Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mrs. Lori Ann Glasser, whom we sadly lost on July 18, 2017. Lori was a constituent and friend of mine, and I will miss her dearly. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends in this undoubtedly difficult time.

Lori contributed greatly to the growth of Democratic politics in Florida, specifically in Broward County. She was the president of the Sunrise Regular Democratic Club, and the past president of the Council of Democratic Club Presidents for Broward County. She held that position for 5 years, becoming the longest serving president in that organization's history. She was also the past president of the Gold Coast Women's Democratic Club of Broward County, and the Broward Democratic Party Area Leader for Sunrise, Plantation, North Lauderdale, and Tamarac.

She was an elected Florida Delegate representing the 20th and 23rd Congressional Districts at every Democratic National Convention from 1992 to 2008, and proudly served on numerous boards and committees both political and civil.

Lori's contributions to our community will be remembered for years to come. She is survived by her husband, Craig Glasser of Sunrise, Florida, and her son. May their faith bring comfort to them in their time of grief, and know that Lori's spirit and loving memory will always live on.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a House Resolution disapproving of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO's) World Heritage Committee Inscription of the ancient city of Hebron as a Palestinian World Heritage Site in Danger. A UNESCO resolution inscribing Hebron was approved at the end of last week, and is the latest in a regrettable trend at the United Nations (UN). Truly, it seems as if every time I turn around the UN or one of its agencies is pursuing a radical anti- Israel agenda.

In recognizing Hebron as a Palestinian World Heritage Site, UNESCO has once again attempted to rewrite Jewish history out of world history. In the past year, the UN has adopted resolutions that have omitted Jewish identity from the Temple Mount, named for the location of the Jewish Temple two thousand years ago, and also chastised Israel for planting `fake Jewish graves' in the vicinity. This is ridiculous and bordering on anti-Semitism.

The resolution on Hebron is no different. At the center of Ancient Hebron lays the Cave of the Patriarchs, a shrine that is holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and recognized as the burial place of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Jewish people, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah. It is the second most holy site in Judaism, behind only the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, where the ancient Jewish Temple stood more than two thousand years ago.

The Cave of the Patriarchs sits within a compound constructed by Herod, an ancient King of Judea during the Second Temple Period, when it served as a place for Jewish prayers at the grave sites of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of Judaism. When the city of Hebron was conquered 700 years ago by the Mamluks, the compound was converted into a mosque and Jews were prohibited from entering. Thus was the case for nearly 700 years, until the city of Hebron was liberated by Israeli forces during the Six-Day War in 1967 and re-established as a place where all religions could worship.

This history is important, Mr. Speaker, because UNESCO's World Heritage Committee does not appear to care about it. But I do. We do. All of us in this body understand the importance of world heritage. The UN does itself a great disservice when it allows these revisionist measures to move forward.

Even as wars and humanitarian disasters rage across the globe, the UN remains relentless in its anti-Israel agenda. I therefore felt it necessary to introduce this resolution today disapproving of UNESCO's inscription of Hebron and its Cave of the Patriarchs as a Palestinian World Heritage Site in Danger, and calling on this body to reject any anti-Israel measure that may follow. I ask that it be given immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, as a proud member of the Korea Caucus, I am honored to rIse today to welcome President Moon Jae-In of the Republic of Korea on his first official visit to the United States.

The Republic of Korea and the United States have been not only allies, but close friends, for nearly 70 years. This alliance and friendship was solidified in our 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty with the Republic of Korea, and it is this commitment which binds us together today as we confront the threat posed by a nuclear and ever bellicose North Korea.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to continuing my work with my Korean friends as we work to make the peninsula, and broader region, safe and prosperous for all people dedicated to the rule of law and a democratic way of life. I wish President Moon a safe and productive visit to the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Republic of Kazakhstan on hosting the much anticipated EXPO 2017, and to congratulate them on the 20th anniversary of the founding of the capital city Astana, where the Expo is being held.

The theme for EXPO 2017 is ``Future Energy,'' which is particularly fitting for Kazakhstan as the country has become a leader in renewable energy in Central Asia. Kazakhstan's efforts with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in the 1990's, as well as their ratification of the more recent Kyoto Protocol extension, clearly exhibit their commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and slowing global warming. Domestically, Kazakhstan continues to construct hydropower plants, providing jobs to local communities while meeting the increasing demands for energy in Eurasia. Additionally, the Kyzylorda and Aral regions have been proposed for the installation of solar power plants and solar stills in rivers to better provide clean drinking water to those areas in need of this life sustaining resource. Finally, Kazakhstan has provided robust funding for research dedicated to the advancement of wind energy efficiency.

I would like to also note the great work of our Kazakh friends in building Astana into one of the most industrialized cities in Central Asia over the past 20 years. This diligent work has resulted in Astana exhibiting remarkable growth in investment, industrial output, and small business development since its designation as capital in 1997. In addition, Astana's education and healthcare systems serve as a model for the programs of fellow recovering post-Soviet nations.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to continuing to pursue a strong U.S.- Kazakh relationship as we work together to bring peace and security to Central Asia, and as we work together to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and invest in renewable energy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bipartisan resolution urging China, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, India, and all nations to outlaw the dog and cat meat trade and to enforce existing laws against the trade. It might surprise you to learn that an estimated 30,000,000 dogs and a great number of cats die annually across Asia for the dog and cat meat trade.

