Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. DUNN. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding and also for the opportunity to bring up an important issue to my district and State.

As you all know, Hurricane Michael had a devastating effect on my district. One of the most important areas in my district that was destroyed was Tyndall Air Force Base.

The underlying bill before the House today contains $700 million for planning, design, and construction related to the consequences of Hurricane Michael at Tyndall Air Force Base. This funding would support the relocation of the F-22s, the beddown of the F-35s, and the planning of facility construction so that the base can continue to recover.

This is a down payment for the Air Force, and it signals that Congress is committed to rebuilding Tyndall Air Force Base because Tyndall will need additional funds.

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Mr. DUNN. Madam Speaker, this motion to recommit strikes title 12 from the bill, H.R. 268. This was inserted by Democratic leadership at the eleventh hour today. Title 12 is a continuing resolution, meaning it will never be taken up or passed by the Senate; it will never be signed by the President.

Three months ago, Hurricane Michael devastated north Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Five months ago, Hurricane Florence caused severe damage in all of the Carolinas. Wildfires in California, all fall long, caused billions of dollars in damage and took almost 100 lives. Typhoons and volcanos in Hawaii and the American trust territories also caused savage destruction. Disaster victims across the Nation are in dire need of our help right now.

Today, we will be voting on a bill that we had been told would be a stand-alone emergency funding bill, addressing only the 2018 disasters, unencumbered by hot button, divisive issues. Unfortunately, we are voting on a very different bill. House Democrat leadership pulled a bait-and-switch at the last minute and made this otherwise good bill into an attack on President Trump.

Madam Speaker, my people at home are hurting. I worked hard on this bill. I truly believed that we were having a good faith conversation on how to help suffering victims all across our Nation.

Instead, House Democrats chose to play political games rather than help our victims. They knew full well, when they inserted this poison pill continuing resolution at the eleventh hour, that they doomed any chance of this bill passing the Senate, and yet they did just that. It is now dead on arrival in the Senate.

I have people back home, in my district, sleeping in tents, in the cold, in the rain, because FEMA housing has not yet arrived.

I lost two hospitals. One was a level two trauma center. That has never happened in the history of the country.

I have sheriff's deputies who are homeless, but they are still working. They are still performing their duties. They are still protecting and serving the people. You would like to think that Congress could follow their example.

Madam Speaker, the people of America have lost a great deal of faith in their government over the years. But the one thing that they still believe in is that when a disaster strikes, their government will come to their aid. And now we are letting them down on even that simple promise.

I won't allow the people of north Florida, suffering after Hurricane Michael, to be used as political pawns against the President. That is why I urge all Members of this House to support the motion to recommit. We can remove the bitterly divisive part of this bill and pass a truly bipartisan, compassionate bill that provides urgently needed relief to millions of people across all of our Nation and our territories, who are desperate for that relief. After we address this disaster, we can work on a compromise to address border security and reopen the rest of the government.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the motion to recommit, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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