District of Columbia Financial Efficiency Act of 2013

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I rise, reluctantly, to oppose this bill. While, of course, we support freeing up D.C. to spend its own local funds, a policy we've asked to be made permanent, this is a sham of a process and a fake bill designed by the Tea Party, for the Tea Party, and of the Tea Party.

It's not a sudden concern or awakening to realize that D.C., this morning, needed all this help. My God, to those of you who've been around for a while, you know that I've made an appropriations career out of telling people to treat the District of Columbia with respect.

And all of a sudden, as part of its continuing attack on ObamaCare, your party comes up now and comes with a piecemeal approach to a major issue.

Instead, it's part of a strategy to try to draw attention away from the legislative hostage-taking which is hurting people around the Nation.

Additionally, I would be remiss if I did not point out that this bill continues an unnecessary and harmful rider that prevents the District of Columbia from expending its own funds, its own funds, on abortion services. No other State in the Nation has such a restriction.

Although, I repeat, I support D.C. being able to spend its own money, I do

not know why this is the only portion of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee bill being considered to date.

I must tell you, and I don't know how my leadership will feel about this statement, but I've got to give you credit, because just when I thought you had run out of gimmicks to bring to the floor, this one takes the cake, a piecemeal approach of three bills that do not speak to any resolution of any issue.

Many agencies under our jurisdiction have suffered, or will suffer, devastating problems as a result of the Republican Federal Government shutdown; but you're doing nothing about those agencies in this bill.

The Republican shutdown has forced the Small Business Administration to furlough almost two-thirds of its workforce. This has forced the agency to shutter almost all of its loan programs for our Nation's small businesses, including loan programs for veterans, women-owned small businesses, and small businesses located in underserved areas; but you're not saying anything about that in this bill.

The Federal defenders currently have enough funding to continue operations for a couple of weeks. However, once that time is up, they will be unable to fulfill their constitutional duty to uphold the Sixth Amendment rights of criminal defendants; but you don't speak to that at all in this bill.

The CPSC has been cut from 540 employees--listen to this. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been cut from 540 employees to 22, making it difficult for the agency to perform its duty of fully reviewing thousands of different kinds of products. This will clearly increase the risk to the public, but we don't speak to that.

The IRS, the agency that always takes the biggest hit during this period of time, has been forced to let go most of their workforce, preventing the agency from providing taxpayer assistance to those who have questions, examining questionable tax returns, or even to accept paper tax filings. The IRS brings in the vast majority of our Nation's revenue. The Republican shutdown is harming our ability to pay our bills.

All of these agencies need and deserve a continuing resolution so they can perform the many functions of government that remain essential to American consumers, investors, taxpayers, and small businesses.

Let me try to save you some time. Some of you newer folks will get up and say: Oh, my God, you are attacking the District of Columbia. No one, except for Ms. Norton, has a clearer record on supporting the District of Columbia. I have said often enough on this floor that having been born in an American territory called Puerto Rico, I take very seriously how I look at and the respect that I have for the District of Columbia. But this is a joke. This is simply another approach at trying to get around the real issue, which is we need to bring a clean CR to the floor, and we will continue to push for that.

I urge a ``no'' vote on this bill when it comes for a vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), the greatest State in the Union, the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

It's very interesting to hear my colleague, Mr. Speaker, speak about that. I wish we had recorded him--maybe we have--how many times Mrs. Lowey got up during appropriations meetings and said, Let's go to conference. In fact, once, she said it in Spanish, just to please me. That's how serious it's been.

All of a sudden, the big cry on the Hill is, Let's go to conference. But let's not really go to conference. Let's just go to conference and do what we want to do and not what should be done.

I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. Esty) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Kirkpatrick) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I don't think it's ever dilatory for Members of Congress to speak.

I now yield to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly) for a unanimous consent request

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Barber) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), a person who we all know has been a champion on behalf of not only the District, but all areas of our country.

I yield 3 minutes to my colleague from New York (Mr. Meeks).

I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth).

Mr. Speaker, just to inform the gentleman, I am the last speaker. We have no further speakers.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

This is not an easy time. You would hate to think that 23 years of agreeing with Ms. Norton on the issue of the D.C. budget and how we should treat D.C. goes up in smoke in one afternoon. We have never disagreed, and I know that starting in about 30 seconds or 1 minute or 2 minutes, we won't disagree again.

