To reauthorize the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route, and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, here we are at approximately 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon trying to do the people's business in a situation that nobody wanted. Yet because, I believe, of political self-interest, we are in a situation right now where we are in what I would call a crisis mode of operation.

We need to get a deal done. But I want to address a couple of topics today that are at issue here as we debate the funding issue, which is at the crux of why we are here today and this weekend.

Our country was built on immigration; there is just no question that we are all direct derivatives, in one way or the other. But I would like to be very clear that most of the people who have come to this country over the last two centuries came in legally. Today, we bring in 1.1 million people a year--legally. We bring in about 70,000 people who have a job-related way to get into our system. There are about 70,000 direct family members; that is, a spouse and immediate children. There are another 300,000 refugees and asylum seekers. There is a rational reason we should do that, and we have been doing that.

Today, every day, asylum seekers and refugees are permitted into our country, but there are another 800,000 who come in legally every year, and the only reason they come in is that they have an indirect family link, through generations, to the 70,000 that come in. Given that environment, we also have a temporary work permit system here that, again, has over 1 million people in it--every year.

Our country is the most welcoming, philanthropic country in the history of the world. To think that just protecting our borders as a national security issue is somehow hard-hearted and radical--no country in the history of the world has ever demonstrated that it was a radical thought to maintain and protect the sovereignty of their own country and their own borders.

Indeed, there are only 6 reasons why 13 colonies came together in the first place in the late 18th century and formed the United States of America. The No. 1 reason articulated is to provide for the common defense of our country.

President Trump is leading right now in his first responsibility, and that is to protect every citizen of the United States of America. He is fighting for the American people. Actually, that is how he got elected. He got elected because he complained about the dysfunction in Washington, about politicians, bureaucrats, and the media. So did I, in 2014--2 years before President Trump did. I believe people are fed up with this dysfunction in Washington.

I want to reemphasize that what is at issue here is the protection of our sovereignty as a country--not to change the immigration laws; that is not what is at debate today.

I want to remind everybody that just in this body this year, 43 of my colleagues across the aisle, in an immigration bill proposed by Susan Collins on this side, 43 Democrats voted for a $25 billion border security package--43. I think President Trump has demonstrated tremendous negotiating willingness over and over, over this past year, on this issue.

Let's be clear what is going on. The flow of drugs and human trafficking on our border are completely unacceptable. Everybody in this body agrees with that, demonstrated by the fact that 43 Democrats actually voted for a $25 billion border security package earlier this year. There is no way you can avoid admitting that. This has to stop.

The undampened flow of illegal drugs has created a crisis in our country. The fact that we sit here and are more concerned about the political realities in Washington than we are about stopping human trafficking across our southern border is totally unacceptable. An open border goes against the very ideas of why our country was founded. It totally undercuts American sovereignty. The American people know that. They are fed up with the status quo, and I can tell you, firsthand, so is President Donald Trump.

The Dems are very clear. My colleagues have demonstrated that they prefer open borders, illegal drug transfers, and human trafficking to a commonsense protection of our southern border.

We know fences work. I have been to countries around the world where they are protecting their borders with simple fences where they need them.

We have multiple approaches to defending our southern border. We have many miles right now that already have similar fences up that deter illegal crossings.

At the same time, this President has shown over and over again that he will work with our colleagues across the aisle to find some common solution here that we can all live with. He is ready to make a deal today. In fact, as we speak, the Vice President, the President, and the Chief of Staff are in the White House right now; the leader of the Democratic Party in the Senate is, right now, negotiating.

This needs to get done. I have done dozens of these in my career, and looking at what is important to both parties, there is no reason this can't get done.

I believe the President is ready to make a deal to fully fund the Federal Government--the last 25 percent. Let's remember how we got there. This body, the Senate and the House, did something they haven't done in 22 years, and that is fund at least 75 percent of our Federal Government on time. That was by September 30. We are here, at the end of our first quarter of the next fiscal year, still trying to fund the last 25 percent because of this controversy over the border wall.

