Save American Workers Act of 2017

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I thank the distinguished chairman, my good friend, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes.

(Mr. HASTINGS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am going to truncate my original remarks.

Mr. Speaker, today's legislation is yet another callous attempt by my friends on the other side to undermine healthcare for millions of Americans, all while recklessly adding billions of dollars to the deficit.

This legislation not only guts vital provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but also weakens the requirements on employer-provided healthcare. I might add, even though we may not be bringing it up, we do support the conference report and will be willing to go forward in that regard.

The time has come for our friends across the aisle to abandon their tired playbook, a playbook full of tactics and strategies bent on sabotaging and undermining healthcare, rather than plans to make our healthcare system stronger and more inclusive.

Mr. Speaker, we are also here today, as I just said, on the conference report, for a three-bill spending package, funding a portion of our government, which runs out of funds at the end of this month.

This funding package isn't perfect, and while I would have preferred we consider appropriations bills one at a time through regular order, as the Speaker promised, this effort represents how this House should operate when we consider legislation. We hold hearings, markups, go to conference, negotiate in good faith, and finally, emerge with a bipartisan compromise.

Good process makes for good policy. While this bill may not be one Democrats would have written, I am glad this conference report rejects House Republicans' and President Trump's extreme budget cuts and harmful antienvironmental riders.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to say this: We have learned that, as Hurricane Florence closes in on millions of Americans, the administration has raided the coffers of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in order to move money to ICE. I am not going to spend a lot of time on that. I think it is just wrong.

Mr. Speaker, this Republican-led Congress sets yet another record with today's 97th closed rule. Week after week, my friends across the aisle continue to make history for all the wrong reasons, but we should not let this latest milestone go unrecognized because it is yet another sad point in this Chamber's history.

In this historically closed-off Congress, Republican leaders have used restrictive rules to block measures to create jobs, bring down the cost of prescription drugs, and make education more affordable for our children.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding me the customary thirty minutes for debate, and I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to debate the Rule for H.R. 3798, the Save American Workers Act and the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 5895.

Mr. Speaker, last year Republicans took one on the chin when their Affordable Care Act repeal bill--a bill they spent all of 17 days working on--went down in flames in a most public and spectacular fashion. They learned that conspicuously snatching health insurance from millions of people would probably cost them some votes.

So, instead of continuing with their more open, though admittedly failed tactics, my friends across the aisle are pursuing an altogether shiftier strategy today.

That strategy, with its aim of ridding the American people of their healthcare coverage, can be summed up in one word: sabotage.

Today's legislation is yet another callous attempt by Republicans to undermine healthcare for millions of Americans, all while recklessly adding billions of dollars to the deficit. This legislation not only guts vital provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but also weakens requirements on employer provided healthcare.

Now is the time for us to face facts and accept truths. Fact, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking poll found that 50 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act.

Fact, 75 percent of Americans want to keep the Affordable Care Act's provisions that prevent health plans from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions. Fact, 72 percent of Americans want to retain the provision of the ACA that prevents insurers from charging sick people more.

The time has come for my friends across the aisle to abandon their tired playbook--a playbook full of tactics and strategies bent on sabotaging and undermining healthcare rather than plans to make our healthcare system stronger and more inclusive.

Mr. Speaker, we are also here today to consider H.R. 5895, a conference report for a three-bill spending package--funding a portion of our government--which runs out of funding at the end of this month.

This funding package isn't perfect, and while I would have preferred we consider appropriations bills one at a time through regular order as the Speaker promised, this effort represents how this House should operate when we consider legislation: we hold hearings, markups, go to conference, negotiate in good faith, and finally emerge with a bipartisan compromise.

Good process makes for good policy, and while this bill may not be one Democrats

would have written, I'm glad this conference report rejects House Republicans' and President Trump's extreme budget cuts and harmful anti-environmental riders.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to say this, we have learned that as Hurricane Florence closes in on millions of Americans, the Trump Administration has raided the coffers of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in order to move money to ICE for the continued immoral detention of children.

The ability of this Administration to reach new lows is astounding.

To my fellow Americans who are in Hurricane Florence's path, our thoughts and prayers are with you.

As a Floridian, I know all too well the effects these devastating storms can have and I urge everyone to take all necessary steps to be prepared, be safe, and listen to the direction of local authorities as this storm impacts the Southeast.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this Republican led Congress sets yet another record with today's 97th Closed Rule. Week after week, my friends across the aisle continue to make history for all the wrong reasons. But we should not let this latest milestone go unrecognized, because it is yet another sad point in this Chamber's history.

In this historically closed-off Congress, Republican leaders have used restrictive rules to block measures to create jobs, bring down the cost of prescription drugs, and make education more affordable.

These policies deserve consideration on the House Floor, yet they are continuously blocked by the Republican Majority.

This discouraging record not only suppresses the voices of Democratic and Republican Members, it also suppresses the voices of millions of Americans.

