A resolution urging the President of the United States to allow for the full public release of all remaining records pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy that are held by the National Archives and Records Administration and to reject any claims for the continued postponement of the full public release of those records

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 305, I

call up the bill (H.R. 244) to encourage effective, voluntary investments to recruit, employ, and retain men and women who have served in the United States military with annual Federal awards to employers recognizing such efforts, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendments thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

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 materials on further consideration of H.R. 244 and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 6 minutes.

I rise today to present the House amendment to H.R. 244, a bill that will provide funding for the Federal Government for the rest of the year 2017.

This bill reflects shared values, which will help make our Nation stronger, safer, and more prosperous. It fulfills our constitutional duty to fund important services the American people rely on every day, and it does this in a responsible way, making the best use of every single taxpayer dollar, ensuring more reliability and predictability than a government operating under a continuing resolution. In short, it moves our Nation forward in the right direction.

The bill includes full-year funding for the remaining 11 annual appropriations bills for defense, infrastructure, health, and safety programs through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, as well as critical emergency and defense and border security funding requested by the President.

In total, it provides $1.63 trillion in base and overseas contingency operations funding. These levels meet the caps provided by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.

This bill makes the smart decisions investing funding where it is needed most: rebuilding our military, securing our borders, and bolstering economic growth, getting people back to work.

First and foremost and most importantly, this bill prioritizes funding for national defense, restoring the strength and capacity of our Armed Forces. Overall defense funding is increased by $25 billion above fiscal year 2016 levels.

This funding will help ensure our military has proper training, the best weapons and equipment needed to defeat ISIS, battle radical extremism around the world, and support our allies in the critical regions around the world against threats from Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and other sources. To rebuild our end strength, this bill includes $1.6 billion for an additional 36,000 troops above the previous administration's request.

Most importantly, this bill supports our men and women in uniform-- all volunteers--and provides them with a 2.1 percent pay raise, the largest in 6 years, and it takes care of their families.

To help secure our borders and protect our homeland, the bill provides Customs and Border Protection with a total of $12.2 billion, nearly a billion increase over fiscal year 2016. In fact, this is the largest increase to border security technologies and infrastructure in a decade, a downpayment on stronger, more effective systems and barriers.

Funding is also prioritized to tackle gang and drug crime, combat terrorism, and support law enforcement. Vital agencies like the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, the DEA, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement all receive funding boosts.

Other domestic funding is directed to proven, effective programs that improve the health and safety of all Americans. This includes increases for the National Institutes of Health and the CDC.

Significantly, we have increased funding to battle the opioid abuse epidemic by $781 million from last year. This funding will provide treatment, education and enforcement, and help the unacceptably high numbers of communities that have been devastated by this crisis.

Lastly, this legislation funds important national priorities like critical infrastructure and essential disaster relief, and supports our local communities, including renewing the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program and giving choice in the District to parents.

This bill should also be noted for what it doesn't do. Our legislation cuts, freezes, and eliminates funding for dozens of programs that have been wasteful, ineffective, or just plain unnecessary. For example, we cut funding at the EPA by $81 million and reined in its regulatory program to prevent overreach.

We froze IRS's funding at current levels and directed funds to improve services to taxpayers. And to ensure that each and every tax dollar is well spent, the bill implements strong oversight and accountability at every level of government.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this bill, as it reflects the needs of the American people and our common values. We are investing in the security and success of our Nation, and, for that, this bill deserves solid bipartisan support.

Mr. Speaker, there are many people to thank for their help in bringing this bill to the floor today. First and foremost, I want to thank my colleagues in the House. Each and every Member contributed to this effort, and, as a result, it is a better bill.

I especially want to thank my committee chairmen. They are stewards of these bills, and I appreciate all the hard work they have done to get us here today with their committee members.

I would also like to thank my counterpart, ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Mrs. Lowey, for her dedication to bringing this bill to the floor today, as well as our colleagues in the Senate for their partnership.

