Providing for Consideration of H.R. Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, Providing for Consideration of H.R. Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman and my friend from New York for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the rule before us today provides for consideration of three appropriations measures for fiscal year 2022. I first would like to start off by thanking Chair DeLauro and Ranking Member Granger and their committee staff for their tireless work on these measures. It is truly an honor to be part of the appropriations process on the committee, and I am very grateful for their efforts.

Unfortunately, though, Mr. Speaker, like the package of seven funding measures considered yesterday, the majority marked these three bills to unworkable 302(b) allocations, and the package before us today stands absolutely no chance of becoming law.

Collectively, these three bills provide for $147 billion in spending, which is a 13 percent increase from fiscal year 2021.

Overall, the majority's proposed spending levels increase nondefense discretionary spending by 17 percent while only increasing defense spending by 1 percent. That is not even enough to keep up with inflation.

This is at a time when our Nation and when our military faces threats from China, Russia, and Iran. Because of these threats, we should be investing in the U.S. and our partner nations, not underfunding our military and national security programs and obligations abroad.

While H.R. 4373, which funds the Department of State and Foreign Operations, does include support for our allies, Israel, Jordan, and Taiwan, it also places conditions on our strategic partner Egypt. These conditions will undercut national security efforts which is another hit to our defense operations.

Further, H.R. 4373 removes longstanding bipartisan policies including the Helms amendment which prohibits foreign aid from being used for abortions. It also doubles funding to the United Nations Population Fund. This organization has historically supported coercive abortion and involuntary sterilization.

Finally, this bill provides for more than $3 billion for climate change programs, including $1.6 billion for the Green Climate Fund. Even Secretary Yellen acknowledged the Green Climate Fund has oversight issues and has been mismanaged.

The rule before us today also provides for consideration of H.R. 4505, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Like H.R. 4373, this bill removes longstanding bipartisan language restricting the Justice Department from spending taxpayer dollars on abortion.

The measure also fails to include four bipartisan Second Amendment protections including two provisions that have been in the CJS bill since fiscal year 2006.

Finally, H.R. 4505 imposes new, unauthorized conditions on many State and local law enforcement programs, including Byrne JAG and COPS. Many of these conditions require legislation to be passed by States and localities and are outside the control of law enforcement agencies. These requirements will effectively defund programs relied on by our Nation's police officers, including initiatives that support training and equipment purchases, active shooter response training, and suicide prevention.

This measure also fails to address the real challenges facing our Nation, including cyberattacks on American companies, extortion plots on critical infrastructure, and the flow of deadly fentanyl at the southern border.

At the end of the day, if my colleagues across the aisle are serious about enacting appropriations measures before funding runs out at the end of September, it is absolutely critical they remove their far-left, radical policy riders to restore longstanding bipartisan provisions; otherwise, we will face a continuing resolution or a Democrat-driven shutdown.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

The Biden administration has extended border shutdowns with Mexico and Canada, extended European and other international travel restrictions, and has reimposed mask mandates for fully vaccinated people, contradicting previous CDC guidance and, sadly, choosing to follow the political science, not the science.

But, Mr. Speaker, the chaos at our southern border, where illegal immigrants have been apprehended from over 160 countries, undermines any efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. That is why, if we defeat the previous question, I will personally offer an amendment to the rule to immediately consider Congresswoman Yvette Herrell's PAUSE Act of 2021.

This legislation would provide for stringent enforcement of Title 42, a public health order allowing illegal immigrants to be quickly expelled from the United States, and would prohibit HHS and DHS from weakening Title 42's implementation.

Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely disappointed that an amendment offered by my good friend, Mr. Michael Waltz from Florida, was not made in order under today's rule.

This amendment would support a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. I would actually support a total boycott of the Olympic Games in Beijing. But just looking at the diplomatic boycott, China has an abysmal record on human rights. They currently are housing Uighurs in concentration camps in western China, they are using slave labor, and even forced organ harvesting.

The CCP, the Chinese Communist Party, exports fentanyl to the United States, steals our trade secrets, and constantly threatens to invade the free and independent nation of Taiwan.

The last thing we need to do is to reward the CCP with the economic benefit and, frankly, the cachet on the world stage by hosting the Olympic Games. I just wish that my liberal colleagues across the aisle had allowed us to debate at least a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games.

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