July 31, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 136 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
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(By unanimous consent, Mr. HOYER was allowed to speak out of order.); Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 136
(House of Representatives - July 31, 2020)
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[Pages H4198-H4201] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] (By unanimous consent, Mr. HOYER was allowed to speak out of order.) Legislative Program Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, as the Members know and as the country knows, we have failed to reach an agreement on moving ahead on COVID-19 legislation. Therefore, Members are advised that no additional votes are expected in the House this week after we complete the next two votes. Members are further advised, Madam Speaker, that as conversations surrounding additional coronavirus relief legislation continues, it is expected that the House will meet during the month of August. I have told my Members, and I have told the minority leader and whip, that no one should schedule themselves for next week or until such time as we adopt COVID-19 legislation. Members will be given at least 24 hours' notice before the House will be called back into session. We will not start the August district work period until we pass appropriate COVID-19 relief to meet the current health and economic crisis confronting our people and our country. Further information will be provided as soon as it becomes available. And, Madam Speaker, at the end of the day, I will make further observations with reference to where we stand, but Members are advised that this is the schedule. It obviously is designed to ensure that we act as quickly as humanly and legislatively possible to give the relief the country needs. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Kelly of Illinois). The previous question is ordered on the bill, as amended. The question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill, as amended. The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was read the third time. Motion to Recommit Mr. ADERHOLT. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentleman opposed to the bill? Mr. ADERHOLT. Madam Speaker, I am in its current form. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to recommit. The Clerk read as follows: Mr. Aderholt moves to recommit the bill H.R. 7617 to the Committee on Appropriations with instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith with the following amendment: Page 223, line 18, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $15,000,000)''. Page 235, line 8, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $15,000,000)''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Alabama is recognized for 5 minutes in support of his motion. Mr. ADERHOLT. Madam Speaker, my motion this morning moves $15 million from an unauthorized program that provides free legal assistance to illegal immigrants at the southern border to the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program. The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program--or Byrne JAG, as it is commonly known--is a leading source of law enforcement assistance funding to State, local, and Tribal jurisdictions across the United States. Its namesake was Edward Byrne. He was a New York City police officer. He was known by Eddie to his family and his friends. He was outgoing. He was a friendly individual who wanted to make his city a safer place. In 1987, Officer Byrne joined the New York City Police Department. He was well liked by his fellow officers, and he was passionate about his work. However, in the early morning hours of February 26, 1988, Officer Byrne was on detail protecting a witness who had testified against local drug dealers. Officer Byrne was in his patrol car outside the witness' home when armed gunmen crept up to his car and shot him five times in the head. He died of his injuries. The NYPD lost one of its finest that day, and Eddie's family lost a cherished son and a brother. He was only age 22. In honor of Officer