But we also cannot be ignorant of the fact that this is a sham, that this is part of a trick. It is a good trick; it is one that sells. In fact, the results may show that it is one that sells, but it is still a trick. It is a trick still to get at ObamaCare on the day that it starts to take place all over this country. It is still a trick to keep the government closed. It is a trick to say that we will single out certain people, certain monuments, certain areas, certain needs, but not others.

It is easy for me personally to say ``yes'' to this bill on the District of Columbia. But I also know that in another territory or in another place without congressional representation, they had to close down this morning the WIC offices because there are no people to be able to run that office. In other parts that do have representation, they had to close down areas of services where people need those services.

We know what the game is. I know it is not easy for some of us to get up and oppose certain things, but we have to. We have to because if we continue to allow the House to be run by a Member of the other body, we will never get anywhere. It is funny how much time we spend among ourselves knocking the other body, and yet we have a situation now where a Member of the other body is telling everybody over here what to do on one side. That's the problem we have.

As painful as this is for me and as difficult as it will be to stay out of the way of Ms. Norton for the next day or two, I still think that the proper vote here is a ``no'' vote because we need a clean CR and we need a full approach, not a piecemeal approach.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 71) making continuing appropriations of local funds of the District of Columbia for fiscal year 2014.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on House Joint Resolution 71, District of Columbia Continuing Appropriations Resolution, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I bring to the floor today a continuing resolution which is narrow in scope and allows the District of Columbia to spend their own funds.

As some of the Members may be aware, some may not be aware, due to the city's unique status as a Federal city, Congress must appropriate their locally raised funds before the city can spend them.

And despite the multiple attempts by the House of Representatives to fund the Federal Government, we're here in day one of a government shutdown. This continuing resolution provides that the District of Columbia, it gives them their funds through December 15, under the same terms and conditions that they have under the spending bill in 2013.

So passing this bill today will allow the Appropriations Committee time to negotiate a full year's funding bill with the Senate.

Now, the District of Columbia has passed their own fiscal year 2014 budget. The Mayor presented a budget to the city council. The city council debated that. The city council approved, and the city's independent chief financial officer certified the budget as balanced.

So, therefore, the District's locally raised funds should not be withheld from them during this current Federal shutdown. This disagreement that the Republicans and the Democrats are having over Federal spending shouldn't stop the District from using its own locally raised funds like any other city in America.

The District is currently using reserve balances to stay open. However, we can't expect the District of Columbia to deplete all of its cash reserves to make up for the Federal Government's inability to pass a Federal budget.

We've got school teachers out there, we've got policemen, we've got firemen, we've got garbage collectors, we've got librarians, we've got all these city employees, and they're paid with D.C. local funds, and they should expect to be paid for their services. The citizens of the District of Columbia, they shouldn't suffer because Congress and the administration can't agree on a budget.

So this continuing resolution fulfills our responsibility under the law to appropriate the District of Columbia their local funds.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I'm just surprised to hear my friend say it's okay that the citizens of the District of Columbia suffer just because Congress can't figure out how to fund the government.

With that, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I just want to remind folks that we could have avoided this shutdown if the Senate had passed the first resolution we passed them. That would have avoided a shutdown. If they had passed the second continuing resolution, that would have avoided a shutdown. If they had passed the third continuing resolution we passed to them, that would have avoided the shutdown. If they would agree to sit down and talk, we might even find a way to end this shutdown.

But I just hope everybody remembers that for Republicans, the last thing we want to do is be shut down. We go it. We would like to sit down and talk. But the arrogance of the United States Senate says we can't even talk.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa), the distinguished chairman of the Government Reform and Oversight Committee.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

This is a bill that talks about the most unique city in our country, the District of Columbia. It is a Federal city. It is unlike any other city in the USA. Because of that uniqueness, we have to appropriate the local funds that are going to be used.

The gentlewoman from the District has made an impassioned plea--a very clear and reasoned plea--as to why we need to pass this legislation. There are school teachers, there are police officers, there are folks that are picking up the garbage, there are people that work in the libraries, and they are working and they need to be paid for their services.

We shouldn't penalize the people of the District of Columbia because we can't come to some conclusion on our spending bills. We don't have to be here, Mr. Speaker. We have had ample opportunity.

