs, the ATFs, the FBIs under the DOJ are not funded even though 
essential and working. So why not take this bill that covers Secret 
Service?
  I hope the President's acquiescence and calm tweet announcement 
acknowledging that there cannot be a State of the Union when the 
government is in collapse and there is no state of a Union and that we 
will not have one, sadly, because we do work together, I am saying to 
my good friends: Pass the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I say to my good friends on this side of the aisle, 
Republicans: You are going to vote ``no'' on a homeland security bill 
on the pretense of regular business, the lives of TSOs. One young TSO 
had to send her newborn baby to her mother because she could not afford 
to take care of that child. They don't have gas money. They are not 
allowed to take enormous gifts.
  Every time I travel, there they are, the frontline people of this 
government in the system that is most attractive to terrorists: 
airplanes. They have never moved away from that.
  So I am asking my colleagues to realize the importance of this bill 
that will fund reopening the government, the Department of Homeland 
Security, allowing these employees to be paid and begin us on the 
process of opening government and paying our workers.
  God help us.
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Members on both sides of the aisle can clearly show that today has 
been a day of speeches, of passion, and of good faith beliefs on both 
sides of the aisle. I want the American people to know that the people 
making these arguments on both sides of the aisle have bona fide ideas 
about how to get the government open, how to keep us safe, and how to 
move forward from this very difficult position.
  I was an attorney for 24 years in my prior profession, and in my 
closing arguments, oftentimes I would point to the facts that were most 
beneficial to my case and to my client. But there was a vehicle that 
came up while I was practicing; it was called mediation. Mediation was 
a way that the parties could come to the table and all get something 
and all give something in return.
  We have heard the same broken cure come from the majority since they 
became the majority. That cure--albeit in their view, their version of 
how to move forward--will not work. The practical constraints will 
require an agreement that the House, the Senate, and the White House 
all can agree on. That is the practical reality.
  We agree that the hardworking men and women of the Coast Guard, TSA, 
and contractors are suffering, and we have got to stop that suffering. 
But when we know that the vote today--which I will oppose with my vote 
on behalf of my constituents. When we know that that will not work, 
then we have got to come back to the table with something that will 
work.
  To continue to press for something that will not reopen the 
government and will not get our task done--and, again, I stress the 
fact that we are going to end this fiscal year in September of this 
year. In a few short weeks, when we move past this crisis, we are going 
to, in our respective subcommittees--and there are 12 on the great 
Appropriations Committee, including this great Subcommittee on Homeland 
Security. Ms. Roybal-Allard and I will be debating this again.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank her for her hard work in these difficult times. 
This is fraying on me, this is fraying on our friends in the majority, 
and this is fraying on our staffs and the American people. But the 
solution is clear: Give us--give the American people--funds for a 
border wall as part of an overall compromise to get border security, to 
get the government open, and, yes, to look at other ways to keep our 
southern border and the American people safe.
  So my ``no'' vote today is not a ``no'' vote just to say no. My 
``no'' vote today is a statement to say to our friends in the majority, 
as well-intentioned as they may be--and I can stress to my colleagues 
that we on the minority side are well intentioned. It is not about good 
faith or bad faith; it is about bona fide differences.
  The American people elect us to lead. Our great Republic is not an 
easy way to govern, but, Mr. Speaker, I would submit it is the best way 
to govern. I know that it is hard right now for some people not getting 
a paycheck to understand, but in our great Republic, it takes two 
Houses of Congress. It takes an executive, the President, and, yes, it 
takes the Supreme Court as well.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I will close in opposition. I will close with the 
best intentions, and I just implore and I plead

[[Page H1181]]

with my friends in the majority: Put something on the table that will 
fund border security, that will give us a wall, that will give us a 
barrier where it works, and we will open the government and keep the 
American people safe.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just first say that it is very disappointing to 
hear from the minority that the first priority is not to stop the 
suffering of our Federal workers by opening up the government.
  It is also unfortunate that the President has created such ill will 
around border security, and border barriers in particular. He has truly 
poisoned the well on this issue and made it much more difficult for 
Congress to find common ground. As a result, our Federal workers are 
suffering, and our homeland is becoming less safe.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to end the shutdown. This morning, we can 
begin the process by voting to reopen the Department of Homeland 
Security, and then we can continue to fulfill our responsibility by 
finishing our work on the full-year 2019 funding bill for the 
Department so that those who protect our homeland can be paid as they 
continue their critical mission of protecting our homeland.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 61, the previous question is ordered on 
the joint resolution.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the joint 
resolution.
  The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed and read a third 
time, and was read the third time.


                           Motion to Recommit

  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentlewoman opposed to the joint 
resolution?
  Ms. GRANGER. I am, in its current form.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to 
recommit.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Ms. Granger moves to recommit the joint resolution H.J. 
     Res. 31 to the Committee on Appropriations with instructions 
     to report the same back to the House forthwith with the 
     following amendment:
       Page 2, beginning on line 10, strike ``February 28, 2019'' 
     and insert ``January 24, 2019''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Texas is recognized for 5 minutes in support of her motion.
  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, my motion amends the date of the continuing 
resolution to January 24. My motion will ensure that Homeland Security 
employees will get the pay they deserve, consistent with the Government 
Employee Fair Treatment Act that was enacted last week.
  Last week and yesterday, I offered motions very similar to this one 
to immediately pay the hardworking Federal employees affected by this 
shutdown. Many of these people are on the front lines protecting our 
Nation. They shouldn't suffer because of this unnecessary shutdown, and 
they don't have to any longer if Members would support this motion.
  Last week, six Democrats voted for my motion, and yesterday, 10 did. 
Today, I call on all members of the majority party to agree with me 
that we should provide Homeland Security employees the backpay they 
deserve and join me in voting for this measure.
  These employees have bills to pay and families to support. This 
motion will ensure that they are able to do that immediately while we 
continue working toward a permanent solution that will reopen the 
government. The homeland security staff protecting the Nation should 
not be harmed because some of my colleagues refuse to negotiate.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the motion, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to 
recommit.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from California is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Let's be clear about what this motion would do:
  It would continue the shutdown of the Department of Homeland 
Security, which means that workers would not be in the office tomorrow 
to be able to process the checks;
  It would continue the shutdown of the Transportation Security 
Administration;
  It would continue to make the brave men and women of the Coast Guard 
and Secret Service work without any certainty about their next 
paycheck.
  A vote for this motion is a vote to continue the Trump shutdown and a 
vote against our Nation's security.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the strongest possible terms to 
oppose the motion to recommit, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is 
ordered on the motion to recommit.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the noes appeared to have it.
  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

                          ____________________