Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1892) to amend title 4, United States Code, to provide for the flying of the flag at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder in the line of duty.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to explain the importance of the pending legislation, which extends the Continuing Resolution passed by Congress on January 26, 2018 but expired at midnight, February 8, 2018, by an additional six weeks, or until March 23, 2018.

This crucial legislation rests upon three pillars.

First, the legislation before us provides $89.3 billion in aid to respond to the damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, and the wildfires in California.

Second, the Continuing Resolution pending before us is necessary to finalize and implement a bipartisan and bicameral budget agreement gives parity to defense and non-defense discretionary funding and provides $117 billion more funding for needed non-defense investments in the areas of education, public health, infrastructure, community development, and disaster relief than proposed under the Trump FY 2018 budget.

Third, I will be advocating for a nay vote on the Previous Question in order to bring to the floor a crucial legislative fix for debate and vote that will provide permanent legal residence and a path to citizenship to the more than 800,000 Dreamers, including the 124,000 who live in Texas, whose lives have been turned upside down because of this Administration's cruel, unwise, and reckless termination of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

And in connection with legislation to protect Dreamers, I will insist that the Administration rescind the revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, El Salvador, and Honduras, or failing that, TPS for those countries be extended by congressional legislation.

Mr. Speaker, 44,800 residents of Texas are TPS holders from El Salvador (36,300), Honduras (8,400), and Haiti, who combined are parents of 53,800 U.S.-born children in Texas and 14,000 of whom have home mortgages.

These TPS holders are integral members of the Texas's social fabric, having lived in Texas an average of 20 years, and contribute an aggregate $2.2 billion to the Texas economy.

This legislation provides $89.3 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to help states, communities, businesses, and individuals respond and recover from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the California wildfires.

This amount represents a doubling of the woefully inadequate $44 billion disaster relief package proposed by the Administration and a substantial increase over the $81.1 billion disaster relief funding approved by the House.

Ever since the widespread and catastrophic destruction of Hurricane Harvey occurred, I have been working closely with Senator Cornyn and other federal, state, and local officials, along with my colleagues in the Texas congressional delegation to secure the help necessary for the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey recover and rebuild.

The $8 billion increase in disaster relief funding reflected in this legislation is due in strong part to the efforts of Senator Cornyn, with whom I worked very closely to ensure that the interests of Houston and Harris County were promoted and protected.

I have witnessed firsthand the pain of storm-weary Houstonians who lost their homes, their belongings, and in many cases their jobs.

Right now, at this very moment, hundreds of thousands of Texans--in Port Arthur, in Port Aransas, in Rockport, in Houston and Harris County--remain homeless or are living in substandard homes with blue tarp roofs and infected with mold.

They are struggling and hurting.

So this is personal to me.

That is why right now my highest priority is to ensure that funding that has been made available expeditiously gets in the hands of local governments so that relief can deliver the resources and services so desperately needed.

That is why I am working with the Texas General Land Office Commissioner and have advocated for the immediate release of the $5 billion that was approved in September 2017 and wrote the HUD Secretary to expedite promulgation of the proposed regulations necessary to release the funds, which finally were published this week in the Federal Register for notice and comment.

And that is why on September 6, 2017, ten days after Hurricane Harvey struck, I introduced the first Hurricane Harvey disaster recovery legislation.

I was joined by 44 colleagues in introducing H.R. 3686, the ``Hurricane Harvey Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2017,'' which provides $174 billion in disaster relief for the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey, the worst superstorm ever to strike the mainland United States.

