Honoring the life and legacy of Charles Charlie James Kirk.

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

Mr. Speaker, first, I think it is important to say that we all condemn the murder that occurred last week in Utah, and I know that some of my colleagues knew Mr. Kirk and are experiencing a personal loss as well. His family is certainly in our prayers, and violence is never ever the answer.

Now, Mr. Speaker, to the CR that is before us today, here is the deal. Republicans have three choices. One is to work with Democrats on a bipartisan CR that ensures millions of Americans don't lose health insurance or see their premiums skyrocket; two is for Republicans to do what Donald Trump said and pass the CR themselves--Republicans are in charge after all; or, three, Republicans can shut down the government.

If they choose door number two or door number three, make no mistake about what will happen. ACA tax credits will expire, and nearly 24 million people will see their premiums skyrocket by 93 percent, on average.

Let me paint a picture. A mom and a dad in their early sixties both have jobs and make $80,000 a year combined. Right now, they can afford their healthcare--barely. If these ACA credits expire, their bill jumps more than $17,000 a year. That is like a house mortgage. That is $1,400 a month, every month, just for the privilege of not going bankrupt if they get sick. Or, take a family of four making $64,000. Their premiums rise by $2,600 a year. That is groceries. That is car payments.

It might not sound like a lot of money to my friends on the other side. Maybe the billionaires don't think $2,600 a year is a lot, but my constituents do, Mr. Speaker. My guess is that millions of Americans will think that is a high cost to pay.

Mr. Speaker, if these tax credits disappear, it is a five-alarm fire, and Republicans are acting like they don't even smell the smoke. Should we be surprised? Of course not.

The American people are already drowning in a cost-of-living crisis, one fueled by Donald Trump and the Republican economic policies. Their big, ugly bill didn't just raise costs for housing, groceries, and utilities. Its cruelest blow was to healthcare.

They made the largest cut to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in American history, kicking millions of working people off their coverage. That means hospitals closing, nursing homes shuttering, preventative care denied, and, by the way, families going hungry because food assistance was ripped away, too.

While families are trying to stay afloat, while farmers are struggling with tariffs, and while regular people suffer, Donald Trump decided to take an ax to medical research. He slashed the NIH, shut down cancer research, stopped clinical trials, and torpedoed vaccine programs. I mean, what the hell is wrong with him? What is he thinking?

But don't worry about healthcare. Don't worry about ACA tax credits. We will deal with this later. That is what the Speaker said. Kick the can down the road. Well, guess what. We have reached the end of the road. Later is too late.

The Congressional Budget Office says that if we don't act now and instead wait until December, an additional 1.5 million people will lose their coverage. That is a lot of people. That is a lot of people, I say to my colleagues. That is people in every single city and town in America. Premiums will climb even higher. Families will start getting cancellation notices in weeks, and open enrollment starts November 1. This is something we need to deal with now.

Here is the message to Republicans: Work with us. Fund the government. Protect healthcare. Stop writing bills for the rich and powerful. Start working on solutions to the everyday problems that people have. The choice is yours.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to take a few minutes to talk about what will happen if we defeat the previous question.

If we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to strike the sections of yesterday's and today's rules, which together block privileged considerations of measures ending the administration's global tariffs and tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.

Speaker Johnson and this Republican majority are hell-bent on blocking us from even debating Trump's reckless trade policy, which is driving up costs for consumers, for businesses, and for farmers.

Let's just take this week. On Monday, Republicans voted to block debate on the tariffs that Trump slapped on Brazilian coffee, beef, and other goods. These are the tariffs that are forcing everyday people to spend more on a cup of coffee in the morning.

I think most Republicans in Congress were too scared of Trump to actually stand up and fight to protect everyday consumers. Then yesterday, Republicans barely passed a rule that blocked votes on all of Trump's illegal tariffs until March 31, 2026. I say ``barely'' because there were a few Republican holdouts threatening to vote against their party because they know how reckless Trump's trade policies are.

Mr. Speaker, it took only 45 minutes for them to fold. Here is what they reportedly got in return. They got an agreement to create a new trade working group. Really? They got a new working group, I mean, to get a meeting? Are my Republican colleagues aware that the House of Representatives already has a working group on trade? It is called the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade.

These brave rebels also apparently want a provision tucked into today's rule that says votes on tariffs will only be blocked until the end of January instead of March. I mean, wow, what a victory.

If my colleagues object to Donald Trump's trade policy, which is raising costs on everyday Americans right now, I can't for the life of me figure out how they were won over by an agreement to keep his policies in place for at least 4 more months.

President Trump promised to lower prices ``on day one,'' but his disastrous trade war is increasing the prices that Americans are paying for food, gas, and everyday goods.

According to independent estimates, Trump's tariffs are resulting in a $2,300 tax increase in 2025 for the average American household. The August inflation report, put out by Trump's own Bureau of Labor Statistics, said inflation is increasing at the highest rate since January.

Mr. Speaker, I serve on the House Committee on Agriculture, and we are hearing day in and day out from farmers who are being crushed by Trump's erratic trade policies. They are losing markets abroad. Input prices are going up. Farm bankruptcies are up 95 percent this year compared to last.

Back when I was on a farm tour in my own district, a coffee roaster told me tariffs are hurting his business. He and countless others in his position can't wait while House Republicans hide their heads in the sand for another 4 months.

Give us up-or-down votes on Trump's reckless tariffs. Stop hiding. This body, this House of Representatives has a responsibility to do oversight and to vote on whether or not we should have tariffs. It really is disappointing to me that so many of my friends on the other side of the aisle have not chosen to step up to the plate.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the text

of my amendment, along with any extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

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

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman just said that these tariffs are harmful to our economy and to working families in this country. He could work with us right now to do something about it. We could bring a bill to the floor. We could bring an amendment to the floor. We can block them. We can stop them.