Lastly, I must thank the hardworking staff of the House Appropriations Committee. They have put in months of nonstop work to bring this bill before the House today. We wouldn't be here without the leadership of the full committee staff, led by Nancy Fox and Jim Kulikowski on the majority side, and Shalanda Young and Chris Bigelow on the minority side.

In the front office, we have, also working hard, Stephen Sepp, Shannon O'Keefe, Carol Murphy, Jennifer Hing, Marta Hernandez, Tammy Hughes, Rachel Kahler, David Roth, and Brad Allen. I thank all of you.

I also want to thank our hardworking clerks and their Democratic counterparts. All deserve our gratitude. The clerks: Tom O'Brien, John Martens, Jennifer Miller, Donna Shahbaz, Dena Baron, Valerie Baldwin, Dave LesStrang, Susan Ross, Liz Dawson, Maureen Holohan, Craig Higgins, and Doug Disrud.

Lastly, I want to thank Katie Hazlett, my chief of staff, and my personal staff.

I yield myself an additional 1 minute.

Our subcommittees, as well as the minority staff, have worked night and day to get these fiscal year 2017 bills behind us and to get ahead and move ahead to the 2018 process. I appreciate all of them and their hard work.

Before I close, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge one special member of the committee staff, Dale Oak, who retires this week. Dale has dedicated over 20 years to the committee and even more to the government. He tacked one extra week on to that total, sticking around to help us complete this bill. This commitment is true to form for him, and we are immensely grateful for it.

Dale, we thank you for your years of service, and we wish you the best of luck in the future.

Mr. Speaker, it is now 7 months into the 2017 fiscal year. We must complete our work today. It is time to look ahead and begin work on the 2018 priorities. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), my predecessor.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), who is the distinguished chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), the Speaker of the House.

(Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), chairman of the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson), the chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 10 seconds to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart), chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Yoder), chairman of the Subcommittee on Legislative Branch of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I thank the gentlewoman and my ranking counterpart, Mrs. Lowey, for that kindness, and may I associate with her our remarks, pay tribute to her leadership, the wonderful work of the staff that she has behind her and that I have behind me. I think the debate and the comments have been positive today.

The men and women of the greatest military in the world, the United States Armed Forces, are waiting for our support today with the passage of this package, this appropriations bill. Please don't let them down. Please support this bill, which provides for our national and economic security and takes us out from a very damaging and restrictive continuing resolution.

Today is a vote to keep the government open and get back to our appropriations process, which is our responsibility under the Constitution, the power of the purse. Let's take it and use it wisely.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank our distinguished ranking member of the Appropriations Committee for yielding this time, but, more importantly, for exceptional leadership. To her and to the other members of the committee, Mr. Frelinghuysen, I thank them for their leadership as well. And to the chairs and ranking members of the subcommittee, all the members of the Appropriations Committee, Mr. Hoyer and I and Mr. Clyburn are from the culture of the Appropriations Committee, and we know that, left to your own devices, the appropriators can get the job done.

It is not until the leadership rains its poison pills on the process that the delay sets in. And I want to thank Congresswoman Ranking Member Lowey for ridding this bill of so many of those poison pills.

Mr. Hoyer very eloquently presented the situation as we see it now that the Republicans have this bill. They didn't even have three days. It was last night to today, and here we are on the floor with a yard--a yard--of bill. And he said they are rushing because people have codels, trips, fundraisers, and this and that.

I contend there may be another reason why they are rushing it through. First of all, they don't want anybody to know what is in the bill, because this is a tremendous victory for the American people in terms of what Mrs. Lowey was able to negotiate, in a bipartisan way, on the domestic side. We all take an oath to protect and defend our country, so the defense investments are important to our Nation; but one-third of the domestic budget is security: homeland security, veterans affairs, State Department, antiterrorism activities of the Justice Department, and the list goes on.

But it is also a fact that we can measure the strength of our country not only in the important military might and security measures but also in the health, education, and well-being of the American people; and this bill goes to a place for that.