The $174 billion in funding provided by H.R. 3686 represents a comprehensive response commensurate to the challenge; specifically that legislation would provide relief in the following amounts:

1. Housing and Community Development Fund: $50 billion

2. FEMA Disaster Relief Fund: $35 billion

3. Army Corps of Engineers--Construction: $15 billion

4. Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies: $13 billion

5. Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program: $33 billion

6. Small Business Disaster Loans Program: $2 billion

7. Emergency Conservation Activities: $650 million

8. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: $321 million

9. National Aeronautics and Space Administration: $50 million

10. Legal Services Corporation: $10 million

11. Army National Guard: $10 million

12. Army Corps of Engineers--Civil Investigations: $150 million

13. Coast Guard: $450 million

14. National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund: $800 million

15. EPA Environmental Programs and Management: $2.5 billion

16. EPA Hazardous Substance Superfund: $7 million

17. Leaking Underground Storage Tank Fund: $15 million

18. State and Tribal Assistance Grants: $600 million

19. Employment and Training Services: $100 million

20. Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund: $2.5 billion

21. Airport and Airway Trust Fund: $90 million

22. Federal-Aid Highways Emergency Relief Program: $6.5 billion

Although, the disaster relief funding provided in the legislation before us is not as robust as the package I have proposed, it is a significant improvement over what was initially offered by the Administration and will provide much needed assistance to disaster victims in desperate need of help.

I wish to thank the leadership of the Appropriations Committee, in particular T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Diaz-Balart, and Energy and Water Appropriations Ranking Member Kaptur for including in the legislation before us the following beneficial measures that I requested, including:

1. Authority to establish and implement a $1 billion pilot program to provide small business disaster recovery grants, modeled on H.R. 3930, the ``Hurricane Harvey Small Business Recovery Grants Act,'' legislation I introduced on October 3, 2017 and is co-sponsored by 16 of our colleagues.

2. $75 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Investigations account, which is to be used in areas affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and can be used to finance the $3 million Houston-Area Watershed Assessment Study.

3. This is a highly successful conclusion to the multi-year struggle I waged to secure House approval of this project and funding with the Jackson Lee Amendments to the Energy and Water Appropriations Act for Fiscal Years 2016, 2017, and 2018.

4. The bill also includes helpful legislative language to ensure that in awarding CDBG-Disaster Relief funds to states, the Secretary of HUD should to the maximum extent practicable award grants to units of local government and public housing authorities that have the financial and administrative capacity to manage a grant awarded under the program.

5. The bill also includes a provision for which I advocated expressly providing that religious nonprofit organizations and houses of worship have the same opportunity to qualify for disaster assistance as their secular counterparts.

Let me describe briefly some of the major provisions contained in this disaster relief funding package before us:

FEMA Disaster Relief Fund: $28 billion to provide critical funding to assist the ongoing federal disaster response to allow up to $4 billion to be provided for Community Disaster Loans (CDLs).

Emergency Food Assistance Program: $24 million to provide an additional 35 million pounds of food for food banks in states affected by natural disasters.

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): $14 million.

$7.6 million to repair 12 Food and Drug Administration sites damaged by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, including repair of scientific equipment such as those used to test foods for chemical contamination.

Economic Development Assistance Programs: $600 million in additional funding to provide grants to communities directly impacted by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria, as well as others disasters declared in 2017.

This funding will support immediate relief efforts and longterm recovery projects, including repairing and replacing basic infrastructure needs that are vital for local economic recovery.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: $400 million, with $100 million allocated for improving weather forecasting capabilities and data collection efforts to better protect lives and property in the wake of future hurricanes, and with $200 million for fishery disasters causing severe economic harm in coastal communities following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration: $81 million to repair facilities damaged at the Kennedy and Johnson Space Centers.

Legal Services Corporation: $15 million for mobile resources, technology, and disaster coordinators necessary to provide storm- related services to the population in affected areas.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: $17.39 billion, including $15 billion for flood control and storm damage reduction construction projects and $135 million for high priority Investigation studies for risk reduction from future floods and hurricanes.

Of this $135 million, $75 million is to be allocated for the Army Corps of Engineers' Investigations account, which is to be used in areas affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and can be used to finance the $3 million Houston-Area Watershed Assessment Study I have worked to secure and which has been previously approved by the House.

The bill also included $608 million to finance needed federal dredging projects, such as Houston Shipping Channel and $810 million to prepare for and mitigate future flood, hurricane, and other natural disasters.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will receive $28 billion allocated to the Community Development Fund to repair homes, support local business, and rebuild infrastructure while mitigating future risk.

