SAFER Act of 2017

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1766, the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act of 2017. This bipartisan legislation passed the Senate on October 23, 2017.

I am glad that this House is moving this legislation, because it is about children. It is about the scourge that children, women, and others find themselves victims of--sexual assault.

S. 1766 will reauthorize the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 through the year 2022, by amending the language in section 2(c)(4) of 34 U.S.C. 40701(c)(4).

Furthermore, this legislation also amends other sections of the DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2004 by ensuring that role of forensic nurses pertains to both adult and pediatric care.

The SAFER Act also amends this statute by making a provision after ``elder abuse'' for the need of nurse examiners, particularly where there is the need for pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners, including such nurse examiners working in the multidisciplinary setting, in responding to abuse of both children and adolescents.

Finally, this legislation will sunset through 2023 by amending the SAFER Act. The SAFER Act is a critical program, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, that allows:

Local law enforcement programs to obtain funding for programs to reduce the rape kit backlog in communities across the country;

Victims of sexual assault get justice more quickly than in the past;

Thirty-five percent of funds available under the Debbie Smith Act for grants to local law enforcement agencies to focus more resources on rape kit testing;

Five to seven percent of the Debbie Smith Act funding to be used by local jurisdictions to conduct 1-year audits of untested sexual assault evidence to identify serious areas of backlog; and

Forensic testing to be done by both pediatric and adult sexual assault nurse examiners.

This is a very important measure that will address the large volume of cases that fester due to the excessive backlog in our processing of rape kits.

According to the National Institute of Justice, a multidisciplinary, victim-centered approach and standardized, efficient evidence processing in sexual assault cases are the focus of its new report.

The report, ``National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits,'' outlines 35 suggestions for laboratories and law enforcement to improve their sexual assault investigations, tackling issues such as evidence collection, storage, and maintenance; backlog tracking and processing; victim advocacy and notification; and sensitivity to trauma in sexual assault victims.

A working group--consisting of victims and victim advocates, sexual assault nurse examiners and medical examiners, forensic laboratories, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and members of the judiciary-- developed the suggestions over a 2-year period following the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act of 2013, the SAFER Act, a component of the Violence Against Women Act. We will soon reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, and we will be happy to have this expansion included in this.

A victim-centered approach is the focus on the needs and the concerns of a victim to ensure the passionate and sensitive delivery of services in a nonjudgmental manner. A trauma-informed approach considers the impact of trauma and victim safety considerations.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Texas, Congressman Poe, and my colleague from New York, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, have worked on a number of these issues, and also Senator Cornyn, because this is a very important step. I remember the days, in our respective jurisdictions, that we had a mounting backlog of rape kits. Do you know what that means, Mr. Speaker? Women and children do not get either their day in court or do not get justice.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that this is a timely and very important legislative initiative.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, to my good friend from Texas, I am just a measure above your lost voice. I am suffering from somewhat of the same thing, but I have a little bit of a voice, so I can say thank you, again, for your very hard work on this legislation as a former judge in Harris County on the criminal bench. I know you saw injustices because rape kits had not been processed.

I believe, as the chair and co-chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus and the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, that we went through this as well. I was very pleased that the Justice Department understood the importance of grants to help our local law enforcement, but, more importantly, that the Judiciary Committee understood the importance of this legislation to really move forward to process kits.

Can you imagine, Mr. Speaker, children having a backlog of kits that have been subjected to sexual assault--the most dastardly act and violence--not only against adults, but against children, like 3-month- olds, or toddlers, by sick people who sexually assault them.

So the development and implementation of policies and procedures by the National Institutes of Health leads to more timely submission of evidence to forensic laboratories, enhances communications and investigative procedures, promotes better informed prosecutorial decisionmaking, and, as my friend said, it helps the accused and the accuser. These approaches are the most important because they get victim participation.

Victims of sexual assault require justice that is swift, thorough, and expedient so they may begin to heal and attempt to put the pieces of their lives back together. They deserve the best efforts of law enforcement to help them along the way.

When Houston was trying to rebuild its rape testing structure, we utilized the FBI. And I want to take a moment to thank the FBI for its deep abiding integrity and honesty and how it comes to the rescue of so many jurisdictions, local law enforcement. Let us be very clear on how important it is to maintain the integrity and the respect for the FBI, as opposed to demeaning the FBI. Today, on the floor of the House, I want to thank them for their service.

