District of Columbia Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014
Floor Speech
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Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the chairman for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation to keep the District of Columbia operating as usual while Congress works to sort out its fiscal differences. I have to admit I'm really surprised to hear my good friend from New York--and we are good friends--oppose this bill.
This bill provides for the District of Columbia to use its money to provide the services that we all enjoy in this Capital City. I can't believe the gentleman would oppose this bill. This is a clean funding mechanism, nearly identical to what was included in the initial clean continuing resolution I introduced on September 10.
This legislation gives the District access to local funding at the current annual rate of $6.8 billion until December 15 or until full-year appropriations have been signed into law. This funding is solely local and does not come out of the Federal coffers. These funds will support critical District programs that its people rely on--law enforcement, safety, schools, and other essential municipal activities. I can't believe that I'm hearing opposition to this from that side of the aisle--or any side of any aisle.
This legislation will help clean up one portion of the difficulties caused by a shutdown, and it makes one more critical next step toward reopening the entire Federal Government. Let me say again that on this side of the aisle we offered to the Senate three or four different propositions to keep the government operating. They turned them all down.
Finally, last night we said: Okay, if you won't agree to any of these provisions, let's at least form a conference committee between the House and Senate, as is the usual process, which is time honored. Let's just meet in the rotunda, House and Senate conferees, and work out the differences that we have. That's what we've done around here in the past. The Senate said: No, we don't even want to talk to you. And so here we are. When the Senate said we won't talk, the shutdown took place, triggered by the Senate's refusal to even talk to Members of the House.
We've got to keep our eyes on the prize--and that's providing each and every agency, program, and department with full-year, updated appropriations, and ending this shutdown as soon as possible.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
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