The first number was $25 billion, as I said, which was agreed to by the other side. Then, there was another $5 billion offered. Lastly, the President, I thought, had a deal earlier this week with our colleagues across the aisle for $1.6 billion. That deal was taken away.

We are right now, I think, experiencing the second Schumer shutdown of this year. The first was over the DACA controversy. President Trump took the Democratic request for 600,000 work permits for an indefinite period of time and changed that and made an offer of a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million DACA recipients. He took a chance with the ultraright in our party, the conservative part of the party. He took a chance and stood up and said: This is the right thing to do, if it is paired with the right deal on the other side.

I believe there is no reason we can't get this package done right now. I think the President agrees with that. I think the Democratic leader agrees with that. But prior to yesterday, for a few days, there was no one talking.

I give Mick Mulvaney and the Vice President a lot of credit. I know that the Vice President was in this building until about 9:30 last night negotiating this. I just believe it is time to get this done.

Nancy Pelosi, in the House, repeatedly said that President Trump couldn't get the votes from the House to pass a funding package that included these border security priorities. We now know she was wrong. The votes were there. The House has sent a bill back over here that not only has border security but a relief package--a serious relief package for hurricane victims, disaster relief victims, and the wildfire victims in California.

The U.S. Senate should have included President Trump's priorities from the very beginning. Now this body has a chance to do the right thing.

It is time to get this done. We are here. Let's get a deal, bring it back in here, pass it, get it back to the House, and let's stop this nonsense. Let's not yield to political self-interest on either side.

I implore all of us who have influence with the people who are negotiating this: Let's get beyond this. This is so close. There is no reason we are sitting here, letting America be nervous about whether we are going to get this done. This should have been done back in September, as I said earlier. Now let's focus on our national interests, the things we are all called to do in our oath of office: Protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Let's fully fund this government--the last 25 percent--move past this, secure our border, and provide disaster relief for the people who have a timely need, right now, for us to do that.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the chairman's leadership on this.

Mr. Speaker, this is about keeping America safe. This is not a complicated vote, but it is an important vote that really defines whether or not we are going to stand for border security in this country.

For decades it has been promised. There have been bills going back to the 1980s where we were promised that we were going to get a secure border, and it never happened.

So now we have a President who ran on this issue. This isn't something that just popped up. It was front and center during the campaign.

He said: I am going to secure the border. I am going to build a wall.

The people on the other side, our Democrat friends, said they didn't want that. Some of them actually said they want open borders. Some on the other side, Mr. Speaker, have said they want to abolish ICE, the very border patrol agents that are keeping the interior of America safe.

Who are ICE? Who are the people they want to get rid of, Mr. Speaker? Those ICE agents, last year alone, saved over 900 kids from human trafficking. That is stuff that came across our border.

We are a Nation of immigrants and a Nation of laws. My great- grandparents

came here from Italy, and I am proud of that.

We, by the way, Mr. Speaker, let more than a million people into this country legally every single year. The most generous country in the world. We should be proud of that.

For those people who want to say it is a country of closed borders, this is about getting back to rule of law. This is about keeping America safe and saying there is a legal way to come here.

President Trump has said that. Even on asylum, he said, if you want to seek asylum, there is a legal way to do it. But it is pretty hard to claim asylum, Mr. Speaker, when you came through Mexico and you forced yourself across that border and Mexico said: We will offer you asylum. We will even offer you work permits and a job--and you said ``no.'' So it is really hard to say you are claiming asylum here in America when you turned down asylum in Mexico when you were coming across their border.

So it is not about asylum. It is about rule of law. What do you say, Mr. Speaker, to the millions of people from other countries all around the world who are waiting--in some cases 10 years, 15 years, 20 years-- to come to America legally? They are waiting in these theoretical lines, and they are doing it the right way.

Then you have got a few thousand people who say: We are just going to storm across your border regardless. And the President stands up and says: You know what, I want to secure this border.