Mr. Speaker, my Republican friends may claim today's three-bill spending package gets the ball rolling to fully fund the government.

But we need to put into context what it means to fully fund the government, it means that we must pass 12 appropriations bills in order to fully fund our government.

So, before they take a victory lap over today's spending package, I will simply remind the Majority that with precious few legislative days remaining, we still must pass the remaining seventy-five percent of bills that will fund our government.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1059 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), my dear friend, pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and the underlying legislation.

The rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3798, the Save American Workers Act of 2018, and H.R. 5895, Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2019.

Mr. Speaker, today is quite an unusual day, not only for our Nation, but also for Members of Congress. As a result of that, I have had a discussion with my dear friend, Judge Hastings, and we have decided we are going to try to expedite that which we do today, so all Members need to be advised we might finish the process of the rule on the floor some 55 minutes early

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule and the underlying legislation. The rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3798, the Save American Workers Act of 2018 and H.R. 5895, Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veteran Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019.

Since 2010, the American people have been dealing with the impacts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare. As we now know, Obamacare contains a number of provisions that have greatly impacted the labor market, the workforce, and employers of all sizes. At the broadest level, the bill created massive mandatory spending spending programs that have contributed greatly to the

country's debt and financial burdens on the American tax payer.

At the center of this is the employer mandate. The employer mandate impacts hiring and employees' hours because it requires employers with 50 or more full-time employees to provide health insurance and carries a specific fine for noncompliance. Under this, employees who work 30 or more hours per week are considered full-time. In addition, complex reporting requirements make the burden of this provision even greater for employers.

The employer mandate requirement has resulted in employers reducing workers' hours to 29 hours per week or less in an attempt to minimize the mandate's devastating impacts. These reduced hours have caused millions of workers to receive less take home pay.

The 30-hour rule does little more than discourage employment and financial stability for American workers--especially low wage workers. According to a Hoover institution study, 2.6 million Americans making less than $30,000 were at risk of having their hours and wages cut as a result of Obamacare's 30-hour rule.

H.R. 3798 would give employers and workers more flexibility by changing Obamacare's definition of full-time worker from 30 hours per week to 40 hours per week and from 120 hours per month to 174 hours per month for full-time equivalents. In addition, the bill gives employers retroactive relief from the employer mandate penalty. Thus, any employer that owed a penalty for failing to provide coverage during that period would no longer owe it, a big help to some our small businesses.

The bill also includes a provision that will delay the implementation of the Obamacare tax on high-cost health plans, known as the ``Cadillac tax,'' until 2023, granting employers one additional year of relief from the tax.

Finally, in light of the repeal of the individual mandate penalty, H.R. 3798 removes burdensome regulatory requirements on some providers of minimum essential coverage.

Mr. Speaker, this rule also provides for consideration of H.R. 5895, Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019.

This three-bill Appropriations package provides funding for fiscal year 2019 in three very important categories. This bill is a product of members working across the aisle in a wonderful display of bipartisanship and I am pleased to see this body take up such an important measure.

The agreement addresses one of our fundamental responsibilities here in Congress, taking care of our veterans. The bill provides $5.3 Billion above FY18 levels and ensures funding for VA medical care. It funds VA medical care at $72.3 Billion, providing for 7 million veteran patients to be treated in FY19. The bill strengthens veteran programs like mental health care services, opioid abuse prevention, suicide prevention, and rural veterans health initiatives. Additionally, the legislation continues to rebuild infrastructure for our service members and their families with $10.3 Billion for military construction projects, an increase of $241 Million.

The second part of this appropriations package, energy and water, prioritizes our national security and invests in American infrastructure. The bill supports a strong nuclear national security strategy with a total $560 Million above FY 18 levels for the Department of Energy's nuclear weapons security programs. It also provides a much-needed influx of funds into our nation's water resources infrastructure by directing $7 Billion to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Finally, the legislation directs a much-needed increase of $29.8 Million for our extremely dedicated and brave Capitol Police Officers. This money will ensure their safety, the safety of our Capitol complex, and the thousands of guests who visit every day.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, the distinguished gentleman, his work with me is appreciated. On behalf of not only Judge Hastings and myself, really, the Rules Committee, which both of us represent, with great anxiety, we recognize, as our Members do, about the storm that is headed to the United States of America.

We want to wish all the people who are in the storm's way the very best, but we are attempting to do what we can to make sure we complete our work properly.

Thus, I ask for my colleagues to vote for this conference report, which will do so much to move us not only to the point where we can continue to work together, but to fund the important activities that need to take place.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues support this bill and the underlying bills.

Mr. Speaker, this is a good rule and so are the two underlying bills. it has become abundantly clear that Obamacare has failed the American people. Our nation's healthcare system is broken and only getting worse.

The American people are counting on us to empower individuals, families, and employers to spend their health care dollars the way they want. They are counting on us to remove the federal government from their health care and the first bill is another step in the right direction.

