Dhs Cyber Incident Response Teams Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee portion of the appropriations package before us.

Before I begin, I would like to thank Chairwoman Lowey, Ranking Member Granger, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Tom Graves for their hard work and commitment throughout this process. I would also like to thank staff on both sides for all their hard work behind the scenes, particularly my own staff and the staff of Financial Services and General Government who don't put their names in these things, but we know and thank Lisa and others. Our amazing subcommittee staff, in particular, put in long hours to make this bill come together.

The FSGG bill provides $23.8 billion in total discretionary resources for a broad array of agencies and programs ranging from the Department of the Treasury to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It is a bill that I am not only proud of, but one that we can collectively all be proud of.

My top priority as chairman this year has been to help States and local governments secure and protect the integrity of American elections. That is why I am proud to have successfully included $425 million in funding for the Election Assistance Commission to issue a new round of election security grants to States. This is the first investment for this purpose since 2018.

Let us be clear, this is not a partisan matter. We know the Russians interfered in our 2016 elections, and they are going to be back. It is critical we provide these funds so election officials can replace outdated voting equipment and implement protections to ensure our election system can withstand future attempts of foreign interference.

I am also proud that the bill makes targeted investments to ensure that capital and other assistance gets to small businesses and low- income communities. The bill boosts funding for the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund by $12 million, which helps support affordable housing, small businesses, and infrastructure in underserved and rural communities, in addition to supplying credit to disadvantaged communities. The bill also increases entrepreneurial development programs at the SBA by $13 million.

We boost funding for the Securities and Exchange Commission, provide an increase for the Federal Trade Commission, and include a long overdue investment in the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Another important focus this year is bolstering assistance to taxpayers, including increases for the taxpayer advocate and tax counseling and assistance programs. For our hardworking Federal workers, I am thrilled that our bill includes a 3.1 percent pay increase.

In closing, Madam Speaker, this Financial Services appropriations bill is a result of bipartisan collaboration among members and hard work from our staff, and I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill.

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