The gentleman said that he is working in a bipartisan way to try to deal with this issue. It is funny, but this working group that they have all agreed on is just a Republican working group. Democrats are not part of it. It is kind of a crazy way to be bipartisan.

Then he says that he gets this great deal in terms of when we will next be able to have a vote on this stuff. They moved the deadline from the end of March to the end of January. That is 4 months from now.

What will happen in 4 months? I will tell my colleagues what will happen in 4 months. We will get a rule that comes to the floor that will extend the prohibition on us being able to debate any kind of tariff legislation, to be able to have a debate or an up-or-down vote.

All I can say is: Where I come from in Massachusetts, we call that being a cheap date because I don't think we get very much, to be honest. Meanwhile, the American consumer, the American people, will suffer with higher prices as a result of these tariffs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta), who will speak on this topic.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I would just say to the gentlewoman that that is a lot of words to justify the biggest tax increase on the American people, an average of $2,300 a year more because of these tariffs.

However, I would just say to the gentlewoman, as well, that if she thinks that these policies are great, if she wants these tariffs to continue, then she shouldn't be afraid to vote for them. Have the debate on the floor and let people vote up or down on them.

I don't understand why that is such a controversial thing to want to advocate for, especially in the House of Representatives where we are supposed to be able to debate important issues. If the majority has the votes, if everybody thinks this is a great policy, then they will all vote ``yes,'' and they continue.

I am glad the gentlewoman brought up the economy because I want to speak about the economy just for a couple of minutes here.

Mr. Speaker, the consequences of Trump's economic policy are being felt in communities across the country. Prices on fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, and dairy are all up. They are likely to climb even higher as Trump's tariffs ripple through the supply chain.

President Trump and Republicans promised to reduce grocery prices. Instead, grocery prices spiked at the fastest pace in 3 years last month. They have promised to cut electricity prices in half. Instead, August electricity prices were over 6 percent higher than they were 1 year ago. They promised to reduce inflation. Instead, we saw the largest monthly increase in inflation since January. They promised to create jobs, and instead for the first time in nearly 4 years, the economy lost jobs in June. We lost jobs in June, and job growth has been stagnant for months.

Mr. Speaker, the Trump economy is not working for the American people.

Do you know whom it is working for, Mr. Speaker?

It is working for the millionaires and billionaires who contributed to his campaign.

Hardworking Americans deserve a hell of a lot better than a rigged economy that only works for the ultra-wealthy. People are hurting. Do townhalls, I would say to my Republican friends, and they can hear it firsthand. Go to the grocery store and watch as people are putting items back because the prices have gone up so much.

This is not sustainable. At a minimum, the Republican leadership here should not be afraid of debate and votes. We ought to bring these important items to the floor. We have a constitutional responsibility when it comes to trade and tariffs and to debate and to vote on these items. We ought to bring them to the floor. Let's have a thoughtful debate. Then people can vote accordingly, and then they can defend that vote when they go back to their districts.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I don't know what the gentlewoman is talking about, but the Yale Budget Lab finds American households could pay $2,300 more, on average, as a result of the current tariff policy, nearly three times the average roughly $800 benefit from the OBBBA's new tax provisions in the big, beautiful bill, or whatever they call it. We call it the big, ugly bill, which, by the way, is the most unpopular piece of legislation I think in history.

Do you know what, Mr. Speaker?

Don't take my word for it. Talk to regular people. Go to a grocery store. Go to a coffee shop. Do a townhall and talk to people about how they are feeling. They are not feeling good. They are not feeling good, Mr. Speaker. They are going to feel even worse if you don't address the healthcare cliff that we are about to confront.

Mr. Speaker, across the country, children, families, grandparents, small business owners, teachers, and veterans are about to receive the unwelcome news that their healthcare premiums are skyrocketing to record highs. Millions of Americans face an awful decision on the horizon as they sort through their bills and are forced to decide which ones to pay.

Republicans could have spent the summer working with Democrats to reach a bipartisan agreement. Instead, they spent it slashing Medicaid and the ACA by a trillion dollars.

Make no mistake: Republicans are kicking 15 million off their healthcare coverage. Republicans are jeopardizing access to prenatal care. They are cutting NIH's budget and taking food benefits away from families, all basically to help pay for tax cuts to the ultrarich.

Mr. Speaker, nearly 24 million people in this country have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. With Republican inaction, their premiums will increase by an average of 93 percent. A 60-year-old couple making $80,000 per year would see their premiums increase by over $17,000 per year. That is like over $1,400 per month. A family of four earning $64,000 will owe an extra $2,600 in healthcare premiums every year.

Where on Earth are families supposed to find this kind of extra money?

Five million Americans, including 2 million with chronic conditions, will lose their healthcare coverage due to the Affordable Care Act cuts alone, not to mention the 10 million more who will lose coverage due to the already

enacted Medicaid cuts in the Republicans' big, ugly bill.

In each of the districts we represent, Americans will have to choose between paying rent, buying groceries, or affording healthcare.

Mr. Speaker, 26,000 Americans in the gentlewoman's district in Indiana will face higher premiums or lose their healthcare altogether. That is a lot of people. We live in the richest country in the world, and Republicans have no problem forcing families to go without food because healthcare premiums are sky-high. This is crazy. Healthcare ought to be a right in this country. It ought not to be a privilege.

When people lose their healthcare, what do they do? They get their healthcare at emergency rooms. That is the most costly and inefficient form of healthcare.

