Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act, 2025

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Ranking Member DeLauro for yielding me time to rise in opposition to shutting down our government.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose this resolution.

Frankly, in less than 2 weeks, the Federal fiscal year of 2025 is set to commence the beginning of October, yet this House finds itself embroiled in yet another perilous impasse because the extreme Members of the majority cannot govern.

Why? Why can they not compromise?

America needs compromise, not chaos.

As America's economy settles into a steady recovery, House leaders must lead and stop the reckless threats to shut down our Federal Government.

Why does the majority seek to withhold critical resources from those Americans who safeguard our borders and defend our Nation?

House extreme Republicans risk the livelihoods of our border agents. They compromise the readiness of our military. They engage in legislative stunts that do not reflect the decency and worth of the American people and our Federal workers.

Think about some of those workers, those veterans and those military members in the nuclear Navy.

How about our Army Corps of Engineers who function in every single district in our country?

What about those who answer the phones as Social Security recipients have questions about enrollment and difficulties that they are facing in their lives?

Our Nation's security and the well-being of all of our citizens should not be held hostage for an extreme, partisan agenda.

Let the American people know--hear me--illegal immigrants are rightfully barred from voting. Any assertion otherwise is false, and the majority had best talk to their secretary of state.

Illegal immigrants are rightfully barred from voting. If our colleagues were actually serious about bolstering our border security, then they would advance Senator Lankford's bipartisan border bill here. We have been waiting, and so is the Senate waiting. We must pass that bill to provide the necessary resources to pay and equip our Customs and Border Protection agents instead of touting a resolution here that jeopardizes our national security.

Our military leaders have explicitly warned that a 6-month resolution would severely undermine our defense readiness. Hear them. Our adversaries are not just observers. They are keenly watching.

An extreme wing is causing this House to falter in fulfilling our most basic constitutional duties. Chaos is not the message we should be sending on a global stage. We should be compromising and setting a good example.

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, chaos is not the message we should be sending on a global stage; compromise is. The consequences of failing to pass essential appropriations bills extend far beyond defense. They touch every corner of American life: seniors waiting for operations and children relying on programs like Head Start.

Obstruction exacerbates the challenges facing everyday Americans. Now is the time for compromise, not chaos. Americans want unity, not division. Frankly, our national security depends on it.

This House must return to regular order. That is what real leadership looks like. This is what our Constitution expects, and that is what our constituents expect, deserve, and pay us for.

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