Also included in the legislation is authority for HUD to adjust Section 8 voucher funding for public housing agencies adversely affected by disasters in 2017.

Mr. Speaker, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, located in my congressional district, will benefit from the $10.3 million to repair Transportation and Security Administration facilities, security equipment, and access control equipment at airports damaged by the hurricanes.

The Texas Gulf Coast will benefit from the $835 million allocated to the U.S. Coast Guard; $4 million of which for site assessments to determine environmental compliance and restoration needs.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will receive $23.5 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund to support response and recovery efforts.

Other important provisions in the FEMA appropriations:

1. Ensure that religious nonprofit organizations are given the same opportunity to qualify for certain disaster assistance as their secular counterparts.

2. Extend the period of time that local government revenue loss as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria can be considered for the purpose of Community Disaster Loans.

3. Authorize the President to increase the federal cost share for certain disaster assistance from 75 to 85 percent if recipients have taken steps to make themselves more resilient against disasters.

The Environmental Protection Agency will receive $6.2 million for the Superfund program to help repair damage sustained to remedies at Superfund sites; $7 million for the Leaking Underground Storage Tank program to repair damage to storage tanks to prevent spills and contaminants from leaking into the environment; and $50 million for debris removal and technical assistance to inspect and clean up hazardous waste facilities.

Department of Labor: $100 million for disaster response economic recovery through the Dislocated Worker National Reserve.

Department of Health and Human Services:

1. $200 million for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;

2. $50 million for National Institutes of Health;

3. $650 million for Head Start; and

4. $162 million for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, including $60 million for Community Health Centers and $20 million for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration.

Department of Education will receive $2.7 billion for Hurricane Education Recovery, including:

1. $2.46 billion to restart operations at elementary and secondary schools;

2. $100 million for institutions of higher education, and students at those institutions;

3. $25 million for education services for homeless children; and

4. $35 million for Project SERV for education-related services to help students recover from traumatic events, including natural disasters.

Notably, this legislation forgives loans made to four Historically Black Colleges and Universities in response to Hurricane Katrina.

Also notably, the CR allocates $14 million for the Government Accountability Office to conduct oversight and evaluate distribution and use of disaster funding across agencies to ensure responsible use of taxpayer funds.

Department of Veterans Affairs: $4.1 million to repair damages to the Veterans Benefit Administration Office in Houston, Texas and the Puerto Rico National Cemetery.

Department of Transportation: $30 billion to repair damaged infrastructure and help communities recover from natural disasters.

Federal Highway Administration will receive $1.3 billion and the Federal Transit Administration will receive $330 million, both for their Emergency Relief Programs.

Mr. Speaker, there is much more work to be done in my city of Houston, and across the areas affected by the terrible, awesome storm that will be forever known simply as Hurricane Harvey, and by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

But the disaster relief funding package before us today represents a solid start toward completing the necessary work that must be undertaken to restore the affected communities to their previous greatness.

As I conclude, I am remembering a heroic DREAMER, Alonso Guillen, who came to the U.S. from Mexico as a child, and died in my congressional district when his boat capsized while he was rescuing survivors of the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area.

There is no heart in ending DACA and leaving the fate of 800,000 young persons in limbo and constant fear of deportation from the only country they have ever known, and the only nation to which they have ever pledged allegiance.

The way to end this crisis is to bring H.R. 3440, the Dream Act of 2017, to the floor right now and vote for it so it can pass both houses of Congress with a veto-proof majority.

A Dreamer seeking to earn her college degree and aspiring to attend medical school to better herself and her new community is not a threat to the nation's security.

Law abiding but unauthorized immigrants doing honest work to support their families pose far less danger to society than human traffickers, drug smugglers, or those who have committed a serious crime.

President Obama was correct in concluding that exercising his discretion regarding the implementation of DACA enhances the safety of all members of the public, serves national security interests, and furthers the public interest in keeping families together.

According to numerous studies conducted by the Congressional Budget Office, Social Security Administration, and Council of Economic Advisors, DACA generates substantial economic benefits to our nation.