So this legislation would reauthorize the SAFER Act, provide funding to conduct 1-year audits of untested sexual assault evidence, and ensure that law enforcement agencies across the country are trained and armed with the skills and tools they require to stand against sexual assault and stand for those individuals who might be victimized.

The SAFER Act would also ensure that forensic nurses are eligible for training under the program. These professionals are indispensable. Our citizens deserve to be protected and remain free from harm. Our children, women, and men, who are sexually assaulted, deserve to be protected, but their cases must move expeditiously.

Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation, as we continue to stand for victims and against the viciousness of sexual crimes of any kind, protect them, and bring the perpetrators to justice. I ask for a ``yes'' vote for this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1766, the ``Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting'' or the (SAFER) Act of 2017.''

This bipartisan legislation passed the Senate October 23, 2017.

S. 1766 will reauthorize the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 through the year 2022, by amending the language in section 2(c)(4) of the (34 U.S.C. 40701(c)(4)).

Furthermore, this legislation also amends Section 304(c)(2) of the DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2004 (34 U.S.C. 40723(c)(2)) by ensuring that role of forensic nurses pertains to both adult and pediatric care.

The SAFER Act also amends this statute by making a provision after ``elder abuse'' for the need of nurse examiners, particularly, where there is the need for pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners, including such nurse examiners working in the multidisciplinary setting, in responding to abuse of both children and adolescents''.

Finally, this legislation will sunset through 2023 by amending Section 1006 of the SAFER Act of 2013 (34 U.S.C. 40701 note).

The SAFER Act is a critical program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice that allows:

Local law enforcement programs to obtain funding for programs to reduce the rape kit backlog in communities across the country.

Victims of sexual assault get justice more quickly than in the past.

35% of funds available under the Debbie Smith Act for grants to local law enforcement agencies to focus more resources on rape kit testing.

5%-7% of the Debbie Smith Act funding to be used by local jurisdictions to conduct one-year audits of untested sexual assault evidence to identify serious areas of backlog.

Forensic testing to be done by both pediatric and adult sexual assault nurse examiners.

This is a very important measure that will address the large volume of cases that fester due to the excessive back log in our processing of rape kits.

According to the National Institute of Justice, a multidisciplinary, victim-centered approach and standardized, efficient evidence processing in sexual assault cases are the focus of its new report.

The report, National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits, outlines 35 suggestions for laboratories and law enforcement to improve their sexual assault investigations, tackling issues such as evidence collection, storage and maintenance; backlog tracking & processing; victim advocacy and notification; and sensitivity to trauma in sexual assault victims.

A working group--consisting of victims and victim advocates, sexual assault nurse examiners and medical examiners, forensic laboratories, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and members of the judiciary-- developed the suggestions over a two-year period following the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act of 2013, a component of the Violence Against Women Act.

A victim centered approach is the focus on the needs and concerns of a victim to ensure the compassionate and sensitive delivery of services in a nonjudgmental manner. A trauma-informed approach considers the impact of trauma and victim safety considerations.

Utilizing both approaches in the development and implementation of policies and procedures leads to more timely submission of evidence to forensic laboratories, enhances communications and investigative procedures, promotes better informed prosecutorial decision-making, and ultimately may reduce re-traumatization of victims by the criminal justice system.

In fact, these approaches are more likely to increase victim participation and thereby, support more complete investigations, increasing the overall likelihood of successful prosecutions.''

For these reasons, I support this bill.

Victims of sexual assault require justice that is swift, thorough, and expedient, so that they may begin to heal and attempt to put the pieces of their lives back together. They deserve the best efforts of law enforcement to help them along the way.

This legislation would reauthorize the SAFER Act, provide funding to conduct one-year audits of untested sexual assault evidence, and ensure that law enforcement agencies across the country are trained and armed with the skills and tools they require to stand against sexual assault, and stand for those individuals who might be victimized.

The SAFER Act would also ensure that forensic nurses are eligible for training under the program. These professionals perform indispensable functions within the investigation of sexual abuse cases. They also provide specialized care and attention to children, youth, and the elderly, who are sexually abused. This legislation would help local authorities make certain that state and local forensic nurses are fully capable of providing such an important service to child victims.

Our citizens deserve to be protected and remain free from harm. We have a responsibility to do all that we can during those unfortunate times where one of them might be victimized.

Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation as we continue to stand for victims and against sexual crimes of any kind.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about H.R. 1370, ``Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act of 2017'' [Further Continuing Resolution].

This resolution is an imperfect vehicle for appropriations for FY 2018, because it does not reflect an effort to include bipartisan solutions to remaining Democratic priorities.