We have a choice to make, Mr. Speaker. Are we going to stand with the President and say we are going to give you the tools to secure the border or not? It is a straight-up vote. You are either for border security or you are against border security.

Let's not hide behind it. When you saw that meeting at the White House last week when you had the Senate minority leader and the future Speaker of the House going over to the White House, they didn't want to give the President money for the wall because they didn't want to give him a win.

You saw them. They were bragging. They just wanted to assign blame: Are you going to take blame for the shutdown? But they said: We don't want to give you money for the wall. And they have said it since.

So if they have got a personality conflict with the President, don't let the security of this Nation get in the way of that.

This President said: This is something I believe in because I care about the American people, and I have a responsibility to keep this country safe.

I wish everybody who came here across the border wanted to come here to seek the American Dream. But, Mr. Speaker, we know that there are people that have come across this border with ill intentions for our citizens all across the Nation.

Again, I mentioned last year the 900 children who were saved from human trafficking. My colleagues have talked about the opioids, the illegal drugs that come across our border.

Mr. Speaker, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security says, on average, every single day in America, 10 known or suspected terrorists try to come into this country illegally.

Some on the other side have said: Oh, the number is not 10. Okay, then, what is your number? How many terrorists coming into this country illegally every single day are enough? I say none.

There is a legal way to come here. Those are the people, by the way, that we know of. How many people that want to break our laws, that want to do harm to our citizens, that want to jump in front of other people who are trying to come here to America the right way, how many more people have tried to come across that we don't know about because we don't have a secure border?

So we have a President who says: I need tools.

And, oh, by the way, there are some things that are in law. Right now, we, in law, tell the President where he can and can't build the wall, what materials he can and can't use.

So he has got ideas. Mr. President has shown ideas of how to actually build a better border security wall at a cheaper cost, and yet the law prohibits him from building it cheaper, in a better way, more efficiently for the American people. How ridiculous is that?

So we remove that in this bill and tell the President he can build the wall however he wants, in the most efficient way, to keep America safe.

Again, Mr. Speaker, as I close, we have got a choice to make. There is going to be a bill before us in a few minutes that we get to vote on to say, are we going to stand up for the rule of law and keeping this country safe and supporting the President's ability to secure America's border or not?

You can vote ``yes,'' or you can vote ``no,'' but don't hide behind politics. This isn't about the personality of the person in the White House. It is whether or not we are going to respect the rule of law and keep America safe.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

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

Mr. Speaker, last night, the Senate unanimously passed legislation that would fund our government through February 8. Democrats are disappointed that Congress would kick the can down the road once again; yet, we remain willing to pass that bill to keep the government open.

Unfortunately, even that simple, stopgap measure is apparently unacceptable to a President hell-bent on shutting down the government over his wasteful wall. And instead of showing leadership and moving forward with the Senate legislation, despite the President's tweets, House Republicans have caved once again to Trump's political whims.

They now have put up this grab bag of legislation that wastes taxpayer dollars, fails to meet the urgent needs of disaster victims, and, frankly, is dead on arrival in the Senate.

With all the challenges facing our country, from soaring healthcare costs to crumbling infrastructure, it is inconceivable that Republicans want to spend $5.7 billion on an unnecessary wall that President Trump himself promised Mexico would pay for.

Moreover, the disaster supplemental attached to this bill shortchanges nutrition needs in Puerto Rico, needs that were apparent 16 months ago. Republicans have continued their pattern of denying science by grossly underfunding mitigation and resilience against future disasters caused by climate change.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is nothing but another attempt by lameduck Republicans to appease President Trump. It is a fitting final act for the most chaotic and dysfunctional Congress in modern history.

Mr. Speaker, I oppose this reckless and irresponsible bill. I urge my colleagues to reject this legislation, and, instead, pass the Senate's clean CR. Keep our government open, and prevent a Trump shutdown. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the ranking member of the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano),

the ranking member of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the ranking member of the Transportation, House and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard), who is the ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), who is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), who is the Democratic whip.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Maryland an additional 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the ranking member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear that most of the opioids,

the drugs, are coming through the ports of entry.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), the ranking member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Legislative Branch.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley), the ranking member of the Financial Services Subcommittee.