Honest to God, Mr. Speaker, I don't know how my Republicans friends can talk to people back home in their districts and somehow justify what they are doing. Do Republicans actually think that denying healthcare coverage is good for someone? Seriously, is that popular in Indiana? Is it popular in any State in this country? This is shameful, Mr. Speaker. The American people deserve better.

Congress must address this healthcare cliff now. When the Speaker of the House says: Oh, well, we will deal with it in December; we will talk about this in December--first, we have no guarantees that they will want to deal with it--but let's push this discussion out to December. December is too late. The crisis is about to occur. We have an opportunity to do something, and we are doing nothing. We are doing nothing. This is so wrong. This is immoral, Mr. Speaker. This cannot be justified. There is no way to be able to explain this back home.

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

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

The central issue right now is healthcare. Let me repeat: Healthcare, healthcare, healthcare.

I love it. I don't know how--I am surprised they didn't blame Bill Clinton. Now we are going back to Obama to blame him for the current crisis in healthcare. Give me a break.

Look at the polling. The ACA is pretty popular. What is not popular is the big, ugly bill that the Republicans passed just a few months ago. People are outraged over the fact that Republicans are cutting Medicaid by a trillion dollars and cutting moneys for NIH. The National Institutes of Health is where we fund research to find cures to diseases and to sicknesses.

You want to save money? Let's find a cure to Alzheimer's. Let's find a cure to Parkinson's disease. Let's find more cures to cancer. That is a way you can save money.

I think what the Republicans are doing right now is they want to say that the Affordable Care Act is not working by defunding it, by dismantling it.

My Republicans friends are doing nothing to address the central issue at hand right now, which is healthcare. People are going to lose their healthcare. People are going to see their premiums skyrocket. All the while, we are trying to help here. We are saying we will work with them and let's address this so people don't suffer.

I mean, the whole point of what we are doing here should be about improving the lives for people we represent, improving the lives of people in this country. An all-out assault against their healthcare is coming down the road, and we can do something about it. We want to work with them to do something about it, and my Republican friends keep on saying: No, we are not interested.

What are my Republican friends interested in? If you look at the big, ugly bill, it is tax cuts for the multimillionaires, tax cuts for multibillionaires, and all these giveaways to the fossil fuel industry. It is like the Republican prescription for healthcare is take two tax cuts and call me in the morning.

The bottom line is a crisis is about to happen in this country. We are right at the cliff, and we can do something about it. We can help our constituents. We are urging them, and we are begging them to work with us so we can address these concerns in healthcare, and we are being told no way, no consultation, no cooperation, no collaboration, no negotiation, no nothing.

Remember, it was Democrats who capped the price of insulin for Medicare. It is Republicans who cut Medicaid by a trillion dollars. That is the difference here.

Again, we ought to be addressing this crisis now before our constituents are hurt in a way that, quite frankly, they are not prepared for.

They don't even know this is coming. We all know it is coming. There is no excuse to not know what is about to happen. Every major organization--CBO, everybody, the insurance industry--has already told us what is about to happen. My Republican friends are like: No, business as usual. Let's just kick the can down the road. We will fund the government for 7 weeks and no promise of anything.

This is not the way this Congress should be run.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, here is the bottom line. Congress must act now to prevent one of the most staggering healthcare premium hikes in history--not in November, not in December, but now.

Let's be honest. Donald Trump and his billionaires he has surrounded himself with won't feel an ounce of this pain. They have got the best doctors on speed dial, concierge care, and private chefs. They don't worry about grocery bills. They don't sit at the kitchen table with a stack of medical bills and wonder which one of them they can afford to pay this month.

Regular people, working families, and seniors on fixed incomes do. That is who Democrats are fighting for: regular people who buy their own food, who worry about the rent, and who pray that the car doesn't break down because they can't handle another bill.

If Members want to stand with the billionaires, by all means, vote for the CR. Let a million people get kicked off of healthcare. It won't impact Members of Congress. We all have great healthcare. Republicans don't have to worry about that.

Guess what. Democrats are not going to stand by and watch while Republicans make healthcare more expensive and less accessible for millions of our friends and neighbors. Stop the cuts and fund the government, or own the shutdown that is coming. Protect people's healthcare, or own the consequences when millions lose their coverage.

That is what the choice is for this Republican-controlled government. Right now, Mr. Speaker, it sure as hell looks like Republicans are choosing to shut it down instead of working to keep people insured.

Again, we live in the richest country in the world. Healthcare ought to be viewed as a fundamental right for people in this country. People shouldn't have to worry about going bankrupt if they get sick.

Mr. Speaker, this is one of the top issues on the minds of people all

throughout this country right now. The price of groceries and the price of healthcare are what they are worried about. People are deeply concerned that they are not going to be able to afford both, and they are in for a rude awakening when they start to see their premiums go up this November.

Here is the kicker: This Congress can do something about it. All we need is for our Republican friends to work with us. Let us make the necessary adjustments, and let us protect millions of people from losing their healthcare. Let us protect countless people from seeing their premiums go sky-high.

We can do this. This is solvable. We can do it, but for whatever reason, Republicans are not interested. That is what is particularly sad at this particular point, Mr. Speaker.

Prohibiting health insurance companies from denying coverage because of a person's medical history, that is what Democrats did. We have prohibited health insurance companies from denying coverage because of a person's medical history.

We prohibited health insurance companies from charging sick people more.

We prohibited private health insurance companies from denying coverage because of preexisting medical conditions.

We prohibited health insurance companies from denying coverage to pregnant women.

We prohibited private health insurance companies from charging sick people higher premiums than healthy people.

We required health insurance companies to cover the cost of most preventative services.