H.R. 1370 not only fails to address remaining unsolved issues, but it also fails to fund the government through the end of FY 2018.

Republicans have not consulted Democrats on anything that is included in this year-end legislation, accordingly the majority should not expect Democrats to vote on a bill that does not include the following priorities:

A bipartisan, long-term reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP):

CHIP, which provides health coverage to 9 million children, expired nearly three months ago.

Republicans have only put forward legislation that cuts other critical health programs, an unacceptable trade-off.

States have already begun taking steps to shut down their CHIP programs, and I will not vote for a Continuing Resolution (CR) that prevents children from obtaining health coverage.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program:

According to a report by the Center for American Progress, 122 DREAMers are losing their protection every single day that Congress fails to act.

Disaster aid:

My district--Houston, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are short-changed in the supplemental proposed by the majority.

Among other glaring omissions, the Republican supplemental fails to include funding for their Medicaid programs, which are facing unprecedented demands following these ruinous hurricanes.

An agreement to lift the Budget Control Act (BCA) spending caps:

In the three months since a CR was passed in September, Republicans have not worked on a budget agreement that ensures Congress can adequately fund defense and nondefense priorities and adhere to the principle of parity between defense and non-defense spending.

H.R. 1370 would provide $4.5 billion in emergency funding for the Department of Defense, as requested by the Trump administration on November 6.

Most of that money is allocated for missile defense programs primarily targeting North Korea, an area that President Trump has failed to approach diplomatically and instead, has resorted to inflammatory threats, tweets, and other non-presidential approaches typical of this administration.

In contrast, H.R. 1370 would provide a mere four-week extension of current funding for domestic needs.

This continuing resolution would force both parties to revisit the domestic programs in January.

Mr. Speaker, I will not accept this scheme and I highlight the importance of parity between defense and domestic programs in order to provide adequate funds for veterans' health, a pension bailout, opioid- fighting programs, and medical research.

Another major concern of this bill includes the unrevised extension of government surveillance powers; Congress has yet to agree on a proper revision of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Section 702 of FISA was intended to be revised this month; however, the majority has failed to address that issue, adding one more unresolved priority to the list of neglected legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed that we have again been placed in the position of having to fund the government through the device of a continuing resolution rather than through the normal appropriations process of considering and voting on separate spending bills usually reported by the Committee on Appropriations.

The reason for this last minute resolution is due to the Republican leadership being solely focused on cutting taxes on the wealthy rather than coming up with a plan to keep the government open and serving its citizens.

Republicans control the House, Senate, and the White House--they should have the votes to pass a CR on their own if they refuse to compromise with Democrats.

The government shutdown of 2013, which was manufactured by the Republican majority lasted 16 days and cost taxpayers $24 billion.

The enormous harm and disruption of the lives of federal employees and the people they serve, however, was irreparable.

As I stated, Mr. Speaker, this Continuing Resolution is not perfect and it only funds the government until January 19, 2018.

As seasoned Members of Congress, we have been in this challenging position before.

But working together in a spirit of goodwill, bipartisanship, and realism, I believe we can reach a long-term agreement that will avert a shutdown of government operations and the disruption a shutdown causes to the lives of millions of Americans who depend upon federal programs to do their jobs, educate their kids, care for their parents, and contribute to their communities.

Our constituents look to the Congress and the President to make responsible choices and decisions to keep the nation safe, the economy prosperous, and to make necessary and prudent investments in education, healthcare and research, transportation and infrastructure, economic development, science, the arts and humanities, and the environment.

This is, after all, just another way of saying that the American people expect their leaders in Washington be guided by the Constitution's Preamble and pursue policies and provide the resources that will:

establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for

the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure

the blessings of liberty.

The funding priorities that have been floated by the Trump Administration fail this essential test of leadership because they are irresponsible, impracticable, unrealistic, and, in many respects, insensitive or indifferent to the deleterious impact they will have on the lives of real people living in the real world.

They do not command majority support in the Congress or of the public.

To win such support, I believe that it is essential that any subsequent continuing resolution or omnibus appropriations bill achieves the following goals and objectives:

``To establish justice'' and ``To promote the general welfare'':

1. Full funding for the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights so that they have funds needed to enforce laws protecting civil rights, voting rights, and prosecuting hate crimes.

2. Fully funds community development block grants and low income housing programs in urban and rural communities.

3. Fully funds the Legal Services Corporation so that working and low-income persons who lack an army of lobbyists to represent them in Washington will at least have the assistance of counsel to defend their legal rights in courts of law.

