Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendment to H.R. Commerce, Justice, Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2020

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 708 and ask for its immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: H. Res. 708

Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 3055) making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and to consider in the House, without intervention of any point of order, a motion offered by the chair of the Committee on Appropriations or her designee that the House concur in the Senate amendment with an amendment inserting the text of Rules Committee Print 116- 38 in lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted by the Senate. The Senate amendment and the motion shall be considered as read. The motion shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the motion to its adoption without intervening motion.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 708, providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 3055. One hour of general debate has been provided, controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, funding the government may seem like an arcane exercise to some watching this debate today, but it is the most basic responsibility any Member of Congress has. And failure to follow through could be devastating.

Remember what happened during the Trump shutdown? The President and Republican leaders who controlled the Congress then caused the longest government shutdown in American history.

Hundreds of Federal workers were forced to miss paychecks. The men and women who keep our country safe struggled to put food on the table. Members of the Coast Guard, FBI agents, Border Patrol officers, and TSA agents waited in long lines at food banks to provide for their families. Millions of households were at risk of experiencing a gap in their SNAP benefits without a backup plan. And I could go on and on.

These debates are not just some abstract political exercise. They have real-life consequences. And that is why this majority passed bills to fund roughly 96 percent of the Federal Government earlier this year, but Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans couldn't get their work done.

So today we find ourselves needing to take action, once again, before funding runs out later this week. And, once again, this majority is not shirking its responsibilities. We are taking the lead through a bill that not only keeps the lights on, it addresses the most critical budget priorities we face.

In addition to funding the government through December 20, the underlying measure also gives our military a 3.1 percent pay raise. It fully funds a fair and accurate 2020 Census, and it keeps critical public health programs going for another month, so consumers don't see a gap in care. Families, businesses, and communities need this certainty while talks continue on a longer-term deal.

Just as important as what is here, Mr. Speaker, is what is not here. There are no controversial policy provisions, nothing designed to make Members run to their partisan corners. This is simply about whether key programs remain authorized and funded, whether members of our military are able to avoid the pain of budget uncertainty, and whether we guarantee an accurate 2020 Census.

You know, we fight about a lot of issues on this floor, but this bill should not be one of them. I know President Trump's disposition is to govern by tweet. That is what helped bring on the last Republican shutdown. I don't know if he has logged on in the last few minutes and tried to throw a wrench into the process, but I hope that regardless of what he does or doesn't say in the next few days, Republicans will join us in agreeing that we should not be shutting the government down.

We should pass this bill. We should allow appropriators to have more time to negotiate and continue this process in an orderly way. Make no mistake, this majority will continue fighting hard for our priorities. We are going to keep defending vital programs, and we will be providing a check on the Trump administration. But we are going to fight for what we believe in while averting another costly shutdown because it is the right thing to do, and it is the responsible thing to do.

I don't expect that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are always going to share our priorities, but I do know that there are many in the House, and I include my ranking member who was also an appropriator in that category, who is sincerely dedicated to making sure we do our job to making sure we fund our government, to making sure that we achieve a reasonable compromise, and to making sure that we avoid another shutdown that has such catastrophic effects.

So I urge all my colleagues to join with us. Let's allow more time for talks to continue while saying enough to government shutdowns.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, we don't have any additional speakers on our side, so we are ready to close any time the gentleman is.

Let me begin my closing by again thanking the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) not only for his work on the Rules Committee but also for his work on the Appropriations Committee. I think he understands the importance of making sure that we don't have any more government shutdowns, but he also understands that in this place, no matter who is in charge, you don't always get 100 percent of what you want and that sometimes compromise is appropriate and necessary to do the right thing.

Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman knows, we on this side tried to accommodate the minority in terms of the underlying measure, changing the underlying measure at the minority's request. Unfortunately, a Member on the minority side objected, so we were not able to do that, but I do have nothing but the highest respect for the gentleman, and I appreciate his words.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I know that some of my friends on the other side of the aisle would have drafted a different bill if they were in charge. I want my colleagues to know that if I could wave a magic wand and have my own way in everything, I would, too.

For example, I would have removed the 4-month extension of the PATRIOT Act's FISA provision from this bill. I have voted against this program in the past and for bipartisan reforms that would strip the government of this unchecked and, I believe, unconstitutional spying power.

I may be the chairman of the Rules Committee, but I don't believe it should be my way or the highway on everything. I don't believe in blowing up a bipartisan, bicameral negotiation just because I didn't get my own way on a particular provision.

But make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, I hope that we have a standalone and robust debate on the FISA when the extension expires next year. As I said, this is a 4-month extension that we are talking about. Meaningful reforms, I think, are long overdue.

Let me remind my colleagues what is at stake today. 800,000 Americans had their paychecks held hostage for 35 days during the President's last shutdown. Workers couldn't pay their bills. Communities lost access to health and safety services. Our national security was endangered. Our economy was harmed. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that it cost us billions of dollars for the President's shutdown.

The choice before us today is whether we are going to vote to cause a repeat of that devastation or not. I think the costs are too high, and I would like to think my Republican friends have learned their lesson.

Look, no one expects either side to stop fighting for what they believe in, but let's do it while the lights are on.

There is really nothing terribly controversial here. This is not a radical proposal. It is about keeping the government funded through December 20, giving the men and women of our military a raise, fully funding the Census, and encouraging Senator McConnell and Senate Republicans to finally get their work done.

House appropriators, I would say in a bipartisan way, did most of their work. The Senate remains a problem on getting a yearlong budget deal.

Quite frankly, if it were possible, the Senate majority leader should be sued for malpractice due to his inaction. But we are where we are, and we should all be able to agree on that. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge a ``yes'' vote on this rule and on the underlying bill.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source