We prohibited health insurance companies from setting a lifetime limit.

We gave States the option of expanding their Medicaid programs.

We provided financial help to low- and moderate-income Americans to help them purchase coverage.

We prohibited private health insurance companies from setting an annual limit.

We also allowed young adults to stay on their parents' insurance plans until they were 26.

When we think of helping people with healthcare, that is the kind of stuff that we think of. I mentioned before the capping of the cost of insulin in Medicare. We ought to be making it easier for people to get good, quality healthcare. We ought to make sure that it is more affordable and more accessible, and we are going in the opposite direction under this Republican leadership.

Mr. Speaker, again, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this rule for a whole bunch of reasons, but mostly because healthcare is important to people in this country, and they are about to get screwed. We have an opportunity to do something, and I regret that under this rule, nothing will be done.

Mr. Speaker, let's defeat this rule. Let's go back to the drawing board. Let's sit down in a bipartisan way. Let's figure out ways to avert this crisis. Let's do what is right for the American people, not what is right for the big contributors in this country and for the well-off and the well-connected.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 722 and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

General Leave

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

Mr. Speaker, last night, the Rules Committee met and produced a rule, House Resolution 722, providing for the House's consideration of two pieces of legislation.

First, the rule provides for H. Res. 719, Honoring the life and legacy of Charles ``Charlie'' James Kirk, to be considered under a closed rule. It provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Second, the rule provides for H.R. 5371, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026. H.R. 5371 would be considered under a closed rule, and it also provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their designees, and provides for one motion to recommit.

Finally, the rule tolls the day counts until January 31, 2026, regarding joint resolutions terminating the national emergencies declared by the President on February 1, 2025; April 2, 2025; and July 30, 2025.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and in support of the underlying legislation, beginning with H. Res. 719, honoring Charlie Kirk.

It is really quite unbelievable that we are here today honoring the life of Charlie Kirk, taken from us far too soon. This is the kind of tribute you would give after a lifetime of service, not usually at the young age of just 31, but Charlie Kirk made a lifetime's worth of impact in his short 31 years on this Earth, and we are grateful for it.

Charlie Kirk was a generational leader and a cultural icon. He was dedicated to engaging young people, defending our constitutional freedoms, and calling on Americans to live with courage and conviction.

Whether you agreed with him or not, he showed up, he listened, and he engaged in respectful dialogue. He never backed down from the belief that ideas should be debated in the open.

Charlie Kirk believed that freedom is worth defending, that faith has a rightful place in the public square, and the next generation deserves leaders who tell the truth and invite honest debate. He believed that every human life had value, even those who vehemently disagreed with him.

What happened last week was evil, but we can't fear it because if we do, then evil wins. Therefore, we will not back down, and we will not allow hatred to intimidate us or to silence our speech.

He leaves behind a loving wife and two children. He was a child of God, a son, a husband, a father, and a conservative leader who, even in death, still inspires millions around the world.

I hope the whole House will join me in praying for Erika and his precious children and the family and friends he leaves behind. May God surround them with love, comfort them with His presence, and provide a peace that surpasses our understanding.

We will never forget Charlie Kirk. Let us carry on his legacy and always defend the ideals he lived out.

I was proud last night to be a member of the Rules Committee, and I thank Ranking Member McGovern and the other Democratic members of the committee for recognizing that many of us on this side of the aisle knew Charlie personally. I also thank Representatives Debbie Dingell, Tom Suozzi, Don Davis, John Larson, Jimmy Panetta, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, and Chris Pappas, who joined our prayer vigil for Charlie earlier this week.

I was and am glad that we condemned political violence together and were able to share compassion for one another.

Moving on to H.R. 5371, this rule also provides for consideration of the continuing resolution. Passing a continuing resolution is never our first choice, but as Chairman Cole said last night, real progress is being made, and he is encouraged by this year's appropriations process.

The House has already approved 60 percent of government spending, and the Appropriations Committee has finished its work at the committee level. Chairman Cole and every member of the Appropriations Committee deserve credit for the long hours of work that have already been done and the progress that has been made.

Following this good example, under the leadership of Leader Thune and our Senate Republican colleagues, they have also advanced appropriations measures on the Senate floor, something Senate Democrats failed to do in the last appropriations cycle when they controlled the Chamber.

Though a CR, a continuing resolution, is not ideal, this year we are further ahead than we have been in a long time. We cannot allow a government shutdown to derail the important work of the Trump administration.

As Chairwoman Foxx said last night, this short-term CR gives our Appropriations colleagues the time they need to keep negotiating and work toward bipartisan funding bills that fulfill our priorities to the American people.

There has been plenty of debate about what is and isn't in the CR, but our priority must be keeping this process moving forward and avoiding the chaos that a government shutdown would create.

If our colleagues on the other side of the aisle really care about our military, about law enforcement, about our Federal workers, they will join us in keeping the government open.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the consideration of these important pieces of legislation, and I urge the passage of this rule. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Kennedy).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).

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

Mr. Speaker, what is more hurtful to working families is unfair trade practices that have undermined the American worker for decades. The tariffs imparted by President Trump are proving necessary to ensure fair trade, protect American workers, and reduce trade deficits by bringing other nations to the negotiating table.

Access to the American economy is a privilege. President Trump is taking decisive action to comprehensively renegotiate the tariff posture of the United States and the rest of the world for the first time since World War II.

His efforts are focused on achieving global free trade, decoupling developing countries from competitive nations like China, and for national security purposes.

From what we have seen, President Trump is winning.

According to an article from NPR on August 11, tariffs are adding tens of billions of new dollars to Federal revenue, with Treasury bringing in more than $29 billion in customs and excise taxes, a category that is overwhelmingly tariff revenue. Countries like India, China, and South Korea are among the newest nations across the world flocking to the negotiating table.