Byrne, Congress subsequently created the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program. In 2019 alone, Byrne JAG assisted nearly 1,000 State, local, and Tribal jurisdictions. Many Members of this body know that Byrne JAG provides critical funding, but Byrne JAG does a lot more. The program that memorializes Eddie Byrne also supports indigent defense programs, drug treatment programs, and mental health programs. In our Nation, the fair administration of justice demands that competent and effective public defenders are a part of our system. Our annual Byrne JAG appropriations help to uphold just that. As I noted, the Byrne JAG grants also support drug treatment programs. Research shows that drug treatment is more effective than imprisonment at reducing drug use and related crime. In addition, Byrne JAG supports crisis intervention initiatives. Sadly, the lack of mental health services across the United States often results in police officers serving as the first responders in the case of a mental health crisis. {time} 1045 However, crisis intervention teams that are supported by Byrne JAG reduce arrests of people with mental illness while improving the likelihood that individuals will receive that mental health treatment they need. I think Officer Byrne would be pleased with this. These are just a few of the reasons to support this motion. [[Page H4199]] If you need more, please consider this: Current immigration law affirms an illegal immigrant's right to counsel at no expense to taxpayers. Moreover, under this bill, even illegal immigrants who are ineligible for asylum, such as criminals and those who have had their asylum applications denied, could benefit from taxpayer-funded lawyers. And despite what you may hear from the other side of the aisle, having a lawyer won't automatically improve someone's likelihood of being granted asylum. It doesn't change the facts. Madam Speaker, our immigration laws are clear, and they prohibit taxpayer funds from being used to provide lawyers for those who are here illegally. Furthermore, this annual appropriations bill is no place to debate or overturn immigration law. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this motion. It rejects the calls of any defunding of any police programs, and it increases the support for the many vital and compassionate missions of State and local law enforcement officers who, like Eddie Byrne, are dedicating their lives to bettering their communities across the United States of America. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from California is recognized for 5 minutes. Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the Republican motion to recommit turns a deaf ear to the vast majority of Americans who believe the time is now for police reform. This summer, we have found ourselves in a moment of national anguish over the lives that we have lost to police brutality and the injustice that we see each and every day because of systemic racism. To meet the challenges of this moment and to live up to our highest ideals, we must have the strength and the vision to act boldly. In the hot summers of the 1960s, this House acted on transformative legislation, which outlawed legal discrimination and expanded the right to vote. Today, we are called to take bold, transformative action to fundamentally change law enforcement in America by ending racial profiling, eliminating police brutality, and ensuring accountability and transparency and accuracy in our policing. That is why I was so proud to join my colleagues in passing the bipartisan George Floyd Justice in Policing Act just over a month ago. Unfortunately, that bill languishes in Senator McConnell's legislative graveyard. But we cannot wait for Republicans to heed the voices of the left out and the left behind. If we did, we might be stuck waiting until hell freezes over. That is why House Democrats are using the appropriations process to build safer and stronger communities for every American. That is every American. This bill provides strong Federal support for State and local law enforcement, but it conditions those funds on commonsense reforms such as banning choke holds and