As you know, this House has sent continuing resolutions to the Senate not once, not twice, but three times. Each time the answer was ``no.'' Now we simply ask for a conversation, for a reasoned discussion, about how we can end this shutdown. Once again, the answer is ``no.''

It is disappointing, Mr. Speaker. In fact, I am sure we are all a little bit angry, but we're here. The least we can do is pass this resolution. It fulfills our responsibility under the law. It appropriates to the District of Columbia the funds that they have raised locally. It is the right thing to do, and I urge the adoption.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, point of order. At what point does this become dilatory activity inconsistent with the decorum of the House?

Mr. Speaker, if I could yield my time to the gentlelady from the District of Columbia, she would probably say these words better than I can. But Eleanor, thank you; thank you for your impassioned speech.

Mr. Speaker, the District of Columbia is different. Every Member, who in just a few minutes will vote on this piece of legislation, has the right to vote because we are from States. And every State in the Union is continuing to collect revenue and spend it as we fiddle.

Here in the District of Columbia, it is different. The District of Columbia is the only place here in the United States in which full citizens--undeniably citizens of the United States, with every right and privilege, including voting in every Presidential election--find themselves shut down if we don't pass a budget, if we don't pass appropriations.

Now, I heard the gentleman from New York, regrettably, lump in this bill with his opinion as though all three were the same. First of all, this is not a Tea Party bill. This is a bill inspired by both the majority and minority, under Ms. Norton's leadership, to come up with a solution similar to what we came up with 17 years ago for the District. This is also inspired by a similar bill that is sitting in the Senate that wants to accomplish the same thing.

This is not Tea Party. As a matter of fact, the easiest thing to do, if you want to be strident, would be in fact to shut down the District. But every one of us who knows that, back home, our States and our cities continue to operate with their own funds knows that we have an obligation to allow the District of Columbia to spend their own funds.

I want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Crenshaw, and the chairman of the full committee for bringing this quickly to the floor.

Some months ago, we passed H.R. 2793, which would address this on a permanent basis, finding a way for--anytime this happens--the District of Columbia to continue spending its own money, and to plan their budget around the possibility that they would be offering jobs to teachers and so on during a time different than our budget year. I hope to have that bill on the floor in the reasonably near future.

But today, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chairman Darrell Issa, Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, and all of us on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have already voted for this and more. And the Senate has supported this and more.

So you're not looking at the same as the other bills. Not one penny of appropriated funds actually is being determined today. We're talking about the money from the parking meters. We're talking about the money from property taxes. We're talking about the work that Mayor Gray and the city council do every day like the mayors of our city.

I talked to the mayor today, and he said: I don't know what you're going to do, but please do something. Mayor Gray deserves to have his funds overseen--because it's a Federal city? Yes. But kidnapped? No.

This is a narrow bill; it is not what I want to achieve for the District of Columbia. But it is in fact what gets us from now to December.

So I ask my friends on both sides of the aisle--and I will work my side of the aisle, and Eleanor, I know you're not leaving the floor on this one--we have to pass this overwhelmingly because we're talking about the same right to spend their own money as every city in America has, every country in America, and every State in America. And as Americans, we can do no less for the people of the District of Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I know I've already spoken, but as I talked to my friend, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the delegate made an impassioned plea to me, and it needs to be said.

We need to pass this. We need to pass this to show that we can in fact--maybe not agree on everything, maybe not agree on appropriations, but we need to pass this because the District deserves not to be held hostage in our fight. I will whip every Republican to vote ``yes'' on this bill.

I can't say that I'm going to intervene in everything that we do, but this one is important. I would ask all of us to really search our soul and say: Is the District of Columbia and their own funds the place we should be having an argument, or can we at least admit that if we get above the fray here today--the Senate has already gotten above it.

A similar bill has already been hot-lined. This is not where the House and the Senate disagree and, as a result, it should not be where we fail to come together.

I ask all my friends to join with Eleanor Holmes Norton and me and pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New York.

This debate is already heartbreaking to me. Every time I hear the District of Columbia mentioned in the same breath with other appropriations on either my side of the aisle, you are casting this city precisely where it cannot be cast--as just another Federal appropriation.

This is a living, breathing city, and the notion of holding up our budget under any circumstances or not distinguishing between the District of Columbia appropriations--a local budget and not one of your 12 appropriations; a local budget--and the other budgets is breaking my heart. It puts me in an impossible position.