This comes on the heels of a successfully negotiated trade deal with President Trump like with the EU, Japan, the U.K., Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

President Trump is utilizing all available tools in his pressure campaign to make good on his promises to secure the border, protect our communities, and level the global playing field to ensure fair trade for American producers and the American worker.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, it is a little bit disingenuous to criticize the President on tariffs when every single Democrat voted for the largest tax increase in American history just recently.

In the Working Families Tax Cuts Act under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the typical family now, because of House Republicans, is going to get up to $10,900 in additional take-home pay. Workers will see increased wages up to $7,200. Households earning less than $100,000 a year will get a 12 percent tax cut compared to today.

Up to 7.2 million jobs have been protected and created, and 1 million new jobs annually will be created by small businesses. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, car loan interest relief, and tax relief for seniors will put more money annually into Americans' pockets. Mr. Speaker, that is $1,300 per tipped worker specifically, and $1,400 for hourly workers. We lock in and further boost the double child tax credit to $2,200 for more than 40 million American families.

To put it quite simply, we are starting to build the financial future for this country after years of Democrat mismanagement.

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

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

What the American people know, what I hope they know, is that this is a lot of political theater going on today, and I am sorry about it. I really am.

Premiums are high because of ObamaCare. The un-affordable care act did nothing to lower healthcare costs and instead raised costs. Subsidizing the failed policies of the Democratic Party is not a solution. It is a Band-Aid at best, and it perpetuates the problem.

Republicans are focused on fixing healthcare, on reducing costs, on raising reimbursement rates, and reforming the system which Democrats broke in the first place. They are fighting for their constituents against a problem that they created. This is a crisis created by the ObamaCare plan in the first place, and we can't just keep throwing money at the problem. That can't be the only answer. We need to have conversations about how to make these programs work for the American people, and it is House Republicans that are leading that charge.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, this rule is pretty straightforward. With respect to the continuing resolution, it is simple. It is a clean, short-term continuing resolution to prevent disruptions to national security and programs that our constituents depend on. It is a bill that extends government funding until November 21.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle are trying to argue and insist that a healthcare discussion is inserted into this, but that is not a debate for a September funding matter. They are really trying to insert unrelated matters into the middle of a clean government extension.

I don't think that is going to work because if the government shuts down because they are making this last stand, which is something that we will be addressing in the future, it will solely be blamed on Democrats if the government shuts down because we are not playing politics with this at all. We are just trying to keep the lights on.

What they are trying to do is insert a last-ditch effort to regain their footing because their party is reeling right now.

Mr. Speaker, this clean extension of government funding will ensure that the government remains open and working for the Nation. It shouldn't be partisan. If Democrats force a shutdown, it could cost the American taxpayer billions due to back-paid furloughed workers, increased costs from delayed starts, and constrained economic growth.

No matter how hard the Democrats try to characterize this CR as a partisan maneuver, always claiming that we are hurting every special interest group, it doesn't make it true.

Remember, virtually every single House Democrat for the last 4 years under the Biden administration voted ``yes'' on every continuing resolution. In fact, over the last several years, many Democrats, including Democratic leaders, have made comments about the harm a government shutdown would cause.

The minority leader says it is about the harm. Families will be hurt. Farmers will be hurt if the government shuts down. Others have said: Let's take a moment to see what is truly at the center of this story. It is about the servicemembers who will work without a paycheck.

Some House Democrats accused House Republicans of leading the country toward a reckless government shutdown that will take food off the table for mothers and children and force servicemembers to work without pay.

Make no mistake, if Democrats vote against this simple government funding bill that will extend funding to November 21, they are the very people who are hurting those whom they have claimed that Republicans have perpetually tried to hurt, unfairly and untruly.

Mr. Speaker, again, this rule is straightforward.

First and foremost, we are here to honor the life of a husband, father, and friend. Charlie Kirk was a proud American and a happy warrior for his faith and this country that he loved. Charlie was the kind of person who inspired millions to engage in our democracy. It is right that we take the time as a body to honor him and condemn political violence in all forms.

Finally and secondly, we must keep the government open and allow the appropriations process to continue. While CRs, continuing resolutions, are never ideal and, by definition, are not all-encompassing, if we are truly to address the many issues before this body as a country, we cannot do that under a government shutdown. We must let the appropriations process continue.

I look forward to moving these bills out of the House this week, and I ask my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on the previous question and ``yes'' on the rule.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, Republicans have chosen a partisan route. In essence, the negotiation around the continuing resolution was a consensus that it should have been a bipartisan negotiation. That consensus was abrogated.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans choose a partisan route. They would rather shut down the government than sit down and talk with Democrats about lowering costs for millions of Americans, preventing people from getting kicked off their healthcare, and stopping President Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought from stealing from our communities and our constituents.

Democrats will not support the partisan Republican spending bill because it continues to gut healthcare for the American people.

We are now 9 months into this administration, and the cost-of-living crisis has only gotten worse. Americans are struggling with the rising costs for everyday necessities. They live paycheck to paycheck.

Instead of lowering prices, President Trump and Republicans passed a bill to strip healthcare coverage from more than 15 million people, threatened Medicare benefits owed to America's seniors, and slashed nutrition benefits for working families, which will cause an additional 1 million kids to go hungry.

The majority did this to pass trillions of dollars in tax cuts for big corporations and for billionaires. They add $4 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years.

Republicans' funding bills are cut from the same cloth: They help billionaires and big corporations grow their power and raise prices on the backs of the middle class and the working class.