So yes, a yard of bill, certainly not read or read to the Members. But I contend, in addition to Mr. Hoyer's list of why they are rushing this to the end instead of having this negotiation take place much earlier, it is because they really don't want the Members to see what is in this bill, A; and, B, because they really want to get out of town before the March for Our Lives, before the young people come from all over the country to ask Congress to give us responsible, commonsense gun violence prevention legislation. That is what I heard about the Republicans: they just don't want to be around when these young people come to town.

So here we are. We could have had this happen weeks ago and had a much more transparent way to deal with it. But having said that, we are here, and I think it is very important to set the record straight on some of the contentions that the Republicans are making about this bill.

Let me start with the President of the United States. He has said, in one of his tweets this morning, how happy he was because he got the $1.6 billion to start the wall and more to come. That is not completely true, Mr. President. There are some resources for fencing and repairs and the rest there, but some of that money is for technology and other ways to protect our borders. We all have a responsibility to protect our borders, north and south. But if you want to think that you are getting a wall, you just think it and sign the bill.

In addition, he said he is so pleased that he got this big increase in defense. We did not oppose that. We want to have our men and women in uniform have everything they need to keep our country safe and themselves safe. But the President went on to say it is too bad he had to waste money on the Democratic giveaways. On the Democratic giveaways.

``Democratic giveaway'' is the way the President characterizes funding for our heroic veterans facing a dire shortfall at the VA. We say on the battlefield, no soldier is left behind. When they come home, no veteran is left behind. And that was part of the fight that we had in the caps fight, that we wanted additional money for our veterans.

What about fighting the opioid epidemic? Is that wasteful, a giveaway, fighting the opioid epidemic, in your districts? There isn't a person who serves in this Congress who doesn't have need in their districts for this opioid funding. And that was a major part of our fight on the caps, to get the funding to fight opioids; but the President calls that a waste, a Democratic giveaway.

Is that what he would call--he probably would call protecting the integrity of American elections from Russian meddling and attack Democratic giveaways, protecting our democracy, our electoral system, our Constitution that we take an oath of office to protect and defend.

And how about for hardworking parents who struggle to succeed and afford quality childcare, a very important part of this legislation. Democratic giveaway? No. Family values. Supporting our families. The list goes on and on. And by the way, by the foot. By the foot.

Mr. Hoyer referenced a statement made by the Speaker on the floor of the House when we had the caps fight, which, by the way, was a glorious victory for our values as a country, that we could say, yes, we want to increase funding for our national security, and, in doing that, we need to have a commensurate increase in funding for our domestic agenda, as I said, which contains many security measures.

But when that bill was brought to the floor, the Speaker came to the floor, and he made a statement, right here in the well. Well, Steny quoted what he said in the well, but in another venue he said: In order to shift our focus and get on to the next big priority, which is a DACA solution, we have got to get this budget agreement done.

That was the caps bill.

And I will say it once, Mr. Speaker said, and I will say it again, we will bring a DACA solution to the floor.

Yes. And when will that be?

Now, you will hear rumors of them saying: Oh, we offered this and we offered that. They did not offer anything that added to the protection of our Dreamers and our DACA-qualified children. So I want the Record to show the facts are these: We proposed, over and over again, a real fix that we should have in this bill because it is timely. And if you are dealing with a yard of issues and provisions, you certainly can have room for protecting our Dreamers. And that is just an indication.

Now, to lead is to take risks. The Speaker does not seem willing to take a risk with his caucus to bring a bill to the floor, any bill you want, in terms of including some bipartisan bills. Mr. Hurd and Mr. Aguilar, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen and Ms. Roybal-Allard, any other bill you want. Make it clean at the Hill. Let everyone have his or her say. Let Congress work its will.

Why? Why not? And why, in light of this statement, ``And I'll say it once, and I'll say it again, we will bring a DACA solution to the floor''?

When might that be? When might that be?

