Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015

Floor Speech

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I thank Ranking Member Lowey for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of passing this legislation before us.

First, I want to thank Chairman Rogers, and I certainly want to thank the ranking member, Mrs. Lowey, for working together to produce this continuing resolution. This continuing resolution will maintain vital funding for the Federal agencies that provide services to taxpayers.

Congress has two major responsibilities, which are to pass a budget and to pay our bills on time. This bill would ensure that, while the House and the Senate will pass these appropriations bills probably in the form of an omnibus bill at the end of the year, we need to pass this CR. Additionally, this CR will contain much-needed funds to respond to the Ebola outbreak, to the reauthorization authority for the Export-Import Bank, and to provide the administration funding flexibility to deal with unaccompanied minors at the border.

Tomorrow, we will also have an amendment to help fight the ISIS threat, and we must stand together with our President to fight that threat. I know it is a complicated situation, but doing nothing is certainly not an option. Last year, our failure to uphold the basic responsibilities of Congress resulted in a government shutdown, and we must not let that happen again. We do need the CR, but we must get back to regular order--pass full appropriations bills, go to conference, and get our job done. I think, if we are able to do that, we will be able to make sure that we do the hard job that we were sent up here to do. We were not sent up here to make the easy decisions. These are difficult decisions, but this is the responsibility of Congress.

Again, I do want to thank the chairman, and I do want to thank the ranking member. I stand in support of the CR and of the amendment that will be coming in tomorrow to fight the threat that we see with ISIS.

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