4. Fully funds programs providing food assistance to housebound seniors, such as Meals on Wheels.

5. Fully funds programs that provide students from low and moderate- income families access to affordable access to higher education and provides students with special needs the support needed to receive the free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA Act).

6. Fully funds before and after school programs and other student enrichment programs that help students succeed.

7. Fully funds programs that make federal housing safer through energy efficient heating and cooling systems.

8. Preserves tax credit programs that help revitalize low income communities.

9. Fully funds the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy programs developing the next generation of clean energy and transportation technologies.

``Provide for the common defense'':

1. Provides robust funding for the Department of State and USAID to advance national security interests in places like Iraq and Afghanistan and to end violent conflicts in trouble spots which could threaten the security interests of the United States.

2. Provides adequate funding for United Nations peacekeeping missions throughout the world and distribution of food aid to people in developing and famine stricken countries, such as South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and Nigeria.

``To ensure domestic tranquility'':

1. Fully funds cost-sharing reduction subsidies, or CSRs, to compensate insurers for reducing deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums for low-income customers on the Affordable Care Act exchanges.

2. Protects the adequacy, solvency, and integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which provide health sustaining support for 70 million Americans.

3. Fully funds the National Institutes of Health research programs so that patient access to lifesaving treatments is not delayed.

4. Does not convert funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention into block grants which would hindering the nation's ability to respond swiftly and effectively to public health crises like Ebola, Zika, and HIV/AIDS.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that if all members of the House and Senate work together, we can reach agreement on an appropriate budget framework that that invests in the American

people, preserves our national security, and keeps faith with the values that have served our nation well and made the United States the leading nation on earth.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the provision within this legislation that would authorize and appropriate $2.1 billion for the Veterans Choice Program.

Choice was created by Congress in 2014, following a nationwide Department of Veterans Affairs access and accountability crisis. Make no mistake about it: Choice has certainly not been without its faults in the last 3 years; however, the program has also resulted in millions of veterans receiving care they otherwise would have had to wait longer or travel further for--or maybe not receive at all.

Absent passage of this provision, the Choice Program is expected to run out of money in early 2018, which could jeopardize the care that veterans across the country are receiving in their communities. This is totally unacceptable.

The committee has been working diligently to create a permanent care in the community program to replace and improve upon Choice. In fact, I was proud to introduce H.R. 4242, the VA Care in the Community Act, last month. That legislation was favorably reported out of my committee just this week, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on community care reform. In the meantime, we cannot allow the care our veterans receive in the community through the Choice Program to be jeopardized by lack of funding.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter Secretary Shulkin sent me earlier this month.

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs,

Washington, DC, December 12, 2017.

Hon. David P. Roe, M.D.,

Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I write to raise issues for your

consideration regarding the financial status of the Veterans

Choice Program (VCP), established by the Veterans Access,

Choice and Accountability Act of 2014, Public Law 113-146, as

amended (Choice Act). Current projections indicate that VCP

could be unable to create new referrals or authorizations

within several weeks. Without additional funding before the

end of the year, there will be a dramatic impact on the

ability of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide

care to Veterans.

As of December 7, 2017, VA has approximately $490 million

in VCP funds remaining, once December obligations of

approximately $300 million and reserve funding of

approximately $300 million are accounted for. The average

spend rate of VCP funds ranges from $200-$400 million per

month, with the possibility that unexpected obligations would

push this above and beyond the reserves. As a result, we

believe we have 3 to 5 weeks of funds left, which could

change based on Veteran utilization.

Nearly 1.9 million unique Veterans have sought care through

VCP since its implementation. VA has focused on improving VCP

through streamlined business processes, contract

modifications and implementation of statutory changes. Unless

additional funds are provided, Veterans utilizing the current

VCP will be less able to access timely health care as close

to their homes as possible. The Veteran Coordinated Access &

Rewarding Experiences (CARE) Act, proposed by VA to Congress,

would satisfy the funding requirements if passed.

The challenges of the transition from VCP to a new

Community Care program should not be underestimated, and VA

will need to take steps soon to responsibly prepare for the

termination date. If no action is taken by Congress in the

next 3 to 5 weeks, VA could have to discontinue authorizing

VCP care and transition Veterans to VA or other community

care programs. VA's other community care programs will not

have the capacity to handle all of the patients who will

transition from VCP, and the wait time for appointments at VA

facilities will rise if large numbers of Veterans return to

VA to seek care. Taking these actions would have a number of

negative consequences, including decreased access to care,

damaged community partnerships and interrupted care

continuity for Veterans.