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

Mr. Speaker, Democrats support strong, smart border security, but we will not allow Republicans to fleece American taxpayers by making them pay $5.7 billion for Trump's ineffective wall. I remind my friends that 88 percent of opioids seized come through the port of entry. Let's get the facts on the table.

I will say my other comment includes praising Chairman Frelinghuysen for his distinguished career in public service, for the debates on a bill that has an actual chance at becoming law.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1183, I call up the bill (H.R. 695) to amend the National Child Protection Act of 1993 to establish a voluntary national criminal history background check system and criminal history review program for certain individuals who, related to their employment, have access to children, the elderly, or individuals with disabilities, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 695, a bill making further additional continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 2019.

This measure keeps our government open until February 8, 2019, and prevents a costly, destabilizing government shutdown. This continuing resolution reflects the House position on

border security and provides $5 billion for the construction of physical barriers at our borders.

This is the same amount that was provided in the Homeland Security funding bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee back in July of this year. In addition, this legislation includes $7.8 billion in supplemental funding for disaster relief.

Congress has always been responsive to hurricanes, and wildfires, and typhoons, and other natural disasters. We must continue to do so to help our fellow Americans as they rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

I don't support a government shutdown, and I never have. Americans deserve stability and predictability of a government that is 100 percent operational. I would have much preferred to complete negotiations on our remaining seven bills with our Senate counterparts, but there were several very challenging issues that remained. As I stated before, a continuing resolution is the last resort when it comes to funding the Federal Government.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I urge the Senate to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Dunn).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson), who is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Jody B. Hice).

(Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Rice).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), a member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the Republican whip.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert).

Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to vote ``yes'' on the bill, to keep the government open until February 8, to support critical border security, which is badly needed, and to look after the needs of so many Americans who have suffered from so many disasters over this past year.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

What a sad day.

Chairman Frelinghuysen, I feel badly that you are leaving on this note. I know it is not your wish. I know that, if you were in charge, we would have reached agreement. I know, under your leadership, we passed--we didn't pass them. Six bills were forged in a bipartisan way, not our bills, your bills.

Mr. Speaker, the seventh bill is also agreed to, save one item, so that approximately 96 percent of the legislation has been agreed to by both sides, and the United States Senate has passed a continuing resolution based upon those bills by voice vote. Yet here we are, twisting in the wind at 7 p.m. on the day before the government shuts down.

What a sad performance. What a regrettable lack of responsibility, how we have undermined the faith of our people, treated the Federal employee terribly, and given cause for the rest of the world to think: What are they doing?

There is not one person on the Republican side of the aisle who believes that, if they pass this bill, it will be accepted by the Senate. Not one of you believes that. So we are playing political games here to pander to the President of the United States, who sadly rejected a compromise that was reached by all of us.

The majority leader of your party and the Speaker were for this compromise. We were for this compromise and the Senate was for this compromise. One person, why are we here?

I will shut down the government, absolutely. I am proud to shut down the government. That is what the President of the United States said just a few days ago. And today, he put the entire Congress in a tizzy.

How sad it is that the Republican leadership of this Congress and the last Congress have consistently been unable to meet their fiscal responsibilities.

John Boehner brought a bill to open up the government and, sadly, only 78 Republicans would follow their leadership--Mr. Boehner, Mr. Cantor, Mr. McCarthy--only 78, and the rest, including the present Director of OMB, voted to keep the government shut down.

So I am not surprised that we are here, but it is sad that we are here acting so irresponsibly. If we have one duty as we come here, it is to have our government function effectively for our people. We are failing tonight.

This is a pretense. This bill is going nowhere. The Senate won't accept it. Perhaps the Senate will send it back, amended--perhaps. But we are, we think, adults. Let's act responsibly. Defeat this bill.