So again, while we address so many provisions in this bill, wasn't there room in the hearts and minds of our Republican colleagues to insist? Because I know many of you care about our Dreamers, have publicly offered your support. Why can't you convince the Speaker to bring what he said, ``We will bring a DACA solution to the floor''?

So again, I go back to the caps agreement. It was a great victory for us in the appropriations world as to what priorities need to be addressed. As we always say, the budget should be a statement of our national values; what is important to us as a nation should be reflected in how we allocate our resources to invest in the security of our country, the well-being of our people, the future of our children, and to do so in a way that commands respect, that is bipartisan, that is done in an open and transparent way, and brings unity.

Our Founders, who were so brilliant in so many ways, were taking 8 hours to even start to talk about how brilliant they were.

But they did give us instruction. They gave us a signal: E Pluribus Unum--from many, one; from many, one. They couldn't possibly have imagined how many we would be or how different we would be, but they knew we had to be one.

And these children, and everyone in our country, these Dreamers are part of that one, and they are part of that many, and let us treat our country by honoring the vows of our Founders.

So I leave it up to Members as to whether they want to vote, weigh the equities in this bill and take the vote and respect whatever decision they make. But I am so glad that we had such an overwhelming vote on our side against a rule that undermines the regular order of the House, undermines the Speaker's own statements about that regular order.

Why?

In an attempt to keep from all of you how much investment in the future is in this bill and also to get you out of town before the March for Our Lives begins. That is why I think we are doing this so rushed. I don't know why it has been pushed to the end except for dysfunction on the part of the Republican leadership, whatever, if it's called communication with the White House.

But I will say this: This is five CRs. Are you proud of that? Five CRs. Take us to the floor with a yard-high bill, no transparency. But it does have some bipartisanship, and for that I salute Mr. Frelinghuysen and Mrs. Lowey and respect whatever decisions our Members make on this. This is a missed opportunity to show the American people that, even when we are on the right course, we can't seem to get there in a transparent way.

I say, Mr. President, when you sign this bill, you will be signing something--in spite of what you say about spending on wasteful Democratic funding, I don't really think you mean that about opioids and the rest. Set the record straight for yourself and out of respect for the people who are pinning their hopes on what this legislation will do for them.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 796, I call up the bill (H.R. 1625) to amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to include severe forms of trafficking in persons within the definition of transnational organized crime for purposes of the rewards program of the Department of State, 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.

I rise today to present House amendment to Senate amendment to H.R. 1625, the final appropriations package for fiscal year 2018. This legislation contains full funding for all the 12 annual appropriations bills. It represents thousands of hours of work and input by Members of Congress and our great staff.

Starting 1 year ago with 12 appropriations bills moving through the committee process last spring, these bills were then considered and passed on the House floor under a transparent and inclusive process. This represents the first time the House has passed all 12 bills before the end of the fiscal year since 2010.

After the bipartisan budget deal was enacted last month, appropriations committee leadership, House and Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle, and the White House quickly went to work, negotiating in good faith and in the best interest of the American people.

The bill we are considering today is a product of that hard-fought agreement. In total, the legislation provides $1.3 trillion in discretionary funding for the Federal Government, including $78.1 billion for the global war on terror and overseas contingency operations. This meets the caps provided in the recent budget agreement. Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, it includes historic investments in our Armed Forces, including the largest year-to-year increase in

funding for the Department of Defense since the beginning of the war on terror.

It fully funds the 2.4 pay increase for our servicemen and -women, the largest in 8 years, and provides the largest dollar total ever for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In addition to strengthening our national defense, this legislation boosts security here at home: stronger border infrastructure, additional boots on the ground, and better technology and equipment that will close the gaps at our borders. Specifically, this includes more than $1.5 billion for physical barriers and associated technology along the southwest border.

Overall, funding for border security and law enforcement is increased by over 30 percent above last year. Funding is also focused on critical domestic priorities, addressing urgent needs that will improve the quality of life for all Americans and support economic growth and job creation, especially infrastructure, providing more than $21.2 billion in new funding for transportation infrastructure, as well as energy and water infrastructure, and technology like broadband and cybersecurity.