For example, expanding DACA is estimated to increase GDP by $230 billion and create an average of 28,814 jobs per year over the next 10 years.

That is a lot of jobs.

In exercising his broad discretion in the area of removal proceedings, President Obama acted responsibly and reasonably in determining the circumstances in which it makes sense to pursue removal and when it does not.

Because of President Obama's leadership and visionary executive action, 124,000 undocumented immigrants in my home state of Texas have received deferred action.

91 percent of these immigrants are employed or in school and contribute $6.3 billion annually to the Texas economy and $460.3 billion to the national economy.

Instead of wasting time scapegoating DREAMERS, we should instead seize the opportunity to pass legislation that secures our borders, preserves America's character as the most open and welcoming country in the history of the world, and will yield hundreds of billions of dollars in economic growth.

THE SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Collins of Georgia). All time for debate has expired.

Pursuant to House Resolution 734, the previous question is ordered.

The question is on the motion by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen).

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 734 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, during consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), the ranking member of the Rules Committee, pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume.

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 the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 1892, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

Mr. Speaker, this 2-year budget agreement begins to repair our military and frees our armed services from the harmful spending caps and the devastating practice of funding our troops with stopgap spending bills. It raises defense discretionary spending levels in fiscal year 2018 by $80 billion and nondefense levels by $63 billion, while raising fiscal year 2019 levels by $85 billion and $63 billion respectively.

I have been told that this will move spending levels from 2009 spending levels to 2011 spending levels, consistent with what we had done during those periods of time.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the distinguished gentlewoman for her help to make sure that the Rules Committee effectively and carefully got their work done this evening, and I want to thank the gentlewoman. I do know it is 3:30 in the morning, and the entire committee, the entire Rules Committee, was prepared on both sides, and I thank the gentlewoman and the staffs that were included.

Mr. Speaker, Members of Congress who are elected by their respective districts come to Washington to represent their districts. But perhaps, I think, more importantly, some bit of those people also take into account, not just the representation of their district, but the pride and authorship they have in particular about America, about being a part of America and us standing together.

Tonight, we are going to have a chance to say back to one of our Members who has come to Washington, D.C., representing her home of Puerto Rico, home territory of Puerto Rico, and to say back to her that this body offered its condolences for the storms that happened last year.

She stood up, representing Puerto Rico. She is a former Speaker of the House of Puerto Rico. She stands with the people of Puerto Rico. She has come and visited Member after Member after Member to sell to them, not only the attributes of how to fix Puerto Rico, but came and did the things legislatively.

With great, great admiration, I will tell you that our next speaker, who is a member of the Republican majority, has really done an outstanding job as a brand new Member of this body; and I am pleased that we can say tonight, included in this package is that disaster package that the House passed last, I think, October.

She has worked hard. She has had faith and confidence, not only in her home territory of Puerto Rico, but in her body here, the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, it is with extreme pride that I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon), the former Speaker of the House of Puerto Rico.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Mitchell), a member of the Republican leadership team.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a Statement of Administration Policy, which is referred to as a SAP. It comes from the Executive Office of the President.

Mr. Speaker, if I could read the last paragraph: ``If the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 were presented to the President in its current form, his advisors would recommend that he sign it into law.''

Statement of Administration Policy

Senate Amendment to H.R. 1892--Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018--(Sen.

McConnell, R-KY)

The Administration supports Senate passage of the

substitute amendment to H.R. 1892, the Bipartisan Budget Act

of 2018. This amendment raises the defense spending caps for

fiscal year (FY) 2018 and FY 2019, a key step toward

fulfilling the President's promise to rebuild America's

military and ensure funding would be provided to support the

enacted National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year

2018 (NDAA).

