Providing for Congressional Disapproval Under Chapter 8 of Title United States Code, of the Rule Submitted By the Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, Relating to ``Contributions in Exchange for State or Local Tax Credits''

Floor Speech

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Mr. MORAN. Madam President, last evening, I was here at this exact spot asking my colleagues to support the idea of advancing appropriations bills, and I am pleased to see today that has today occurred. It occurred on a vote of 92 to 2. That is a good sign.

It is a goal of mine to see the Senate function. One of the ways we can determine whether we are doing our jobs is whether we can pass appropriations bills. The Senate is now considering 4 of 12 appropriations bills that should be adopted on an annual basis.

I begin my remarks this evening by thanking Chairman Shelby and Vice Chairman Leahy for their leadership and for working hard to bring appropriations bills to the floor, including my subcommittee's work on the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

As the chairman of that CJS Subcommittee, I worked closely with the ranking member, Senator Shaheen, the Senator from New Hampshire, whom I know very well. Senator Shaheen and I have worked together to produce a good-government, bipartisan bill that is part of this appropriations package we are now debating. I express my gratitude to her and her staff for her partnership, and I am proud we were able to report the bill out of the Appropriations Committee by a unanimous vote. I appreciate Senator Shaheen's willingness to find common ground, and I look forward to seeing this bill pass the Senate and ultimately be enacted into law.

As I have said before, this is a good bill. It is consist with our subcommittee's 302(b) allocation, and I believe it balances the many competing priorities of our funding jurisdiction.

As you expect in a bill that is titled ``Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies,'' there are many competing interests in determining how we allocate the spending within that 302(b) allocation.

The CJS bill supports activities related to national security; Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement; space exploration; economic development; trade promotion and enforcement; scientific research; and many other critical government functions.

The CJS bill provides funding for the Department of Commerce, which includes an increase of significant amounts of dollars that are necessary in fiscal year 2020 to fund the Census Bureau to ensure that we have an accurate counting for the 2020 decennial census--a constitutional requirement. It is one of the reasons that it is difficult to allocate money in our bill, because the census is so critical and must be done in a professional and timely manner. We believe we have included the necessary support for that to occur.

This bill also has a strong support for NOAA programs--the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration--to ensure continuation of core operations, including ocean monitoring, fisheries management, coastal grants to States, aquaculture research, and severe weather forecasting, and additional opportunities for economic growth by supporting the Economic Development Agency and continuing the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program.

The CJS bill also supports space and scientific exploration. This bill is the bill that funds NASA. As many of my colleagues know, this year the administration took a step--a bold step--in advancing the timeframe by which American astronauts will return to the Moon. The plan is now to return to the Moon by 2024. This bill helps accelerate that goal and will cement America's leadership in space exploration. The bill provides robust funding for NASA, including funding for science and aeronautics and the Artemis mission--that trip to the Moon--which will allow NASA to begin to take those important steps to achieve its goal--and a goal of mine--of putting the first woman on the Moon by 2024.

The bill also includes needed funding for STEM education programs.

In most recent times, when the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 was celebrated, it caused me to remember back to the days in which many people in this country saw what we were able to accomplish and dedicated their lives--young people--to science and research, to space exploration. This bill is supportive of that and is designed to inspire the next generation of scientists--young people and others.

Finally, the CJS bill also provides for increased funding for the Department of Justice. The funding includes additional resources for the Department's law enforcement components, enabling the Department to hire additional agents, deputy marshals, and correctional officers, expanding the Department's efforts to combat mass violence and violent crime.

Funding for the Executive Office for Immigration Review is also increased so that additional immigration judges and support staff can be hired, continuing our committee's effort to reduce the immigration court backlog, which is now over 960,000.

Additionally, as an original sponsor of the First Step Act, I am proud that this bill provides $75 million--the fully authorized level-- to the Bureau of Prisons for its implementation.

Our bill provides $2.3 billion in funding for State, local, and Tribal law enforcement assistance, including a total of $517 million to combat the various opioid, meth, and substance abuse crises raging our communities, $500 million for grants authorized under the Violence Against Women Act, and $315 million for juvenile justice grants. These grants will help local communities prevent crime and also provide support and assistance for crime victims.

Unfortunately, many of our law enforcement officials are under significant stress, increasing pressures, and there is an increasing level of suicide among law enforcement officers across the country. Again, we have provided funding for counseling--something I wish were not necessary.

We have a transparent product here. We worked in a bipartisan manner, as many Kansans and Americans have asked me to do, asking: Can we get along? The answer is yes, we can get along to do something as basic as an appropriations bill. I hope the answer will continue to be yes. It is important for us to address the priorities and needs of our Nation.

I look forward to advancing this legislation. I will be here on the Senate floor from time to time to respond to my colleagues' questions and to respond to any amendments that may be offered.

I urge my colleagues to support this package of four bills, including our CJS bill, so that we can move one step closer to completing our constitutionally required work of funding the Federal Government.

I again thank Chairman Shelby and the vice chairman, Senator Leahy, for their leadership throughout this entire process. I look forward to working with them for the next few days and throughout the year to see that we have a successful conclusion.

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Mr. MORAN. 116-1.

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