I have a greater number of Federal employees than any part of this region. And of course, because I must support this piecemeal approach, when it comes to this D.C. continuing resolution, I'm leaving them behind. Well, what am I to do? What would you do if your local budget were here? Would you mention it in the same breath as the HHS budget, or the Labor Department budget, or the VA budget?

I was here when there was a piecemeal approach, and it was painful. After the District was shut down for 1 week, I went to Speaker Newt Gingrich and I said, please don't do that again for the District. There were CRs and there were bills, but each and every time Newt kept the District open after that. So I'm asking, keep the District open. Don't dare compare us to your appropriations.

I understand the resentment on my side about what is being done here, but carry out your resentment without putting us in the position of a thing, nothing but another piece of federal appropriation that you have something to do with. It's $8 billion in local money, not one dime of Federal money. It shouldn't be here. If it's here, everybody in this Chamber ought to be doing everything that you can to get it out of here.

One hundred twenty Democrats signed my letter--and I thank each and every one of you--to the leadership to say: Free the District budget; don't close the city down. What the mayor is doing now is cobbling things together, a piecemeal approach of his own. With contingency funds, he's keeping the District of Columbia government running. But that's going to run out in a few days. When it does, my friends, guess what happens? We can't appropriate a dollar, even if he declares that D.C. employees are all essential, without running into the Antideficiency Act. So we face default on our contracts because apparently neither side can tell the difference between a city and an appropriation of a Federal Government. I ask you, please, do not leave us in that position.

This resolution only keeps us open until December 15. How pitiful. So we'll be back again begging and pleading? It's on the floor now only because I have begged and pleaded the majority--and yes, I thank you, Mr. Chairman, the chairman of our committee. Yes, that's what I've done, to say please bring it any way you can, bring it to the floor.

I lived through a shutdown of the District of Columbia once. What makes this most frustrating to me today is that we have worked hard, and now have bicameral, bipartisan support for shutdown-avoidance legislation for the District of Columbia. The President put it in his budget. The chairman of the full committee, Mr. Issa, has a bill that would keep the District from shutting down and go even further. The Appropriations Committee deferred to the authorizers, but said it believed that shutdowns hurt the District of Columbia. And the Senate appropriation bill has shutdown-avoidance language in it for the District of Columbia.

No Member has come to the floor to justify closing down the District, and I do not believe there is a Republican or a Democrat that wants to shut down the District of Columbia.

So yes, when the time comes to vote, there are going to be three bills. I am asking you to distinguish between the other appropriations and ours so that you know the difference between a city with its own money and a Federal appropriation. Please vote to keep the District of Columbia running until December 15.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the House Republicans' piecemeal Continuing Resolution to fund the District of Columbia Government during the shutdown they inflicted yesterday on our Nation.

This body would do the District of Columbia a great service by allowing its esteemed and very knowledgeable Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton a vote in this chamber.

Mr. Speaker, the District of Columbia had an estimated population of 632,323 in 2012. The state of Wyoming with 2 Senators and a voting member of the House of Representatives had a population of 576,412 in 2012.

It is the 24th most populous place in the United States.

The Washington Metropolitan Area, of which the District is a part, has a population of 5.7 million, the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the country.

Perhaps this is the day that members of the majority decided they wanted to do a little something for people they could see every day of the legislative work week. But our job is to look out for the interest of everyone in the Nation--those we can see as well as the hundreds of millions who we cannot see.

Urban areas around the Nation need exactly, or perhaps in some cases more than, the assistance we would be providing to the District of Columbia though this CR, but they will not be helped unless we pass the Senate's Clean CR.

The House should take up the clean Senate Continuing Resolution to fund the entire government.

If we only fund what the House majority wants then they will have no need to worry about funding the parts of the government that they do not like, which includes the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Labor, the Social Security Administration, the Internal Review Service, the Department of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency just to name a few.

Mr. Speaker, negotiation requires honest compromise and knowing what not to ask the other party to give up. The majority knows that the Affordable Care Act is non-negotiable for the President, the Senate, or the overwhelming majority of Americans who supported it in the past and who are supporting it today by joining the Healthcare Marketplace health plans.

The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of the Federal Government are paid and that important things like our parks are open and our children are fed.

Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on reopening the government as soon as possible.