Providing for Consideration of H.R. Continuing Appropriations and Border Security Enhancement Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 741 and ask for its immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: H. Res. 741

Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 5525) making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2024, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The amendments printed in the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as adopted.

The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.

Sec. 2. Upon passage of H.R. 5525 the title of such bill is amended to read as follows: ``Reducing spending, securing the border, and for other purposes.''.

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), my good friend, 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
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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and in support of the underlying legislation. House Resolution 741 provides for consideration of H.R. 5525, the Spending Reduction and Border Security Act, under a closed rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees, and provides one motion to recommit.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to support the underlying legislation, which fully funds programs for our Nation's veterans, servicemembers, and the Department of Homeland Security while reducing other discretionary spending.

Additionally, H.R. 5525 secures our southern border by resuming construction of the wall, increases the number of Border Patrol agents, and reforms our asylum laws to disincentivize mass illegal immigration.

Under the President's disastrous immigration policies, over 7 million illegal immigrants have entered our country, while nearly 50,000 pounds of fentanyl have flooded across our border. That is enough to kill every single person on the entire planet. This crisis must end. It will only end through efforts of House Republicans.

Finally, this legislation includes an important provision authorized by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga), which establishes a bipartisan fiscal commission that addresses our out-of-control debt. While the Senate figures out what type of clothes to wear, House Republicans have put forth a plan which averts a government shutdown, restores fiscal responsibility, and addresses the Biden border crisis.

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

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, if my friend from Massachusetts is worried about energy prices in Boston, there is an easy solution. You can import liquefied natural gas from Pennsylvania, which is cheap and abundant.

Unfortunately, Democrats in New England and New York have refused to build the Constitution Pipeline, which would actually bring LNG into New England. Instead, people in Boston are paying higher prices for the petroleum that is coming in from tankers from--guess where--Russia. Again, just complete circular logic from my friends across the aisle.

Now, let's talk about not only the high energy prices that the middle and working class have to pay because of Democratic policies but also how real wages are down.

Inflation-adjusted average hourly wages were $11.39 when Biden took office. They are now at $11.04, meaning that Americans have seen a 3.1 percent pay cut under Biden. You might think that it is only 3.1 percent, but let's talk about inflation.

Prices have risen 17.4 percent since President Biden took office. That is roughly a 20 percent cut, so who is really working for the middle class and looking out for the working class? It is not President Biden.

You also have another crisis, which is totally ignored, and that is the immigration crisis. Before I yield to my good friend from New York, let's just talk about New York.

In New York, the immigration crisis has led to over 100,000 migrant arrivals in 2022, which the mayor says is destroying the city. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said: ``We are about to experience a financial tsunami that I don't think the city has ever experienced.''

The mayor also said: ``The national government has turned its back on New York City.''

Well, Mayor, it is not the national government that turned its back on you. It is the Democratic President and the Democrats in Congress.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler).

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York.

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler), for the purpose of rebuttal.

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Spartz), my good friend.

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga), my good friend.
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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, just remember that the Senate has passed zero appropriations bills.

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Last week, our national debt reached a record high of--wait for it-- $33 trillion. This is a result of the White House and a result of the previous Democrat-controlled Congress spending trillions of dollars outside the appropriations process.

Let's remember, under Democratic control, we saw the highest inflation in over 40 years, the highest interest rates in over 20 years, and a 17 percent increase in consumer prices. That is why this underlying legislation establishes a bipartisan fiscal commission to get our Nation on the right course.

This is just one of the many manufactured crises caused by Democrats' far-left policies. Look at our southern border. At the southern border, President Biden's immigration policies caused a flood of illegal immigrants into our Nation and illicit fentanyl into our communities.

Just last week, our Nation set an all-time record for illegal crossings in a single year. Over 25,000 pounds of fentanyl have also been trafficked across our southern border this year. To put that into perspective, this is enough to kill every single American citizen.

Sadly, too many towns across my home State of Pennsylvania have felt the consequences of the Democrats' pro-open border agenda. In Pennsylvania alone, there were over 5,000 reported overdose deaths in 2022. Not only is the White House doing nothing to address this crisis, but the Democrats' pro-crime agenda actually encourages it.

If you doubt me on that, let's just take a look at what happened in Pittsburgh recently. In Pittsburgh, law enforcement caught a drug trafficker with $2 million worth of fentanyl. To put that into perspective, that is enough to kill 35 percent of the population in Pennsylvania. Then, to make matters worse, a far-left, radical judge released that criminal on the streets the very next day, and he has since fled the State.

This is absolutely ridiculous. House Republicans are the only leaders in Washington willing to do something about this. Thanks to Republicans and our Commitment to America, the underlying legislation will reduce our exploding national debt, avert a government shutdown, and secure our southern border.

For those reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the previous question and ``yes'' on the rule.

The material previously referred to by Mr. McGovern is as follows:

An Amendment to H. Res. 741 Offered by Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts

At the end of the resolution, add the following:

Sec. 3. Upon receipt of a message from the Senate transmitting H.R. 3935 with a Senate Amendment or amendments thereto, a single motion that the House concur in the Senate amendment or amendments may be called up as a privileged question, without intervention of any point of order, by the chair or ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees. The Senate amendment or amendments 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 or their respective designees. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the motion to its adoption without intervening motion or demand for division of the question.

Sec. 4. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the consideration of the motion.
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