What is coming out of the White House is even worse. President Trump's administration, led by Russ Vought, is unlawfully stealing funds that Democrats and Republicans passed into law, the agreements that we have reached over the years. Democrats, Republicans, House and Senate, have said yes, and they have been signed into law. Now, an unelected official, Russ Vought, is stealing that money and using it-- for what purposes, we don't even know.

This administration continues to freeze, terminate, and cancel $410 billion in commitments to families, farmers, children, small businesses, and communities in every part of our country. Billions of these commitments will soon be lost forever if Congress refuses to rein in this administration's illegal actions.

As much as $5 billion for the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be wasted.

Money promised to help farmers and ranchers drive advancements in agriculture is at risk.

Over $1 billion in nonprofit security grants and homeland security grants that keep our communities safe may disappear.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in resources to help Americans deal with the increasing cost of housing will evaporate.

Put simply, this White House seeks to undo any agreement made by Congress. Russ Vought wants a shutdown, and House Republican leadership is handing it to him on a silver platter.

He wants the confusion so he can keep stealing from our communities without accountability.

These are not normal times. We are not considering this funding during normal circumstances. A vote for this bill is a vote for the status quo, but now is the time to stand up to the theft and disregard for the middle class, the working class, and vulnerable Americans. Now is the time to prevent the healthcare crisis and to lower costs.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle will say that healthcare costs are not germane to this bill. They should take a look at their continuing resolution because 67 of the 91 pages of that resolution deal with healthcare issues, whether they are healthcare extenders or whether they are healthcare for veterans. It is absolutely appropriate that we talk about how the administration has gutted healthcare, caused a healthcare crisis while increasing costs for people.

Now is the time to put an end to the Trump administration's corruption that hardworking Americans are paying for. Democrats want to lower costs, deliver critical services to all Americans, and that can be achieved through the continuing resolution that Senator Patty Murray and I introduced yesterday. It cannot be achieved through a Republican shutdown.

This partisan bill reflects a broken political system. Democrats want to protect the millions of working Americans who will be forced to choose between paying for food or their healthcare or the cancer patients and people struggling with chronic disease who will have to choose between having healthcare coverage at all or keeping a roof over their family's head.

The Republican majority ignores the democratically elected Representatives for half of the country to appease their leader. Let us hope the majority does not drive us straight to a Republican shutdown, but if they do shut the government down, I have no doubt the American people will know who is to blame. I urge Members to vote ``no'' on this bill that fails to address the needs of Americans and join Democrats at the table.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like the gentleman from Missouri to understand that without the increase in the premium subsidies that were in the ACA that have been cut back in his district, the premiums will go up $760 for folks and almost 266,000 people will lose their healthcare.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the distinguished ranking member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I remind the gentlewoman that in her district, premiums will go up $3,300, and in her State almost 2.4 million people will lose their healthcare.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the distinguished ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I remind the gentleman from Texas that in his district, premiums will go up $430. He will have to explain that to his constituents. In the State, 1.6 million people will be jettisoned from their healthcare. Explain that, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), the distinguished ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I remind the gentleman from North Carolina that I think his constituents are just going to be very unhappy about an additional almost $600 in increased costs for their healthcare premiums, and almost 652,000 people in his State will be jettisoned from healthcare.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is less than Americans deserve. We need to address the cost-of-living crisis and ensure this country has high- quality, affordable healthcare. The Republican proposal before us today does neither of those things.

For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill. My amendment would allow the House to vote on the funding proposal that myself and Senator Murray introduced in each Chamber yesterday and would gain overwhelmingly bipartisan support.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert into the Record the text of this amendment immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, let me just recall what I said early on in my comments. My Republican colleagues have, once again, chosen a partisan route.

There was consensus amongst the people who, in fact, deal with the appropriations process on both sides of the aisle. We achieved consensus on the three bills in terms of the allocations and the top lines. We said, yes, we are going to move forward in a bipartisan way to deal with those bills. There was also consensus on a bipartisan CR.

Lo and behold, there were no conversations with Democrats on a continuing resolution. As a matter of fact, if I can quote the President of the United States, he said that it is ``a waste of time'' to talk with Jeffries and Schumer. The President said that. In addition, he has told Republicans to pass this Republican continuing resolution, to jam it down the Democrats' throats.

That is the direction that the President would like to take us. He would like to take us to a shutdown, and the Republican leadership in this House has taken this partisan route. Democrats have been overwhelmingly interested in sitting down and talking about how we keep the government open.

The fact of the matter is, the issues that are on the table here in this effort that are critically important, yes, are healthcare issues. What are we fighting against? We are not going to support a partisan Republican bill that guts healthcare for the American people.

When they continue to want to say that the issues that we bring up are not germane to this bill, it really is a fallacy. That is the fallacy because 67 pages of the 91 pages in this continuing resolution deal with healthcare extensions in one way or another. Whether they are for veterans or whether they are for others, that is what is in there.

It is absolutely germane that what we talk about is how they have slashed Medicaid, the largest cut in history; that 15 million people are going to lose their healthcare; and how they raise the premiums for copays and deductibles.

I am happy to share with all of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, how much that increase is going to cost their constituents in their districts and also tell them how many people in their State are going to lose that healthcare coverage that they have.

It is in black and white. It is there. The people of their districts and their communities are going to know all about it. They set in motion $536 billion in cuts to Medicare.

As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, I have watched them shut off funding for medical research, including for kids with cancer, vaccines, and public health.

This is a partisan Republican bill that guts healthcare, increases healthcare costs for the American people, and allows the continuation of an unelected official to steal the money that both Democrats and Republicans in this House and in the Senate have moved forward on to meet the needs of the American people.