After years of dangerous spending reductions and an

unpredictable budgetary environment perpetuated by numerous

continuing resolutions, the Bipartisan Budget Act lays the

groundwork for full funding of America's national defense,

within the framework of the Administration's National

Security and Defense Strategies and the NDAA. Passage of this

legislation would ensure America is prepared to deter and, if

necessary, defeat the full spectrum of threats from rival

powers, rogue states, and terrorist organizations like the

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

The Bipartisan Budget Act lays the groundwork for higher

investments in several Administration priorities, including

infrastructure and combating the opioid epidemic, and the

Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to

reflect the Administration's detailed funding priorities for

the remainder of FY 2018 and for FY 2019 for both defense and

non-defense needs.

At the same time, it is critical that the Congress work to

decrease non-defense spending in other areas to reduce

America's growing national debt. The Bipartisan Budget Act

provides non-defense discretionary spending levels higher

than the Administration deems necessary. Additionally,

although the Bipartisan Budget Act does include some spending

reductions, the Administration has proposed hundreds of

billions of dollars in additional spending reductions that

the Congress should also enact without delay in order to

improve our fiscal state.

Further, the Administration recognizes the Congress's

desire to provide significant funding for victims of the

recent hurricanes and wildfires, as provided in the

Bipartisan Budget Act and previously in the House-passed

supplemental bill (H.R. 4667). The Administration looks

forward to working with the Congress to ensure that adequate

oversight is exercised over disaster-related funds to ensure

that these funds reach the communities devastated by natural

disasters and are not misapplied.

The Administration supports other components of the

Bipartisan Budget Act, including greater certainty for the

Children's Health Insurance Program, an extension of funding

for Community Health Centers, and repeal of Obamacare's

Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). The IPAB authority

allows an unelected, unaccountable board to undertake major

changes to the Medicare program. The repeal of IPAB furthers

the President's goal of repealing and replacing Obamacare.

The Administration also supports suspending the debt limit

until March 2019 to provide the certainty to markets around

the world that the United States will honor its obligations.

Furthermore, the Administration is concerned with future

extensions of special interest tax deductions and benefits in

the wake of tax cuts and reforms that were enacted in

December 2017.

The President's top priority is to keep the Nation safe

from those who wish to harm it, both at home and abroad. To

do so, the United States military needs the resources

provided in the Bipartisan Budget Act, which have previously

been supported on a bipartisan basis in the NDAA and in

multiple bills passed by the House.

If the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 were presented to the

President in its current form, his advisors would recommend

that he sign it into law.

There should be no question about that, that the President of the United States is asking not only Members of Congress but the American people to understand how important it is to make sure that this government is up and running, to make sure that our military is funded, and that the men and women who protect this great Nation, those volunteers to our military, deserve a right to have us fully fund our military for the rest of the year.

I know and the Chair knows, Mr. Speaker, that this deal is only until March 23. But we should not ever allow our military to be put in harm's way. They are the ones who protect us, and for us putting them in harm's way without the money to protect them I think is bad timing and a bad way for us to extend our support to the military.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today, at 10 minutes to 4 o'clock Eastern time, that we can say we are going to move forward with this bill that fully funds the military for the rest of the year. I will ask our Members at the very end, accordingly, to please support this underlying legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, this past year, 80 members of our armed services lost their lives in training and noncombat-related fatalities. We are going to attempt tonight, not wait, to pass a bill which will offer funding for our military.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would advise the gentlewoman I will be closing as soon as she does.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, my friend and colleague, the ranking member of the Rules Committee; and the entire Rules Committee, Republicans and Democrats; and our staffs for their work late tonight and well into the morning.

Mr. Speaker, there was a question about the President of the United States and his advice that he has provided to this body. The President of the United States has indicated through a Statement of Administration Policy that there would be an expectation the President would sign this bill.

What does this mean?

This means that, as quickly as we can accomplish this rule, the underlying legislation, and the vote, perhaps as early as 7 o'clock this morning or earlier, the President of the United States may sign that; meaning that the American people could wake up today with confidence that the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives has averted a further problem through the leadership of making sure that we move forward to fund the government.

Make no mistake about it: there will be people who vote ``yes'' and people who vote ``no,'' and that is up to them. But, Mr. Speaker, tonight I would ask every Member of this body for that ``aye'' vote to do the right thing to fund the government.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I also thank her for her outstanding statement of values and what our country is about. I thank her for her extraordinary leadership.

