Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendments to H.R. Consolidated Appropriations Act, Providing for Consideration of H.J. Res. Disapproving the Action of the District of Columbia Council in Approving the D.C. Income and Franchise Tax Conformity and Revision Temporary Amendment Act of and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Critical Mineral Dominance Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Georgia for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the Rules Committee, I offered my sentiments as to why we must pass all the underlying measures that are being considered under this rule. For our rule debate here today, I will touch upon the appropriations measure that is under consideration.

To make the record crystal clear, not once did the people's House court a government shutdown during the appropriations process. The various subcommittees of the Appropriations Committee did their jobs. They worked collaboratively to deliver to the full House their recommendations.

As Chairman Cole said more than once in the Rules Committee, these appropriators knew their subject matter better than anyone else and presented to the rest of us their best effort.

Then the House did its job. We passed all 12 appropriations bills and sent them to the Senate, which had negotiated with their House counterparts and agreed to take what had been produced in the House. In doing so, we plowed a path toward regular order that was sorely overdue.

Unfortunately, the Senate reneged on the agreement. The Senate did not pass what it had agreed to pass and, instead, made a change after the House completed its work. That delay on the part of the Senate caused the government to shut down.

Now, what the Senate should have done was approve the six-bill appropriations package that was negotiated in good faith. This process should have been over and done with by now. We don't have time to be playing games, Mr. Speaker.

Now, I wholeheartedly echo the sentiment offered by Chairman Cole that doing the right thing for the American people is something that does not get old.

Congress holds an explicit mandate that is outlined in our Article I responsibilities to appropriate funding for the missions of departments across the government. When we fail to uphold that mandate, we fail to serve the American people. We fail to do right by them.

We must bring the appropriations process to a close. We must move forward and complete more work in service to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I support the rule and the underlying measures, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.

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