Should you have any questions, please have a member of your

staff contact Mr. David Brant, Congressional Relations

Officer.

Sincerely,

David J. Shulkin, M.D.

In this letter, Secretary Shulkin explicitly stated: ``Without additional funding before the end of the year, there will be a dramatic impact on the ability of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide care to veterans.''

A vote against the continuing resolution is a vote against funding medical care for our Nation's heroes. The Secretary's message is clear, Mr. Speaker.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting an additional $2.1 billion for the Choice Program.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this epic failure of governing.

Nearly 3 months into the fiscal year, the Republican majority is advancing

its third temporary continuing resolution with no foreseeable path forward on enacting full-year appropriations and no evident urgency to address priorities that are critical to American families and communities.

Completely preoccupied with showering tax breaks on corporations and the wealthiest Americans, the majority has failed to clear the extremely low bar of charting a course to keep the government open and meet deadlines they have set for themselves.

In short, the Republican majority has made a complete mess of the very basics of governing. Now they want Democrats to bail them out by carrying a bill that neglects our priorities.

This continuing resolution should include the bipartisan Dream Act, protecting from deportation young people who were brought to this country as small children and only know the United States as home. But this bill tells those facing deportation that their plight is not our concern.

It should include a bipartisan reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program, providing long-term certainty for 9 million children and families who depend on the program. Instead, this bill tells children and families their medical needs are not our priority.

It should include an agreement to raise caps for defense and nondefense spending with parity so that appropriators can get to work on a full-year spending package that keeps America secure and prosperous. Instead, the bill tries to make an end run around solely the defense cap by slipping in nearly $5 billion in new spending for the Pentagon.

It should not clean up the mess the majority made triggering automatic reductions to Medicare because of their deficit-busting tax bill.

The majority wants to pass this bill and go home for the holidays, somehow content with its performance on behalf of the Americans they represent. In every sense, this bill fails to live up to our responsibilities as legislators and as Representatives. Given these failures, I urge a ``no'' vote.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Ohio an additional 15 seconds.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from California an additional 30 seconds.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Connecticut.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, this is an epic failure of governing.

How many more times will we have to pass a continuing resolution, which not only denies certainty to men and women in uniform and all Federal employees, but is an inefficient waste of taxpayer dollars?

How many more times would the majority stumble from crisis to crisis, narrowly averting a shutdown?

It is long past time that the majority work with Democrats to increase the budget caps and write full-year spending bills. The Appropriations Committee stands ready to do our job. I hope that Republican leadership finally does its job and agrees to permit reasonable spending bills that invest in America's future.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1370.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 670, I call up the bill (H.R. 1370) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue Department of Homeland Security-wide guidance and develop training programs as part of the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, 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 to present the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 1370.

This legislation keeps the government fully open, funds important national security priorities, and temporarily extends critical government programs like the Children's Health Insurance Program, the National Flood Insurance Program, and section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Our duty to the American people is to keep them secure and to ensure they have access to the government programs and services they depend on.

The House must pass this bill now, today.

Without acting on this bill, existing government funding will expire tomorrow, and the government will shut down. This legislation provides a simple, clean extension of current funding levels through January of 2018.

This additional time will allow House and Senate leadership to complete their negotiations on overall spending levels. Once that is determined, my committee will complete negotiations with the Senate on all 12 appropriations bills for the rest of fiscal year 2018.

In the meantime, it is essential that Congress maintain government programs and services--for our Nation's stability, the stability of our economy, and for the security and well-being of the American people.

This bill also supports national security by providing an additional $4.7 billion in emergency funding to bolster missile defense, to protect against growing threats, and to repair damaged Navy ships.

In addition, the bill also includes $2.1 billion in mandatory funding for the VA Choice Program. This funding will guarantee that our veterans continue to have access to the medical care they need and deserve.

Along with important funding for our Armed Forces and veterans, this bill contains temporary extensions of several critical programs that millions of Americans rely on. These include the Children's Health Insurance Program, the National Flood Insurance Program, and section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Mr. Speaker, before I close, again, I would like to thank the 12 Appropriations chairs, our 12 clerks, and the very professional staff of the Appropriations Committee for working overtime to bring this bill and others before the House today.

We cannot delay on passing this critical legislation, funding the government, protecting our Nation, and extending essential programs that hardworking Americans rely on every day.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe), the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to keep the government open for business, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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