This passage also targets approximately $84 billion to fight the opioid epidemic that is devastating families across the country--the largest investment in addressing this public health issue and emergency to date. Funding is also directed towards school safety, providing the training and mental health services and grants to communities that will help prevent the kind of tragedy and heartbreak that occurred recently in Florida, and it provides robust funding for wildlife firefighting prevention programs, and includes long-sought forest management and fire budgeting reforms that will provide for budget security certainty and improve the health of our forests.

All these investments are made responsibly, implementing strong oversight at every level of government to ensure we get the most out of every dollar. Consequently, Mr. Speaker, I hope that every Member supports this package.

Mr. Speaker, before I close, I would like to acknowledge the many people who helped bring this bill to the floor: to Mrs. Lowey, my counterpart, the ranking member, thank you for your support and friendship; the 12 committee chairs and their ranking members for the hard work that they did over the last 12 months; the Appropriations Committee staff, all true professionals, some behind me, some across the floor, some in the galleries, for putting in countless hours and sleepless nights to help us bring this bill to the floor within a few weeks of the cap deal.

In particular, Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize our staff team led by our very able staff director, Nancy Fox; assisting her, Maureen Holohan, Stephen Sepp, Shannon O'Keefe, Jennifer Hing, Jason Gray, Marta Hernandez, Tammy Hughes, Rachel Kahler, Parker VanDeWater, and Tom Doelp.

On the minority side, Shalanda Young and Chris Bigelow.

Special thanks to our remarkable and amazing clerks, Tom O'Brien, John Martens, Jennifer Miller, Angie Giancarlo, Dena Baron, Donna Shahbaz, Dave LesStrang, Susan Ross, Jenny Panone, Sue Quantius, Craig Higgins, and Doug Disrud.

I would also like to recognize the work of Kevin Linskey, Surveys and Investigations, Jim Cahill, and Cathy Little.

I would also like to recognize those on our staff who are moving or retiring: Matt Dennis, Chris Romig, and Carol Murphy.

And thank you to my own personal staff back in the Rayburn building, ably led by Kate Hazlett.

Mr. Speaker, it is time that we fully fund the Federal Government for fiscal year 2018. Our current continuing resolution expires tomorrow. It is in the best interests of the American people that we get this work done this morning.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), chairman of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 1625, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), the chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), who is the chairman of the Defense Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), who is the chairman of the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Idaho an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson), the chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the chairman of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart), chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent), chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Yoder), the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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

Let me share my appreciation for my working relationship with Mrs. Lowey. I thank, again, our very professional staff that is in the room here for all their hard work.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, which supports our Armed Forces and members of their family.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank our distinguished ranking member for her recognition and her leadership on this legislation that we have the opportunity to vote on. So I thank Ranking Member Nita Lowey.

I thank the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey, Chairman Frelinghuysen, for his leadership as well. And I commend his staff, Nancy Fox, and others for their hard work on this; and to Ranking Member Lowey, Shalanda Young, Chris Bigelow, my own staff Richard Meltzer, and House and Senate staff members for getting us to this very important place.

The omnibus reflects significant progress defeating some dangerous riders, which I think are dangerous, and securing key victories.

Here is the thing: I spent many years in the Appropriations Committee. And I know, left to your own devices, the Appropriations Committee can find your common ground. You appreciate each other, you grant each other your positions on issues, and you understand the art of negotiating in a successful way.

There were some items that were suggested other than from the committee. From the White House, for example, a border wall, deportation force, things like that, 160 poison pills, which were ranging from undermining a woman's right to choose to dismantling Dodd- Frank, et cetera. But you all worked together to balance the equities and come up with a bill that will have, I believe, broad support in the Congress, certainly bipartisan support in the Congress.

But just not to speak about what we didn't like about the bill, there are some very positive aspects of it that I want to recognize--some nondefense increases in spending, which will save lives and create jobs.

