Providing for Consideration of H. Con. Res. 79, Directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives to Make Corrections in the Enrollment of H.R. 719, and Providing for Consideration of the Senate Amendment to the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 719, TSA Office of Inspection Accountability Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, earlier today the Committee on Rules met and reported a rule for consideration for both H. Con. Res. 79, directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make corrections in the enrollment of H.R. 719, and H.R. 719, the Continuing Appropriations Act 2016.

The rule provides for consideration of H. Con. Res. 79 under a closed rule with 20 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled by the majority leader and his designee and the minority leader or her designee. In addition, the rule makes in order a motion offered by the chair of the Committee on Appropriations that the House concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 719, with 60 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and the ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, first, this resolution allows for consideration of H. Con. Res. 79, which directs the Clerk of the House to include the text of the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 in the enrollment of H.R. 719. This would allow the House to again state its position in opposition to the funding of Planned Parenthood as it has already done by passage of both H.R. 3495 and H.R. 3134. In addition, Mr. Speaker, the rule provides for consideration of the short-term continuing resolution.

As a member of the Committee on Appropriations, I am always disappointed when we are forced to consider continuing resolutions, especially given the work this House has done in the appropriations process this year.

For the first time since 2009, the House Appropriations Committee was able to complete all 12 appropriations bills, and complete them before the August recess. Unfortunately, just as in years past, Senate Democrats prevented consideration of any appropriations bills on the floor of that body. This leads us to the unfortunate situation of having to put forward a short-term CR to fund the government through December 11.

This continuing resolution is simple. Most programs will continue being funded at their FY15 levels; however, it does adjust certain spending levels for critical needs, such as providing $700 million for wildfire suppression activities in the West, and it extends several programs that would otherwise lapse, like the collection of recreation fees for public lands. In addition, it maintains the moratorium on State and local jurisdictions' taxation of the Internet.

I hope that in the weeks and months ahead the House, the Senate, and the President can come to an agreement on a path forward which ensures we are not in this same place in December.

Some of my colleagues have stated publicly that they cannot support this CR because it provides funding for Planned Parenthood. I want to assure my colleagues that no funding for Planned Parenthood is included in this legislation.

First, a majority of Planned Parenthood funding, about 90 percent, comes through Medicaid and is not subject to appropriations. Of the remaining 10 percent, the largest portion, roughly $28 million, is funded through title X. These grant programs are competed for every year and are awarded in April, long past the length of this continuing resolution.

While I share the same disgust over the evidence seen in the atrocious videos that are so widely known, I want to assure my colleagues that no additional funds are provided for this organization in this bill.

I am encouraged by the hard work of Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Lowey, and, of course, the Speaker, whose leadership has made all this possible.

One of the preeminent responsibilities we are tasked with as Members of Congress is to ensure that the government continues to function. While a continuing resolution is not the ideal vehicle, the alternative of a government shutdown is not what we have all been sent to Washington to do.

I urge support of the rule and the underlying legislation.

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Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to, first, point out a couple of areas where my friend and I do disagree. We certainly disagree about the value of the Benghazi Committee. Frankly, I think it has been conducted professionally and seriously by Mr. Gowdy. I think we have already learned some things we wouldn't have known, including the fact that the former Secretary of State had a private server over which only she had access and control, a very unusual arrangement. So I will just let the committee continue its work and see where we end up at the end of the day.

I want to disagree with my friend, with all due respect, on Planned Parenthood. That is just an area where we have a difference of opinion. I don't think it is appropriate that they receive Federal funds. There are plenty of other ways. We provide $3.5 billion to thousands of public healthcare centers and community healthcare centers around the United States. Those provide all these same services. That is appropriate, and we should do that.

But I also want to agree with my friend. I agree very much with her sentiments on a government shutdown. She is precisely right, in my view, about what happened in the last government shutdown. It should not have occurred. This is a sincere effort to make sure that doesn't occur now. The Appropriations Committee is certainly doing everything in its power to do that.

Obviously, we need the administration, the Senate, and the House leadership to sit down and give us a framework. We are trying to buy them that time. I think we are doing it in a very responsible way.

So, while my friend and I may have some disagreements in some areas, on the functioning of the government we have absolutely no disagreement whatsoever. I am pleased to be here working with her in those areas, and I am hopeful that the President, the Speaker, the majority leader, and the respective minority leaders can indeed come to a larger agreement that would allow a normal appropriations process to take place. First, an omnibus bill this year, and, hopefully, next year, an actual complete appropriations process such as we haven't seen around here in many, many, many years.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

I want to thank my friend again for also emphasizing the areas where we agree, which is on the maintenance of the government. And while we may have a difference over the rule, I would hope that my friend and many of her colleagues on the CR that has been agreed to would look on that favorably and would be able to support the CR, itself, as opposed to the rule.

Mr. Speaker, passage of the CR is critical to prevent a government shutdown and to demonstrate to the American people that Congress can actually govern. The CR abides within the budget caps and does not provide any additional funding for Planned Parenthood, as some have claimed. In addition, the rule provides for consideration of an enrollment correction bill that would again make the position of the House clear in opposition to any additional funding for Planned Parenthood.

I want to encourage my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying legislation. And, frankly, I want to encourage those who are now engaged in negotiations to arrive at a framework where the appropriations process can actually go forward, where we can sit down and seriously consider in a bipartisan way how best to fund the government in the coming year, and where, hopefully, we can get an agreement large enough that we can have a normal appropriations process next year where we actually bring bills individually to this floor, as we did 6 times, but actually do it for the full 12 that would be in order. That is my hope. That is what I am going to be working toward. I know my friend will be working in the same direction.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

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