Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I congratulate her for her work over the years. She and I spent over 2 decades serving together on that committee, the Appropriations Committee, and the same amount of time serving on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of that Appropriations Committee; and I enjoyed her insight and her wisdom and her hard work, and I thank her for what she has done for the committee and what she has done for the country.

I also want to thank the Staff Director of the committee, Shalanda Young, who clearly is one of the most outstanding members of the Congressional staff on either side of the Capitol. She has been tireless in working with Mrs. Lowey to bring bills to the floor and, particularly with respect to our response to COVID-19, has performed extraordinary services.

Frankly, but for the Appropriations Committee and its staff on both sides of the aisle, we would not have been able to do that; so I thank all those involved.

Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat infamous, I suppose, on my side of the aisle with some other committee chairs and staff, for wanting to make sure that we do our work on appropriation bills.

Frankly, there are so many important bills that this House and Senate pass and the President signs. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case lately, but usually is the case. But these bills must pass.

If the American people are going to continue to enjoy the services of their government, in so many critical ways to their lives, then the Appropriations Committee must do its job. We have been blessed that we have as chair and ranking member two Members who care about that process in Mrs. Lowey and Ms. Granger.

I also had the opportunity of serving some period of time with Ms. Granger on the Appropriations Committee. She is a woman and Representative that I have great respect for and appreciate her attitude and collegial effort to work together.

I regret that these will not be bipartisan bills. Frankly, I think it is not so much because of the appropriations bill as it is because of the context in which we find ourselves in Washington, and in our country today.

The House is getting its work done for the people, and passing these appropriations bills well in advance of the end of the fiscal year, as we did last year.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the Senate is on track to fail to mark up a single bill in committee, which may be the first time ever that that has been the case.

Sadly, it is consistent with their not passing any other bills either, so 275 of our bills sit untended in the United States Senate. Why?

Because, as former appropriator and former Senate Budget Committee Chair Senator Judd Gregg said: ``I don't see any reason why they should go to markup if the goal of that markup is to simply create political fodder for the election, rather than move the bills forward.''

That bleak assessment speaks directly to the harmful effects of Senate Republicans' policy choices, because in this body, and in the Democratic Caucus, we believe appropriations bills are a statement of our values and an opportunity to communicate them to the American people.

We have a saying, all of us, put your money where your mouth is. And if you don't do that, then your mouth is articulating things that you may not really believe in, but you think it is useful for people to hear.

This package contains important and positive investments in our people, our economy, and in our national security that reflect House Democrats' commitment to governing for the people and, very frankly, I think, for the most part, Republican values, which is why I am so disappointed that this will not be a bipartisan effort.

It reflects our priorities for moving America forward and helping our people get ahead.

This bill will help ensure that children and families receive the assistance they need through SNAP and WIC to protect against hunger, an extraordinary challenge in today's COVID-19-afflicted America.

It strengthens our conservation efforts and ensures a cleaner environment. And we passed an extraordinary historical bill yesterday in a bipartisan fashion to accomplish that objective as well.

In particular, I am pleased it includes funding for the Chesapeake Bay program, so vital to my State and to our region.

We are taking steps as well to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and this package will require that the National Park Service will move any commemorative displays honoring the Confederacy, so that no American will be either humiliated or denigrated as they visit our national parks.

The bill also ensures we provide resources to support our veterans, so critical, and across the board, felt to be a moral responsibility. We are standing with our servicemembers by prohibiting, frankly, the President from stealing funds from our military in order to build this wall that he said the Mexicans were going to pay for. Nobody believed it then; nobody believes it now. And he is taking money from our troops, from our military security, to build that wall.

I am proud that this bill continues America's strong and robust support for our ally Israel.

In all, this is a funding package of which our country and this House can be proud. It reflects our values and our principles, and it is focused on governing responsibly and spending taxpayer resources wisely.

Sadly, it will, in all likelihood, join the more than 275 other bipartisan House bills languishing in the Republican-controlled Senate. We have a lot of new judges; we just don't have legislation for the people.

I urge the Senate to do its part to avoid even the risk of another shutdown. Just a few 18 months ago, 19 months ago, we came into this Congress with much of the Government of the United States shut down because the previous Congress had not funded the government. I urge the Senate to do its part. Let's get the job done together for the people.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair, I thank the ranking member, I thank the staff on both sides of the aisle, and I thank Shalanda Young.

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