That has to stop. That is, in fact, the reason why Democrats are opposed to this continuing resolution. They are foursquare for keeping the government open but dealing with the needs of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), the distinguished Democratic leader.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 722, I call up the bill (H.R. 5371) making continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal year 2026, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5371, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026.

This Congress has a fundamental responsibility to fund the government and keep it open and serving the American people. It is a duty I take seriously and one that I have worked diligently to lead on.

Over the past year, the House Committee on Appropriations has acted to fulfill our fiscal year 2026 responsibilities. Constraints and challenges didn't stop us from doing the hard work, line by line, to uphold fiscal discipline and effective governance.

I am proud to say our markup process delivered all 12 regular appropriations bills out of committee. We have also passed three of these bills across the floor, representing more than 60 percent of overall discretionary spending.

That momentum has continued with our move to conference on the three- bill package covering Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and the Legislative Branch bills. This marks the first conference on major appropriations legislation in close to a decade, and it is a critical step for this institution and for restoring regular order.

We are certainly moving forward productively, and a bipartisan, bicameral agreement is firmly within our grasp. We just need more time to sustain negotiations and complete our work.

That is why we are here today, Mr. Speaker. The continuing resolution before us is simple. It extends funding until November 21. It is a clean, short-term stopgap that protects the fiscal year 2026 progress we have made and allows the appropriations process to advance toward full-year bills. It allows us to return the appropriations process to regular order, where it should be.

This is the responsible path. I want to remind my friends on the other side of the aisle what this measure is. It is a clean CR that keeps the lights on for the American people while we finish our work. It contains no poison pills or partisan riders. It provides essential security measures for all three branches of government. It is a short extension of just 7 weeks.

By keeping our government funded, it protects our military and defense needs, supports our veterans, and sustains critical services for our constituents, from roads, parks, and water projects to infrastructure, research, and job training.

This tailored, straightforward approach is exactly what Democrats previously asked for. Now, they are rejecting it to manufacture a partisan fight over provisions totally unrelated to appropriations.

Let me be very clear: A shutdown would do nothing to help our work on full-year bills or to support the American people. If Members want stability for the American people, time for negotiations in good faith, and regular order, they will support this CR. Any other vote would be reckless, not just for both parties but for the entire Nation.

I have said this previously, but it remains relevant today: Republicans and Democrats are more effective when they negotiate rather than provoke partisan confrontations, and the country is better off when Republicans and Democrats actually work together.

Let's do that now. We must act today for our country, for our national security, and for our constituents. I hope that all will join me in keeping the government open and serving the American people.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford), my very good friend and a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), my very good friend, the chairman of the Budget Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Moore), my very good friend.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, that was quite an unconventional closing. Normally when someone closes, they are the last speaker. I regret that, but I am happy to always hear from my good friend and distinguished minority leader. That is an unusual move.

The gentleman has the right to speak. The 1 minute is 1 minute. I respect that. I would just ask my friend in the future to just please be here in time to do it before we close.

Mr. Speaker, I won't take the 18 minutes that I have. I don't think I need it. The facts here are pretty clear. At the beginning of this process, I was asked to produce a clean bill for a limited period of time by my colleagues on the other side. They asked for that so that we could continue negotiations on a package of three bills. Those are going quite well now and are happening.

All of a sudden, we have extraneous demands for things unrelated to the day-to-day operation of the government. With all due respect, I think additional negotiations on those topics could happen. I think the majority leader in the United States Senate actually signaled they could happen but not attached to this particular bill.

This is what my friends on the other side asked for. They asked for a clean bill with no partisan riders and no tricks. Give it to us for a short period.

I was told by my distinguished friend in the United States Senate, Senator Murray: Oh no, we don't want to go all the way to January like the Trump administration does. We want to go into November.

I said: Great. I actually agree with you. I think we should keep this thing moving.

The thing to keep moving is the appropriations bills that fund the government. If my friends want to shut the government down, they have every right to do so. They might do it today. They certainly have the power of the United States Senate to do that.

Rest assured, my Democratic colleagues are doing exactly what Republicans did in 2013. It did not work for them. Republicans tied something unrelated to spending, ObamaCare, and shut down the government. That was the wrong thing to do then. I said it was the wrong thing to do. It was. My Democratic colleagues are doing the same thing now. There is nothing else.

If they want to have important negotiations on these other topics, they are important topics, and they ought to be negotiated. What is happening is not some cut that is in this bill. We are not cutting anything. A measure that was passed on a bipartisan basis, as I recall, ran out. It is running out. We should probably talk about that. We don't do it on a CR.

This is a manufactured crisis. My Democratic friends got exactly what they asked for. They asked for a clean CR. They got a clean CR. They asked for a limited amount of time. They got

a limited amount of time. They asked for negotiations on the remaining three bills. Those negotiations are underway. That is what this committee should be focused on.

That is all we are doing today, Mr. Speaker. We are buying the time that we all need to finish a process that we are all trying to restore and we think is broken. We now have people dropping things out of the blue that were never intended to be in the CR. They are trying to create a sense of crisis and drama. If they think that moves us in the right direction, I disagree.

I think that moves us in the wrong direction. I think keeping the government open for the American people and negotiating in good faith on bills that we are close to getting done and moving it through regular order is the right thing to do. I think provoking a government shutdown is the wrong thing to do. If you disagree, then vote ``no.'' Take your privilege and shut down the Government of the United States, something you have repeatedly condemned Republicans for when they did it, and rightly condemned, but you are doing the same thing, and you know it. You absolutely know it.

If you want to shut down the government today, fine.

We will give the United States Senate the same opportunity if we vote to keep it open, and if they want to shut it down, that is up to them.