curbing racial profiling. Unfortunately, in this MTR, the Republicans who oppose those reforms, they are really turning to their favorite tactic, and that is scapegoating immigrants. Let me be clear. Turning away asylum seekers turns our backs on our Nation's highest ideals. This MTR cuts $15 million in the bill that would help ensure asylum seekers arriving at our borders receive legal assistance. This funding will protect the rights and the dignity of these vulnerable people, and it will help speed up the backlog of claims that has led to squalid conditions that no human being--and I mean no human being--should be forced to endure. This week, we buried our colleague and friend, the Honorable, the Honorable Congressman John Lewis. John often spoke of the vision he shared with Martin Luther King, Jr., of our human family living as a beloved community. And, yes, we have a long way to go to live up to that ideal, but the thoughtful use of Federal funds in this bill brings us closer to that goal. This MTR, mind you, yes, it takes us back, attacking civil rights reforms, which our beloved Congressman John Lewis fought all of his life for. It demeans those who are coming into our Nation in search of a better life. It is outrageous. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on 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. Mr. ADERHOLT. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3 of House Resolution 965, the yeas and nays are ordered. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 197, nays 219, not voting 14, as follows: [Roll No. 177] YEAS--197 Abraham Aderholt Allen Amodei Arrington Babin Bacon Baird Balderson Banks Barr Bergman Biggs Bilirakis Bishop (NC) Bishop (UT) Bost Brady Brindisi Brooks (AL) Brooks (IN) Buchanan Buck Bucshon Budd Burchett Burgess Byrne Calvert Carter (GA) Carter (TX) Chabot Cheney Cline Cloud Cole Collins (GA) Comer Conaway Cook Craig Crawford Crenshaw Cunningham Curtis Davidson (OH) Davis, Rodney DesJarlais Diaz-Balart Duncan Dunn Emmer Estes Ferguson Finkenauer Fitzpatrick Fleischmann Flores Fortenberry Foxx (NC) Fulcher Gaetz Gallagher Garcia (CA) Gianforte Gibbs Golden Gonzalez (OH) Gooden Gosar Gottheimer Graves (GA) Graves (LA) Graves (MO) Green (TN) Griffith Grothman Guest Guthrie Hagedorn Harris Hartzler Hern, Kevin Herrera Beutler Higgins (LA) Hill (AR) Holding Hollingsworth Horn, Kendra S. Hudson Huizenga Hurd (TX) Jacobs Johnson (OH) Johnson (SD) Jordan Joyce (OH) Joyce (PA) Katko Keller Kelly (MS) Kelly (PA) King (IA) King (NY) Kustoff (TN) LaHood LaMalfa Lamb Lamborn Latta Lesko Long Loudermilk Lucas Luetkemeyer Marshall Massie Mast McCarthy McCaul McClintock McKinley Meuser Miller Moolenaar Mooney (WV) Murphy (NC) Newhouse Norman Nunes Olson Palazzo Palmer Pence Perry Peterson Posey Reed Rice (SC) Riggleman Roby Rodgers (WA) Roe, David P. Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rose (NY) Rose, John W. Rouzer Roy Rutherford Scalise Schweikert Scott, Austin Sensenbrenner Shimkus Simpson Slotkin Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smucker Spano Stauber Stefanik Steil Steube Stewart Stivers Taylor Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiffany Tipton Torres Small (NM) Turner Upton Van Drew Wagner Walberg Walden Walker Walorski Waltz Watkins Weber (TX) Webster (FL) Wenstrup Westerman Williams Wilson (SC) Wittman Womack Woodall Wright Yoho Young Zeldin NAYS--219 Adams Aguilar Allred Amash Axne Barragan Bass Beatty Bera Beyer Bishop (GA) Blumenauer Blunt Rochester Bonamici Boyle, Brendan F. Brown (MD) Brownley (CA) Bustos Butterfield Carbajal Cardenas Carson (IN) Cartwright Case Casten (IL) Castor (FL) Castro (TX) Chu, Judy Cicilline Cisneros Clark (MA) Clarke (NY) Clay Cleaver Clyburn Cohen Connolly Cooper Correa Costa Courtney Cox (CA) Crist Crow Cuellar Davids (KS) Davis (CA) Davis, Danny K. Dean DeFazio DeGette DeLauro DelBene Delgado Demings DeSaulnier Deutch Dingell Doggett Doyle, Michael F. Engel Escobar Eshoo Espaillat Evans Fletcher Foster Frankel Fudge Gabbard Gallego Garamendi Garcia (IL) Garcia (TX) Gomez Gonzalez (TX) Green, Al (TX) Grijalva Haaland Harder (CA) Hastings Hayes Heck Higgins (NY) Himes Horsford