September 19, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 151 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4378, CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020, AND HEALTH EXTENDERS ACT OF 2019; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 151
(House of Representatives - September 19, 2019)
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[Pages H7783-H7785] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4378, CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020, AND HEALTH EXTENDERS ACT OF 2019 Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 564 and ask for its immediate consideration. The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: H. Res. 564 Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 4378) making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2020, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations; and (2) one motion to recommit. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized for 1 hour. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Massachusetts? There was no objection. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, today the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 564, providing for the consideration of H.R. 4378 under a closed rule. One hour of general debate has been provided, controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. Mr. Speaker, before I begin my formal remarks, let me just take this moment also to recognize the leadership of the ranking member on the Rules Committee, Mr. Cole. He is not only a friend, but he is a fair and evenhanded appropriator that can work with both sides. I know if the gentleman could control this entire process, we would not be having continuing resolutions; we would be actually voting for funding for the entire year. As my colleagues know, funding for the Federal Government runs out on September 30, and that is less than 2 weeks from now. I had hoped that we would have finished all of our work by now. Certainly, the House has done its lion's share of work, but instead of prioritizing that, President Trump has been obsessed with drawing on weather maps and Twitter fights and cozying up to dictators. {time} 1230 And the Republican Senate is completely dysfunctional. It seems like we have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than seeing them pass a bill. The House has passed bills that fund 96 percent of the government. Again, 96 percent of the government is funded by the actions in this House. But the Republican Senate has passed zero. Nothing. What are they doing over there, Mr. Speaker? The Senate is just starting to get its act together, but where have they been all summer? This House is the only adult in the room. That is why we are acting today to keep the lights on. This continuing resolution will keep the government funded through November 21. It is bipartisan and it is drafted as cleanly as possible to encourage the Republicans in the Senate and the White House to finally negotiate on a long-term deal. I know my Republican colleagues on the other side of the Capitol are afraid to stand up to the President. They have stood by as President Trump ransacked funding for military construction projects in their States and diverted it, instead, to pay for his ineffective border wall, a border wall that I am now being told you can fry an egg on. The President is hurting our brave servicemen and -women, their families, and their communities, but still Senate Republicans do nothing. They won't be able to shirk their responsibilities here because any compromise will require bicameral support and the President's signature. Someone over there is going to have to deliver some bad news to Donald Trump: that he is going to have to log off Twitter and actually govern. It may not make for good television but keeping the government open for business is the most basic responsibility that we have. Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, when we finally do go to conference, this majority is going to defend our values. That means fully funding a fair and accurate census, securing our elections from foreign interference, and supporting Federal research into our Nation's gun violence epidemic, all while working to fund education, healthcare, and infrastructure. This is what responsible governing looks like. I know that may be a radical concept for some of my friends on the other side, who enabled this President to launch the longest shutdown in American history, but we don't believe in shutting down the government. The last Trump shutdown cost us $3 billion in economic activity that can never be recovered. That is according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. We cannot afford a repeat at a time when Moody's has found the President's disastrous trade war is already resulting in 300,000 fewer jobs created. That is a figure that could increase to 450,000 fewer jobs by the end of the year if he continues these policies. It is tough to know what will happen because it seems like the President can't make up his own mind. You would have better luck at a casino than betting what President Trump will do next. That is not master negotiation, that is madness. Our farmers are hurting. I am glad that this bill lessens the impacts they are facing as a result of the President's trade war. These families need our help, and I stand with them. [[Page H7784]] Someone has to lead here to keep our government funded, and we are. No gamesmanship, just the cleanest possible plan to keep the lights on for another month. So I encourage all my colleagues: let's say enough to this uncertainty. Enough with the shutdowns and enough with the President's inaction. Let's pass this short-term CR and finally make bipartisan, bicameral negotiations on a long-term deal a reality. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts, the chairman of the Rules Committee, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for his kind words, and I mean that with all sincerity. We, obviously, have different opinions, we represent different parties, but we do work together well. I appreciate the manner in which my friend runs his committee and discharges his responsibility on that committee and to this entire House. We are here today, Mr. Speaker, on a bill that represents one of the most fundamental roles of the United States Congress. That is to fund the government to keep it open. Today's bill is a bipartisan continuing resolution ensuring that critical government funding will remain in place through November 21. The extension of funding is necessary to ensure that the House and the Senate have the time to reach a deal for full year appropriations for fiscal year 2020. Mr. Speaker, I call this bill a continuing resolution, but I think the other word I used is much more important. That word is bipartisan. That is what this bill truly is: a bipartisan compromise between the two parties. It is amazing what we can get done when we agree to work together and move towards a common goal. In putting forward this bill, that is exactly what we have done. H.R. 4378 is a bipartisan compromise that ensures that we will keep the government open and operating through November 21. The American people deserve no less. H.R. 4378 not only funds the government and keeps it open, but it also provides critical authorization extensions for some important government programs. Without passing this bill, crucial programs impacting millions of Americans in every district of the country would expire. These include programs like community health centers, the Commodity Credit Corporation, the National Flood Insurance Program, the Special Diabetes Program, and the Special Diabetes Program for Native Americans. Every one of these programs is one of great importance to my district, but the same could be said of every other Member of the House. All of us have constituents who use these and other important programs every day. All of us have constituents whose lives are changed for the better because these programs are there. And if they were to expire and stop working, all of us--every last Member--would, rightly, hear about it from our constituents the following day. The bill before us today is not a perfect bill, but that is the nature of a compromise. When the two parties agree to work together, both sides have to give up some things for the greater good. That is the nature of compromise and the nature of what we can do when we agree to set aside partisanship for the good of all those we are privileged to represent. Mr. Speaker, while I cannot support the rule, I do support the underlying measure. I think it represents a real bipartisan achievement that every Member of the Chamber, Republican and Democrat alike, can and should support. Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition to the rule, but urge support for the underlying legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I don't have any other speakers on this side of the aisle, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to immediately bring up H.R. 4261, a bill to prohibit taxpayer funding in support of campaigns for the offices of Senators or Representatives. Earlier this Congress, my Democratic friends passed H.R. 1, which included a public funding scheme for congressional elections that would transfer hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to congressional candidates, most particularly to incumbents. That bill included an astonishing 6-1 match for campaign contributions under $200. For every dollar a congressional candidate raised, taxpayers would kick in an additional $6 if that contribution was less than $200. If the goal is to fix the campaign finance system and level the playing field, throwing even more money into the system--especially taxpayer dollars-- makes zero sense. As an appropriator, I find it hard to think of a worse use of taxpayer dollars than creating a government-funding campaign ATM. At a time when we could be funding the National Institutes of Health to help find a cure for cancer, or fund needed infrastructure projects across the country, or bring broadband internet to rural areas, Democrats in the House of Representatives have, instead, made clear that they want to spend taxpayer dollars on themselves. Congress should take immediate steps to ensure that taxpayer dollars are never spent on congressional campaigns, and H.R. 4261 would accomplish that goal. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Oklahoma? There was no objection. Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, in closing, while I certainly oppose the rule, I want to urge support for the underlying measure. H.R. 4378 is a bipartisan continuing resolution that will fund the government and keep it open for the American people while we complete our work on appropriations for fiscal year 2020. It will also provide extensions for critical programs impacting constituents in every district in the Nation. I want to associate myself with my friend's remarks. While I haven't voted for very many of the appropriations bills--I don't think I voted for any of them that this Chamber has passed because I have some strong disagreements--the House has largely done its work. We have largely completed the appropriations process here. I am glad our friends in the Senate--and they had a reason to do this--they waited until we had a bipartisan deal with the administration in both chambers on the top-line spending level. But I agree with my friend that it is time to get to work. It is time for these bills in the Senate to start moving and get passed. Then we can sit down, have the appropriate negotiation between the two chambers, hopefully arrive at a bipartisan agreement, and present the legislation to the administration that, hopefully, the President will be willing to sign. Again, I think buying the time we need here, without inconveniencing the American people, is a wise thing to do. I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support that and vote no on the previous question, no on the rule, but yes on the underlying legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the previous question and, obviously, yes on the rule. Let me just say that we need to do something about campaign finance. I think our current system is corrupt. I think people wonder why this institution has enacted tax bills that favor billionaires and millionaires at the expense of the middle class. Well, I think you can tie that to the money. When people want to know why we can't get the United States Senate to take up sensible gun control legislation, like universal background checks, I tell them to follow the money. I think we need to even the playing field so that middle class families, and those struggling to get into the middle class, are heard on this Hill as much as corporations and special interests have been over the past several years. H.R. 1, which we passed in this House, I think is a step in the direction [[Page H7785]] toward giving government back to the people and taking it away from big corporations, ending the practice of tax bills that just favor the very well-off and the well-connected, so I disagree with the gentleman's amendment. But let me say this in conclusion. As my good friend, Mr. Cole, pointed out, this is a bipartisan compromise continuing resolution. I thank Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger, as well as my colleague from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) who I know worked so hard on the Appropriations Committee, for getting us to this point. I wish we did not have to do continuing resolutions. In the future that would depend on whether our colleagues in the United States Senate want to get their act together and deliberate and legislate in a timely fashion. We need to pass this because our farmers are hurting. Our retailers, our small businesses, and our local manufacturers are hurting. Virtually, anyone who sets foot into a store is forced to pay more for products today than before he took office because President Trump's tariffs are causing the typical U.S. household $1,000 a year. That is $1,000, Mr. Speaker. None of us can control the President's haphazard so-called negotiation with China, but we can control whether Congress acts to lift the threat of another shutdown. The Senate may be in disarray and the President may be focused on his latest Twitter feud or talking about how many mountain climbers couldn't climb over his new wall, or whether you can fry an egg on it, but this majority is focused on the American people. We are doing our job to prevent a shutdown to provide necessary funding that benefits all people in this country and buying some time so that we can work out a long-term deal. So I urge all my colleagues to join with us today. Let's encourage the Senate Republicans and the President to finally do the jobs they were elected to do and keep this government funded. We are doing our job, and in here, today, we will bring a bipartisan product to this floor--this bipartisan continuing resolution--that deserves a strong vote on both sides of the aisle. The text of the material previously referred to by Mr. Cole is as follows: Amendment to House Resolution 564 At the end of the resolution, add the following: Sec. 2. That immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the House shall resolve into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4261) to prohibit the use of federal funds for payments in support of campaigns for election for the offices of Senator or Representative of Congress. The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on House Administration. After general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived. When the committee rises and reports the bill back to the House with a recommendation that the bill do pass, the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions. If the Committee of the Whole rises and reports that it has come to no resolution on the bill, then on the next legislative day the House shall, immediately after the third daily order of business under clause 1 of rule XIV, resolve into the Committee of the Whole for further consideration of the bill. Sec. 3. Clause l(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the consideration of H.R. 4261. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous question. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it. Mr. COLE. 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. ____________________
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