I thank all of our colleagues for the unity that we have had over the months when we were having this debate about what this bill would look like.

I want to, again, read a letter that Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Clyburn, and I sent to the Speaker last night--I guess this night, because I think it is very important for people to understand the simplicity of our request, the fairness of our request to the Speaker.

It says: ``In the spirit of bipartisanship, we write to again reiterate our sincere desire to ensure that the government remains open and that the priorities of the American people are properly addressed. As you know, Democrats have been clear that we support a budget agreement that ensures that our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to protect our country and that America's middle class and working families have the tools they need to succeed. As part of this agreement, we have always expected that the House and the Senate would address the issue of DACA and our DREAMers.

``Most of our Members believe that the budget agreement is a reasonable compromise to address America's military strength and critical domestic priorities, like fighting the opioid crisis, boosting NIH, moving forward to resolve the pension crisis, caring for our veterans, making college more affordable, and investing in childcare for working families.''

Indeed, that is what the fight has been about all along. We have had to fight the resistance on the Republican side to invest in the domestic agenda. So I was pleased to hear some of our Republican colleagues talk about some of the things in this bill that we, on the Democratic side, insisted upon being there.

So, Mr. Speaker, we are writing again to request that you make a public statement regarding the scheduling of a vote on the DACA bill. That is our request. That is the request of the House Democrats that Mr. Hoyer and Mr. Clyburn sent this letter last night: ``Our request is that you publicly state that you will schedule a vote to consider the bipartisan Hurd-Aguilar bill and any other DACA bills that you wish to consider under a Queen of the Hill rule.

``We strongly believe that Members of the House and their constituents deserve the same dignity that Leader McConnell has extended to Members of the Senate'' by stating that he will allow a vote on this issue.

We asked him for his immediate attention to this issue, but we did not receive that back.

I said earlier that America is the greatest country that ever existed in the history of the world.

Aren't we proud to be Americans?

And what is America?

America is a country of great people of beautiful diversity that have changed over time from the days of our Founders. ``E pluribus unum,'' they said. They could never imagine how pluribus it could be, how many, how

many different people. Yet they established a Constitution that enabled everyone the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is a beautiful thing. Our country has become a more diverse country over time, but still, e pluribus unum.

In this vote today, we are just saying to pay respect to the fact that we are a nation of immigrants, constantly reinvigorated by newcomers coming with their hopes, dreams, aspirations, courage to make the future better for their families.

That is what America is about. That is what the optimism of our Founders was based on, that every generation would take responsibility. So these newcomers have made America more American.

Then who is America?

America is our great Constitution of the United States, a great Constitution, which we take an oath to support.

And what else is America?

America is a great patrimony, this beautiful land that God has given us to be stewards of. It is important to know that our country is our 50 States, the District of Columbia, and our territories.

In respect for that, I am very pleased that, in this bill, we were successful in the negotiations to get more funding for the territories, especially Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, an increase over what was in the original disaster bill.

But there are other things that are important to note that are in this bill. Again, opioids, mental health, National Institutes of Health, these are Democratic priorities that we fought for. That is why this took so long to come to fruition, because there was a resistance on the Republican side to invest on the domestic side.

So they have been increasing the defense number, which we go along with, but wanted commensurate increase on the domestic side, recognizing the domestic side for us and our budget--appropriators know this better than anyone--includes security functions, Homeland Security, the State Department, Veterans Affairs, antiterrorism activities of the Justice Department.

So there is much security on the domestic side. That is why we insisted on increasing the number, and that did happen. That did happen. That is why I am able to say in this letter that there are many good things in this legislation.

But for some reason, sometimes I think the Speaker thinks he is Speaker of the White House, not the Speaker of the House of Representatives. We should have the opportunity--I touched a nerve there, I hear--to have this House, the people's House, work its will, not be the recipients of something that might--as he said: Well, if it passes with 60 votes in the Senate and the President approves, then maybe I will bring it to the floor.

That is not a commitment.