Coal miners' health. We were so proud to secure more than $1 billion to deliver permanent health benefits to thousands of coal miners and their families who stood to lose their health benefits this month. God bless them for their advocacy. It was so important to our discussion.

Opioid epidemic. An additional $600 million for fighting the opioid epidemic.

Protecting EPA. There was going to be a huge cut, and now just a 1 percent cut in the EPA. We see that as a success.

Year-round Pell grants. So important.

Science funding. The omnibus increases funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy, the Department of Energy Office of Science, and ARPA-E, all initiatives that some wanted to cut but were happy had survived that interest in cutting.

Our colleague, Congresswoman Velazquez, has led us on the Puerto Rico issue. The omnibus includes vital funds to stabilize Puerto Rico's underfunded Medicaid program, which threatened so many of our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico.

Democrats are very happy and give credit to, in a bipartisan way, led by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, securing nearly $1 billion in humanitarian assistance to alleviate famine resulting from more drought and displacement in Africa and the Middle East, saving countless lives around the world. Left without assistance, maybe 1.5 million children would die of malnutrition in the next 6 months in Africa.

And then it takes us to biomedical research. I served with Mrs. Lowey and others on the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee for many years. And the National Institutes of Health is this place that has the Biblical power to cure. It has scientific opportunity. And where there is scientific opportunity, we want to place additional resources. Lives depend on it.

So in stark contrast to the skinny budget that came out earlier, this legislation increases funding for the National Institutes of Health by $2 billion. And I want to say on that, as we relish that $2 billion and what it could mean to the good health of the American people, we have to protect our investments.

As we invest in new treatments and cures, we must also ensure that all Americans have access to them. That is why it is curious to me that on the same day that we vote on this omnibus bill and increase funding for the National Institutes of Health, increase funding for our veterans, and all the rest of that, Republicans are working furiously to advance TrumpCare's devastating impact on America's health care. No matter what anybody says to you about activities they are having today to tweak one piece of the bill, it will still be a bill that has higher costs, forcing families to pay higher premiums and deductibles and out- of-pocket costs. This will block some people from access to the lifesaving cures that we are investing in the National Institutes of Health to create.

Less coverage will take coverage from 24 million hardworking Americans.

Higher costs.

Fewer people covered.

Veterans tax. TrumpCare will deny tax credits for health care to 7 million military veterans.

TrumpCare destroys protections for preexisting conditions. So many of the investments at the National Institutes of Health that we are talking about are to find cures and to find preventions. But when we are trying to find cures, that means that the people we are trying to cure have a preexisting medical condition. This would destroy the guarantee protection for a preexisting medical condition and gut the essential health benefits in the Affordable Care Act.

There is a crushing age tax. If you are 50 to 64, you will pay five times higher than others pay for health care.

It undermines our investments in Medicare.

So I mention this because I have always thought, when I sat on that committee year in and year out, day in and day out, hour on hour, listening to the challenges facing America's families for illnesses that they were suffering, a diagnosis that they were frightened by, that what they wanted us to do was to invest in a cure, but that meant access to that cure.

So they are trying to say: Well, we are going to help with high-risk pools, and that is going to neutralize everything I said about higher costs, lower coverage, et cetera. But the conservative Mercatus Center said: ``The amendment at hand focuses on high-risk pools, but the $8 billion amount is a pittance.''

And said: ``Spread over 5 years, it's a fifth of a pittance.''

That was Robert Graboyes, a healthcare expert at the conservative Mercatus Center.

Karen Pollitz, a healthcare expert at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said that the additional $8 billion would likely not be enough to make the high-risk pools workable. She said that would be enough money to cover costs for only 1 percent of the individual market.

So, again, let us protect the investment that we are making. Let us elevate it with pride and say $2 billion for the National Institutes of Health.

But what does that mean to you, the average American, if you can't have access to that in a way that is affordable?

Again, 51 years ago, Dr. King said, and I say again, because I say this all of the time: ``Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death.''