The second bill is a wonderful example to bipartisanship--the package isn't perfect, but it is a good bill. It takes care of our veterans and our military, it provides much-needed funding for our infrastructure and our waterways, and it ensures we are providing the Capitol Police officers the funding they need.

I urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying bills.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

The previous question was ordered.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday and Tuesday, no votes are expected in the House.

On Wednesday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.

On Thursday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business.

On Friday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes are expected no later than 3 p.m.

Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business today.

In addition, the House will consider H.R. 3798, the Save American Workers Act, sponsored by Representative Jackie Walorski. This package of bills will reduce unnecessary burdens on employers by restoring the 40-hour full-time workweek, providing relief from the employer mandate, delaying the Cadillac tax until 2023, and saving small businesses time and money in compliance costs.

Mr. Speaker, the House also plans to vote on the conference report to accompany H.R. 5895, the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs Appropriations Act of 2019.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, additional legislative items are possible in the House, including WRDA, which represents a critical investment in America's infrastructure. As soon as items are added to our schedule, I will be sure to inform all Members.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Not at this moment, but I hope that it will be today. All the reports are there. It is just finishing a very few items, and I expect it to be done today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his question. Just as I announced, next week, the House is expected to send the full year appropriations for three bills directly to the President's desk. And just this week, we entered into conference with the Senate on six additional bills. These nine bills make up 87 percent of the discretionary budget and represents the most appropriation bills in conference at any point in the last 20 years.

I am encouraged by the work our committees are doing, and I believe that we are making good progress. As soon as further items are scheduled for the floor, I will be sure to inform the Members.

But the gentleman's question is about a continuing resolution. I want to focus on appropriations, because we have never been at this point in the last 20 years, and I would like to get as many, if not all of them, done before we depart, and we can deal with the continuing resolution with whatever is left when that moment comes.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I have no changes to the schedule at this time, but I am always encouraged. If we get all of our work done, there wouldn't be a point to be here. But as of now, we don't have our work done, so we will need to finish the job.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

As the gentleman knows, in the farm bill, we are still in conference on that; and then additional items, I would like to deal with and get done before we depart, yes.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I continue to monitor the conference reports.

I was talking to Chairman Conaway just this week, along with his counterparts over in the Senate. They are making progress. But as we know, I was hopeful that the first minibus, that we could have voted on that today. But I do think the conference will finish up for us to be able to vote on that next week.

So as these come together, as soon as they are done, I would like to be able to vote and finish as much business as we can before the end of the year.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his question.

I do not want to slow the conference for their work and others, but I would like to see us finish that. And, of course, we do not want those items to expire, so we would deal with that at the appropriate time. But as of now, if we can solve them and vote for the continuation, I would take that up first.

Mr. Speaker, I rise for the purpose of inquiring of the majority leader the schedule for the week to come.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), my friend, the majority leader.

(Mr. McCARTHY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his information. And the minibus that he referred to is what we refer to, I guess, as the first minibus. Has that conference report been completed at this point in time, Mr. Leader?

I yield to my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that information. Mr. Speaker, we have some 7 days left to go, and, of course, next week is essentially one full day, and then we have 4, maybe 5 days the following week, depending upon what is necessary.

I would ask the majority leader, does he contemplate us trying to effect a continuing resolution for those appropriation items which have not been addressed in the next 7 days? And if so, how long does he expect that continuing resolution to go?

I yield to my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I hope his optimism is met because I think that would be a better thing for us to do, so I appreciate that observation.

Let me ask the gentleman as well, if we accomplish what he suggests that we might accomplish over the next 7 legislative days, there will still be a needed CR. Assuming we adopt a resolution which will fund all of government through a particular time, both because we passed appropriations bills, your point being that there are nine that are possible to pass with three remaining.

The gentleman has scheduled, as of now, for us to be meeting the first 2 weeks in October.

Obviously, Members are very interested in whether or not that schedule will be kept or whether there is a possibility that assuming we do, in fact, fund government to some date, either through the year, the next fiscal year, or for a period of time, for those bills that have not passed and been signed by the President, does the gentleman still contemplate that we will be here the first 2 weeks in October?

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that. I would hope that, for scheduling purposes for all Members, we could make that decision by the end of next week so that Members would have the opportunity to plan. I realize full well that it depends upon whether or not, in fact, we get the work done, which is why I was asking about the CR.

In addition to that, the gentleman has mentioned a couple of bills, but the Violence Against Women Act, the farm bill, and the FAA, as the gentleman knows, expire on September 30. Does the gentleman expect us to be dealing with those bills in one form or another?

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, so the gentleman's hope is to vote on these conference reports prior to the 30th of September?

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that observation.

My presumption, therefore, is, if the conference cannot come to agreement, I would presume that we would have an extension on those three bills and others that might need that. Is that accurate?

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the information.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove Representative Ed Perlmutter as a cosponsor of my bill H.R. 3798. He was mistakenly added to the legislation.