Just let me say again what an honor it is for any of us to associate ourselves with the aspirations of the DREAMers in our country. They are so magnificent. They are a model of patriotism to our country, and all they wanted was the recognition of the Speaker of the House that they are worthy of that.

In any event, I thank the various speakers who were presiding the other day. I thank the speakers for their courtesies extended. I thank the Chair, too, Mr. Speaker.

But here it is: Yes, I was one of the four principals with the White House negotiating on this legislation. A lot of it came our way.

Do you know why?

Because nobody wants a shutdown.

This is a good bill. It doesn't do everything, but it is a compromise. But the one thing and the one message to allay fear, to build confidence, to honor the vows of our Founders that we could have done is to say: We, the United States of America, in this people's House, want to assure you that we will allow the House of Representatives to work its will.

Let the chips fall where they may, but give us a chance to allay the fear that is in the hearts of these DREAMers and their families and to remove the tears from the eyes of the Statue of Liberty observing what is happening here.

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

We saw a shutdown just over 2 weeks ago, and here we are again; I believe this is the fifth one since September. And since the Republicans control every branch of the government, we have to wonder what is going on here.

I stood in this same spot after midnight in 2013 and announced that the great government of the United States was closed for business. At that point, they were closed for business for 16 days, which means all the Federal buildings and parks were closed. The vendors who had little mom-and-pop stores, newspaper kiosks, and things at Federal businesses lost all the money, a lot of it, people with lunchrooms. The estimate was $24 billion was lost to the Federal Government.

As I recall that particular one, that was because Senator Cruz, a Republican from Texas, didn't like the Affordable Care Act and apparently was not in favor of giving healthcare to the American people.

The first shutdown that occurred when I first came here was during the Clinton administration, when Speaker Gingrich shut down the government of the United States because he was unhappy with the plane seat in Air Force One that had been assigned to him.

And 2 weeks ago, it was blamed on the Democrats, which is very strange, since the Democrats do not have the vote to shut down the House. Only the majority has those votes. And this is the first shutdown in history, as far as we can find, that the group of persons who control the House, the Senate, and the White House have given themselves a shutdown. It is a pretty sad day for us.

So here we are, 3:30 a.m., 3\1/2\ hours after a government shutdown once again. We have really got to stop this. I tell you, our fellow Americans are in a state of nervous anxiety. The stock market dropped 1,000 points in a single day, twice this week. We have perplexed the entire United States of America as well as large parts of the world.

And I would think that a reasonable person, looking at all this, would be understood to believe that perhaps Republicans are incapable of running the government because it is purely, purely government by nothing but crisis.

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

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

If we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 3440, the Dream Act. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation must pass before the time runs out on hundreds of thousands of young people who were promised, by a previous administration, that if they registered and paid $500, they could stay in the only country they know.

Without any warning, the new President invalidated the program and their lives. The things that they were promised were taken away, and those young people, a part of our lives, are living in fear. I really hope that we can do something about that. It is past time.

But I think what happened to them was most un-American.

So I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham) to discuss our proposal.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), a distinguished member of the Committee on Rules.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Democratic leader.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire of my colleague if he has any further speakers?

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, let's acknowledge that a deal like this could have come much sooner if the majority tried bipartisanship from the very beginning. Instead, our Nation has had to go through four short-term funding fights and two government shutdowns to arrive at where we are this morning. All of that was entirely preventible. It was brought on by the majority's inability to get its work done.

It was little more than a week ago that President Trump stood in this Chamber and gave his State of the Union Address. In it, he proclaimed: ``I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people.''

That was Tuesday. But the following Tuesday, the President said that he would love to see a shutdown. He keeps injecting incredible confusion and uncertainty as to what he actually would be willing to sign into law. I am aware that my colleague, Mr. Sessions, did assure us that he wants to sign this bill.

Mr. Speaker, it has been an awful long night, and it didn't need to be. We don't need to take up every crisis to the very brink. Since you control every lever of power in this government, you have failed the most basic responsibility: to run this government in a sensible and intelligent way. Everybody--all of us--know, whether we want to admit it or not, that this is no way to run a government and certainly not a government as important as the one we were sent here to represent.