So, again, this appropriations bill is a way for us to help meet the needs of the American people. This Appropriations Committee did an excellent job in resolving differences and putting forth a balance of equities as we go forward.

But let us not give with one hand and take away with the other as we, in the same 24-hour period, say: Aren't we wonderful. $2 billion for medical research.

Under the Republican's healthcare plan, it will most likely benefit the privileged few at the expense of America's working families.

That is not what we are supposed to be doing here. That is what we are taking pride in. What we are taking pride in is of the great possibilities, but let's make those possibilities available.

And I say that as one who served for many years on the Appropriations Committee, one whose goal in life was to sit on the Labor-HHS Subcommittee and to increase the funding of the National Institutes of Health, but to do it for the purpose of all Americans having access.

Having said that, getting back to this omnibus bill, again, I am very proud of the work of Nita Lowey, of the ranking members of the subcommittees, and of the staff who worked so hard. I am especially proud of the work, also, of our distinguished chairman, Mr. Frelinghuysen. I join him in recognizing the work of his subcommittee chairs on all of this. It is a product to be proud of. I thank Mr. Frelinghuysen and Mrs. Lowey.

I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about Senate Amendment to H.R. 244, ``Making Consolidated Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2017.''

The legislation before us is an imperfect vehicle for appropriations for FY 2017, but this Omnibus Appropriations package contains new funding for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2017 for federal agencies under the eleven remaining Appropriations subcommittees.

The Omnibus Budget Agreement appropriates $1.070 trillion in base discretionary budget authority, allocating $551 billion for defense and $519 billion for nondefense in line with the Budget Control Act's statutory discretionary spending caps, as well as $93.5 billion in additional funding designated for Overseas Contingency Operations(OCO).

Mr. Speaker, this budget agreement is far from perfect, but it is a positive step since it ensures that funding for appropriated entitlements will continue at a rate maintaining program levels under current law and prevents congressional Republicans from shutting down the government again and manufacturing a crisis that only harms our economy, destroys jobs, and weakens our middle class.

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 Omnibus Budget Agreement is a product of goodwill and realism, and averts 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 and have been rejected in this budget.

Instead, in a stinging defeat for the Trump, the Omnibus Budget Agreement does not fund the immoral and unwise border wall or create a cruel new deportation force.

Also eliminated are more than 160 Republican poison pill riders, ranging from undermining a woman's right to reproductive health to dismantling Dodd-Frank's vital Wall Street consumer protections.

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased that we succeeded in securing Democratic policy priorities and funding increases for critical nondefense items.

This will save lives and create jobs.

Mr. Speaker, let me identify some of the important policy and funding priorities included in this budget agreement:

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

$2 billion for Medical Research: the budget rejects President Trump's dangerous plans to steal billions from lifesaving medical research;

$221 million overall for Community Oriented Policing (COPS) and $137 million for the COPS hiring program;

$1 billion for Coal Miners' Health: Democrats secured funding to deliver permanent health benefits for the thousands of coal miners and their families who stood to lose their health benefits this month;

$600 million to combat and respond to the Opioid Epidemic;

Provides level funding for the Environmental Protection Agency despite Republicans' hopes to gut it;

Year-Round Pell Grants: Democrats insisted on, and won an increase of $105 in the maximum Pell Grant award and succeeded in restoring access to year-round Pell Grants which will make a huge difference in the lives of hard-working students;

Science Funding: the omnibus budget increases funding for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Department of Energy Office of Science and ARPA-E, all initiatives President Trump wanted cut;

Puerto Rico's Medicaid: the omnibus budget includes vital funds to stabilize Puerto Rico's underfunded Medicaid program, which threatened so many of our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico;

$1 billion for Emergency Famine Relief to alleviate famine resulting from war, drought and displacement in Africa and the Middle East, saving countless lives around the world;

Mr. Speaker, I support the omnibus budget agreement before us because it achieves the following goals and objectives that I laid out last week:

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

1. 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. 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 healing 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, working together the House and Senate has reached an agreement on an appropriate budget framework 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.