Houlahan Hoyer Huffman Jackson Lee Jayapal Jeffries Johnson (GA) Johnson (TX) Kaptur Keating Kelly (IL) Kennedy Khanna Kildee Kilmer Kim Kind Kirkpatrick Krishnamoorthi Kuster (NH) Langevin Larsen (WA) Lawrence Lawson (FL) Lee (CA) Lee (NV) Levin (CA) Levin (MI) Lieu, Ted Lipinski Loebsack Lofgren Lowenthal Lowey Lujan [[Page H4200]] Luria Lynch Malinowski Maloney, Carolyn B. Maloney, Sean Matsui McAdams McBath McCollum McEachin McGovern McNerney Meeks Meng Mfume Moore Morelle Moulton Mucarsel-Powell Murphy (FL) Nadler Napolitano Neal Neguse Norcross O'Halleran Ocasio-Cortez Omar Pallone Panetta Pappas Pascrell Payne Perlmutter Peters Phillips Pingree Pocan Porter Pressley Price (NC) Quigley Raskin Rice (NY) Richmond Rouda Roybal-Allard Ruiz Ruppersberger Rush Ryan Sanchez Sarbanes Scanlon Schakowsky Schiff Schneider Schrader Schrier Scott (VA) Scott, David Serrano Sewell (AL) Shalala Sherman Sherrill Sires Smith (WA) Soto Spanberger Speier Stanton Stevens Suozzi Swalwell (CA) Takano Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Titus Tlaib Tonko Torres (CA) Trahan Trone Underwood Vargas Veasey Vela Velazquez Visclosky Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Coleman Welch Wexton Wild Wilson (FL) Yarmuth NOT VOTING--14 Armstrong Gohmert Granger Hice (GA) Johnson (LA) Kinzinger Larson (CT) Marchant McHenry Mitchell Mullin Reschenthaler Rooney (FL) Timmons {time} 1139 Messrs. KIND, RUPPERSBERGER, McADAMS, Mrs. DINGELL, and Ms. BROWNLEY of California changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.'' Messrs. BUCHANAN, THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, and HARRIS changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.'' So the motion to recommit was rejected. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. members recorded pursuant to house resolution 965, 116th congress Clay (Davids (KS)) Cleaver (Davids (KS)) DeSaulnier (Matsui) Frankel (Clark (MA)) Garamendi (Sherman) Grijalva (Garcia (IL)) Hastings (Wasserman Schultz) Horsford (Kildee) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Khanna (Sherman) Kirkpatrick (Gallego) Kuster (NH) (Brownley (CA)) Langevin (Lynch) Lawrence (Beatty) Lawson (FL) (Evans) Lieu, Ted (Beyer) Lipinski (Cooper) Lofgren (Jeffries) Lowenthal (Beyer) McEachin (Wexton) Moore (Beyer) Mucarsel-Powell (Wasserman Schultz) Nadler (Jeffries) Napolitano (Correa) Pascrell (Sires) Payne (Wasserman Schultz) Peters (Rice (NY)) Pingree (Clark (MA)) Pocan (Raskin) Porter (Wexton) Rush (Underwood) Serrano (Jeffries) Speier (Scanlon) Watson Coleman (Pallone) Welch (McGovern) Wilson (FL) (Hayes) The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Butterfield). The question is on the passage of the bill. Pursuant to clause 10 of rule XX, the yeas and nays are ordered. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 217, nays 197, not voting 16, as follows: [Roll No. 178] YEAS--217 Adams Aguilar Allred Axne Barragan Bass Beatty Bera Beyer Bishop (GA) Blumenauer Blunt Rochester Bonamici Boyle, Brendan F. Brown (MD) Brownley (CA) Bustos Butterfield Carbajal Cardenas Carson (IN) Cartwright Case Casten (IL) Castor (FL) Castro (TX) Chu, Judy Cicilline Cisneros Clark (MA) Clarke (NY) Clay Cleaver Clyburn Cohen Connolly Cooper Correa Costa Courtney Cox (CA) Craig Crist Crow Cuellar Cunningham Davids (KS) Davis (CA) Davis, Danny K. Dean DeFazio DeGette DeLauro DelBene Delgado Demings DeSaulnier Deutch Dingell Doggett Doyle, Michael F. Escobar Eshoo Espaillat Evans Finkenauer Fletcher Foster Frankel Fudge Gabbard Gallego Garamendi Garcia (TX) Golden Gomez Gonzalez (TX) Gottheimer Green, Al (TX) Grijalva Haaland Harder (CA) Hastings Hayes Heck Higgins (NY) Himes Horn, Kendra S. Horsford Houlahan Hoyer Huffman Jackson Lee Jeffries Johnson (GA) Johnson (TX) Kaptur Keating Kelly (IL) Kildee Kilmer Kim Kind Kirkpatrick Krishnamoorthi Kuster (NH) Lamb Langevin Larsen (WA) Lawrence Lawson (FL) Lee (CA) Lee (NV) Levin (CA) Levin (MI) Lieu, Ted Lipinski Loebsack Lofgren Lowenthal Lowey Lujan Luria Lynch Malinowski Maloney, Carolyn B. Maloney, Sean Matsui McBath McCollum McEachin McGovern McNerney Meeks Meng Mfume Moore Morelle Moulton Mucarsel-Powell Murphy (FL) Nadler Napolitano Neal Neguse Norcross O'Halleran Pallone Panetta Pappas Pascrell Payne Perlmutter Peters Phillips Pingree Pocan Porter Price (NC) Quigley Raskin Rice (NY) Richmond Rose (NY) Rouda Roybal-Allard Ruiz Ruppersberger Rush Ryan Sanchez Sarbanes Scanlon Schakowsky Schiff Schneider Schrader Schrier Scott (VA) Scott, David Serrano Sewell (AL) Shalala Sherman Sherrill Sires Slotkin Smith (WA) Soto Spanberger Speier Stanton Stevens Suozzi Swalwell (CA) Takano Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Titus Tonko Torres (CA) Trahan Trone Underwood Vargas Veasey Vela Velazquez Visclosky Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Coleman Welch Wexton Wild Wilson (FL) Yarmuth NAYS--197 Abraham Aderholt Allen Amash Amodei Arrington Babin Bacon Baird Balderson Banks Barr Bergman Biggs Bilirakis Bishop (NC) Bishop (UT) Bost Brady Brindisi Brooks (AL) Brooks (IN) Buchanan Buck Bucshon Budd Burchett Burgess Byrne Calvert Carter (GA) Carter (TX) Chabot Cheney Cline Cloud Cole Collins (GA) Comer Conaway Cook Crawford Crenshaw Curtis Davidson (OH) Davis, Rodney DesJarlais Diaz-Balart Duncan Dunn Emmer Estes Ferguson Fitzpatrick Fleischmann Flores Fortenberry Fulcher Gaetz Gallagher Garcia (CA) Garcia (IL) Gianforte Gibbs Gonzalez (OH) Gooden Gosar Graves (GA) Graves (LA) Graves (MO) Green (TN) Griffith Grothman Guest Guthrie Hagedorn Harris Hartzler Hern, Kevin Herrera Beutler Higgins (LA) Hill (AR) Holding Hollingsworth Hudson Huizenga Hurd (TX) Jacobs Jayapal Johnson (OH) Johnson (SD) Jordan Joyce (OH) Joyce (PA) Katko Keller Kelly (MS) Kelly (PA) Kennedy Khanna King (IA) King (NY) Kustoff (TN) LaHood LaMalfa Lamborn Latta Lesko Long Loudermilk Lucas Luetkemeyer Marshall Massie Mast McAdams McCarthy McCaul McClintock McKinley Meuser Miller Moolenaar Mooney (WV) Murphy (NC) Newhouse Norman Nunes Ocasio-Cortez Olson Omar Palazzo Palmer Pence Perry Peterson Posey Pressley Reed Rice (SC) Riggleman Roby Rodgers (WA) Roe, David P. Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rose, John W. Rouzer Roy Rutherford Scalise Schweikert Scott, Austin Sensenbrenner Shimkus Simpson Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smucker Spano Stauber Stefanik Steil Steube Stewart Stivers Taylor Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiffany Tipton Tlaib Torres Small (NM) Turner Upton Van Drew Wagner Walberg Walden Walker Walorski Waltz Watkins Weber (TX) Webster (FL) Wenstrup Westerman Williams Wilson (SC) Wittman Womack Woodall Wright Yoho Young Zeldin NOT VOTING--16 Armstrong Engel Foxx (NC) Gohmert Granger Hice (GA) Johnson (LA) Kinzinger Larson (CT) Marchant McHenry Mitchell Mullin Reschenthaler Rooney (FL) Timmons {time} 1214 Mr. KENNEDY changed his vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.'' Mr. BLUMENAUER changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.'' So the bill was passed. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. PERSONAL EXPLANATION Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, quarantining in accordance with the Attending Physician's guidance after extensive interactions with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 176, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 177, and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 178. members recorded pursuant to house resolution 965, 116th congress Clay (Davids (KS)) Cleaver (Davids (KS)) DeSaulnier (Matsui) Frankel (Clark (MA)) Garamendi (Sherman) Grijalva (Garcia (IL)) Hastings (Wasserman Schultz) Horsford (Kildee) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Khanna (Sherman) Kirkpatrick (Gallego) Kuster (NH) (Brownley (CA)) Langevin (Lynch) Lawrence (Beatty) Lawson (FL) (Evans) Lieu, Ted (Beyer) Lipinski (Cooper) Lofgren (Jeffries) Lowenthal (Beyer) McEachin (Wexton) Moore (Beyer) Mucarsel-Powell (Wasserman Schultz) Nadler (Jeffries) Napolitano (Correa) Pascrell (Sires) Payne (Wasserman Schultz) Peters (Rice (NY)) Pingree (Clark (MA)) Pocan (Raskin) Porter (Wexton) Rush (Underwood) Serrano (Jeffries) Speier (Scanlon) Watson Coleman (Pallone) Welch (McGovern) Wilson (FL) (Hayes) [[Page H4201]] ____________________
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