However, we are at the table ready to negotiate. We are negotiating on the three bills we agreed to negotiate on right now.

That is the work of the Appropriations Committee, not this, and that is what the CR would deal with.

My friends, when I give you what you asked for, and you decide that is not acceptable, you change it afterwards, and you drop unrelated items in, that is up to you. But let's not have any pretense about what is going on here. It is political theater. That is all it is. But you are doing it at the risk of shutting the Government of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to vote for this CR. I am proud to work with my friends on the bills we were supposed to work with. I hope we can reach agreement and bring those bills to the floor in short order.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' on the bill in front of us, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend from Arizona. It has been a tough time in Arizona, and my colleague, Andy Biggs, has done a great job in leading people who are shaken. I will say that people all over this country are shaken.

Mr. Speaker, this has been a tough week in the country. I think I have spoken at three or four vigils already. I will be attending our late friend Charlie Kirk's funeral on Sunday, as many of us will, to pay what will be our last respects. The honor of his memory will go on.

The last week has been difficult because people are shaken by this in a way that we have not seen the country moved in quite some time. I have described it as if a shadow has been cast across the country by the untimely death of our dear friend and the way it was done, in such a hateful, heinous manner, online for people to view. It has been disturbing.

My heart has gone out in particular to all the students around this country who are so closely associated with Charlie Kirk's organization, Turning Point. There are 3,500-plus chapters of Turning Point at universities, college campuses, and high school campuses across America. So many of those students felt personally connected to Charlie because his voice resonated with them and helped inform their worldview and the way they see politics and society. When he was lost in such an abrupt and tragic manner, they felt it to their core.

I have been so burdened and disturbed for them. I have been praying for all of those kids, an untold number of young people around the country who are so disturbed and, frankly, need trauma counseling themselves from what they have just seen and witnessed.

In the midst of all of this, the thing that encourages me is that I believe in the same promises of Scripture that Charlie did, and I have been reminded a lot of the passage of Scripture that says: ``The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.'' Some translations of the Bible say, ``the darkness cannot comprehend it,'' and I think that is true.

What I have said to all of these students and what I have shared in these vigils is the same refrain. To summarize, the best way to honor the legacy of this singular voice in our culture, not just in the conservative movement, but in the recent history of America in the last several decades, the best way to honor the work, the legacy, and the ministry of Charlie Kirk is to do what he did, and that is to advance the principles that he advanced and to adopt his approach.

What I mean by that is the principles that Charlie advanced were the good things. Scripture talks about how we focus on the noble and praiseworthy, the good, and Charlie did that. He focused on things like faith, family, freedom, virtue, honor, and patriotism.

Charlie believed in America. He believed in the promise of America, in the creed of America, that we are all made in the image of God, the self-evident truths that God is the one who gives us our rights and not the government, and that those principles are worth fighting for.

Charlie used to quote Ronald Reagan, as I do all the time. Reagan reminded us that freedom is not inherited in the bloodstream. It has to be fought for, protected, taught, and passed along to the generations that come behind us so that they will know the same liberty, opportunity, and security that too many of us have taken for granted too often.

Charlie believed that, so he advanced those principles every single day in every venue that he was able, but he did it in a manner that we should emulate. I tell the young people that they should adopt the practices and the manner, adopt the approach, of Charlie Kirk. What I mean by that is that he was never motivated by hatred for someone on the other side of that debate.

Charlie, to the contrary, was motivated by love because he believed in what Scripture says. There are these three things that remain: faith, hope, and love. Love is the greatest thing of all. Love overcomes. Love conquers. That is what motivated our friend.

Even though he could defeat anybody in a debate, so often--and I saw this myself--when he would vanquish someone in a policy argument, he was the first person after that to reach out a hand of friendship or offer an arm around the shoulder of someone who he had just defeated in a contest. Why? Because it wasn't about winning the policy. It wasn't about, at the end of the day, really the policy arguments. It was about the people. Charlie loved vigorous debate, but he loved people more. That is the legacy of our friend.

A lot of things have been said about him. When someone is on the air, when they are a ubiquitous voice in all forms of media all the time, 24 hours a day, you can go cherry-pick one line or phrase or something that they said in a long context or a long discussion, and you can pick anything out and make someone portray them to be something that they were not.

The people who were doing that did not know Charlie Kirk. All of us who did will attest, every single person who spent any time with Charlie Kirk will tell you, that he was a good and godly man, not a perfect man. None of us are. There was only one ever perfect man, and he was God and man.

Charlie Kirk was a good man who loved his fellow man and gave his life literally in the pursuit of advancing truth.

The very least that we can do is honor him, especially at a time in the

country when people are anxious and frightened. In moments like this, when political instability and fear are pervasive, it is incumbent upon leaders to step forward, stand in the breach, and do what is right.

By voting for this resolution today, we are making a strong statement on behalf of the Congress. We are telling our constituents, for one thing, that political violence, but also the glorification and celebration of that violence, are profoundly wrong, and it goes against everything we stand for as Americans.

Charlie stood for exactly the opposite. He stood for what was good in America, what is virtuous and worthy of protection and preservation.

We honor his memory by doing this simple act of passing this resolution. I can't imagine that anyone would vote against it, or vote present, or pretend as though this is not exactly the right thing to do.

I certainly hope that we can pass this resolution unanimously today, just as it should be passed.

Mr. Speaker, I thank, again, my dear friend and colleague, Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona. Our hearts go out to the people of Arizona, as they do to all, everyone who is mourning his death.

I will tell you this: The truth that Charlie advanced will go forward more loudly and more profoundly than it ever has before, and that is the encouragement we have.