I also urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question so the House can take up the Dream Act because time is so quickly running out on those young people. It would be a blot on our conscience for the rest of our lives if we did nothing to help.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me.

I thank the members of the Rules Committee, all of them, for the great service they provide to the House of Representatives, this great House of the people.

I wish that the Speaker would treat the House of the people with the dignity that it deserves by giving us an opportunity, just an opportunity, for him to say that he would bring legislation to the floor, the Hurd-Aguilar bill for one, and then the other pieces of legislation regarding DACA so that the House could work its will under the queen-of-the-hill rule.

Last night, Mr. Clyburn, the assistant leader; Mr. Hoyer, the Democratic whip; and I sent a letter to the Speaker. It said: ``Dear Mr. Speaker: In the spirit of bipartisanship, we write again to reiterate our sincere desire to ensure that the government remains open and that the priorities of the American people are properly addressed. As you know, Democrats have been clear that we support a budget agreement that ensures our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to protect our country and that America's middle class and working families have the tools they need to succeed. As part of this agreement, we have always expected that the House and the Senate would address the issue of DACA and the DREAMers.

``Most of our Members believe that this budget agreement is a reasonable compromise to address America's military strength and critical domestic priorities, like fighting the opioid crisis, boosting the National Institutes of Health, moving forward to resolve the pension crisis, caring for our veterans, making college more affordable, and investing in childcare for working families.''

The agenda that I read was what we fought for and obtained in the budget agreement. We did not object to the large amount of money that was in the bill for defense, although some had asked: What is the purpose? What is the mission?

We said: Let's go forward with that. But to keep faith with the budget agreement, we insisted that the increases in defense would be met by increases on the domestic side.

So we have fought this fight. This is a success for us to get, as I said, the opioid crisis, boosting the NIH, the pension crisis, caring for our veterans, making college more affordable, and investing in childcare for our working families. This was the fight we had

with the Republicans because they have a reluctancy to support domestic spending.

So the fact that this came to agreement after months of going back and forth on the caps, I think, is very important to recognize.

But, again, writing to the Speaker: ``We are writing to again reiterate our request that you make a public statement regarding the scheduling of a vote on a DACA bill. Our request is that you publicly state that you will schedule a vote to consider the bipartisan Hurd- Aguilar bill and any other DACA bills that you wish to consider under a Queen of the Hill rule,'' as I mentioned earlier.

``We strongly believe that Members of the House and their constituents deserve the same dignity that Leader McConnell has extended to Members of the Senate by allowing for a vote on this issue.

``Thank you for your immediate attention to this letter.''

So we haven't heard back from the Speaker on this, but I do support defeating the previous question.

One of the gentlemen on the other asked: Why would anybody vote against this bill? Why would anybody vote against this rule?

Well, because we have an opportunity right here to take matters into our own hands. Defeat the previous question so that we can take up the Dream Act.

That would be the House working its will, because we do know that the Dream Act has support on both sides of the aisle. We thank our Republican colleagues, those who have spoken out publicly, for their courage in supporting this protection.

If another country said that they were going to deport 800,000 people or place in jeopardy their protections under the law, we would be appalled. We would criticize them. So how can we, the United States of America--give me your poor--you know Emma Lazarus. I don't have to go into it right now.

But I do. We all carry it in our hearts. So I urge a ``no'' on the previous question because a ``yes'' would have allowed us to bring up the Dream Act.

I really want to disabuse anyone in this body of any idea that we are not there to support our men and women in uniform and to give them the resources they need to keep themselves and our Nation safe. But I do recognize also that what our military are protecting is the greatest country that ever existed in the history of the world, the United States of America.

What is the United States of America?

It is a country governed by a constitution that has been a beacon to the world. It is a country populated by the beautiful diversity of America. It is a country that has a beautiful patrimony given to us by God, our natural beauty. Fighting for those values is what we try to do in this bill.

Why can't we extend the hand of friendship and protection to our DREAMers?

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question.