Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 78) making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2016, and for other purposes.

The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.

The text of the joint resolution is as follows: H.J. Res. 78

Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2016 (Public Law 114-53) is further amended by striking the date specified in section 106(3) and inserting ``December 22, 2015''.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Res. 78.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present H.J. Res. 78, a short-term continuing resolution that will fund the government through December 22.

This morning, we posted a full-year omnibus funding bill. The bill will responsibly fund the government for the remainder of fiscal 2016 year at the level set by the Bipartisan Budget Act passed in October. We are set to consider it later this week.

However, our current funding mechanism expires today at midnight. To allow for enough time to read and process this legislation, it is necessary at this point that we pass another continuing resolution to keep the lights on in our government.

The legislation we have before us today simply extends current levels of funding for critical government programs and services for 6 additional days through next Tuesday. It is very short and limited in scope, buying us enough time to shepherd the omnibus through to enactment and then for the bill to be enrolled, sent to the President, and signed into law.

So I urge my colleagues to support this bill, to give us the time to consider the full appropriations package, and bring the fiscal year 2016 appropriations process to a close.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source