This resolution would urge nations that have a dog and cat meat trade to adopt and enforce anti-cruelty laws, urge those nations to increase efforts to prevent leather and fur by-products from entering international markets, and encourage those nations to enforce their food safety laws to crack down on the sale of dog and cat meat.

It is my sincere hope that this resolution will send a strong message to countries where the dog and cat meat trade still exist, and continue the animal protection movement that is already rapidly growing across Asia.

Mr. Speaker, I hope this body will expeditiously pass this measure. Doing so will reaffirm America's commitment to the humane treatment of our most beloved companions.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Oklahoma for yielding to me the customary 30 minutes for debate.

This measure is a bipartisan bill that will help Americans receiving support from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families find good- paying jobs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 6 million job openings in our country. That is the highest level recorded since we started tracking this data, yet the share of Americans participating in the workforce is at a four-decade low. Clearly, there are underlying issues

that need to be addressed to get more people plugged into the workforce.

For people looking for jobs, TANF serves as a lifeline. TANF is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services and is designed to help in-need families achieve self-sufficiency. Under the program, States receive block grants to design and operate their own programs to fulfill the goals of the TANF program.

It is important to note that States are at risk of financial penalty if TANF participants receive more than a year of education or if States have more than 30 percent of the State TANF caseload in education and training programs. Due to these limits, States have largely abandoned efforts to promote or support work in their TANF programs. This is important to understand because one of the most effective ways to get more people employed is through employer-driven on-the-job training.

Research has shown that, properly structured, these programs result in better and more stable employment, especially for individuals who are otherwise unlikely to find work.

Although the measure we are debating today does not address this issue, this bill will help tip the scale back toward job-training programs. H.R. 2842 establishes demonstration projects that combine work, training, and support for hard-to-employ TANF recipients.

This bill provides a onetime appropriation of $100 million to subsidize these programs. After the 12-month period, States are going to be required to report to Congress on the effectiveness of subsidizing wages in moving individuals receiving TANF into full-time jobs.

Since we are talking about jobs, we need to recognize that we as an institution have not provided the necessary resources to get people back to work. If you were to ask any Member of this body to outline his or her top priorities, I guarantee you that job creation would be mentioned every single time. We all agree on the need, but from there, the conversation stops. There are lots of proposals in Congress to create jobs, but we have been unable to pass a large-scale, bipartisan bill for quite some time. This really needs to change.

Given the legislation we are debating today, it is interesting to me that President Donald John Trump's budget proposal cut workforce training programs by 39 percent. Rather than present a jobs bill, he has presented a plan that would actually stop helping people looking for jobs. That, in my judgment, is penny-wise and pound-foolish. In bringing forward this legislation, I think it is being made clear that this body does not share that approach, but we need to do more than a single, targeted bill.

Five months into the Trump administration, Republican leadership still has not put forward a single large-scale piece of legislation to create good-paying jobs or raise the wages of hardworking Americans, but its leadership has rejected Democratic proposals out of hand.

We should be working every day on creating jobs and raising wages for everyone everywhere in America. But instead of focusing on job creation, Donald John Trump's budget request would destroy approximately 1.4 million jobs.

His budget would eviscerate billions of dollars from critical job- creating investments in infrastructure and innovation, dismantle skills training programs like the one we are discussing here today, ransack education benefits, and leave our country in a weakened state. Instead of bringing jobs back to communities that have fallen on hard times, the budget walks away from them.

So, Mr. Speaker, I will leave it at this. The underlying measure we are debating today is a good step forward. But one step is not nearly enough. We need to do more, not less, to strengthen our communities and help working families.

Just as I urge Donald John Trump to move past the campaign rhetoric and get serious, I also urge this body to lead with more bipartisan measures that will provide for necessary resources for those who need them most.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. DelBene), who is a distinguished member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

President Donald John Trump campaigned on the promise of job creation; however, his budget paints a very different picture. It cuts job training programs by 39 percent, and its radical spending cuts would lead to massive job losses.

In this body, we talk a lot about jobs, but we are 6 months into this Congress and have failed to pass any major job creation bills. While the bipartisan legislation before us today is, indeed, as my good friend points out, a step in the right direction, we can and we must do more.

Well, Mr. Speaker, I am happy to say that I have an amendment in my hand that will generate thousands of American jobs. If we defeat the previous question, I am going to offer an amendment to the rule to bring up Representative DeFazio's bipartisan bill, H.R. 2510, the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act. This bill will create thousands of new American jobs through increased investment in our Nation's wastewater infrastructure. Here is a chance to take today's momentum a step further and consider Mr. DeFazio's bill in addition to the bipartisan TANF bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), my very good friend, the distinguished ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee who will discuss our proposal.

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

I first want to address my good friend about the previous question and the fact that it has not gone through the process. I will just remind him that the chatter in Washington today is about a healthcare measure that hasn't gone through the process, at least to the extent that most of us would all want.

I also have great respect for my good friend from Oklahoma, and I know he will see and get a chance to talk with President Donald John Trump. I am not likely to.

But I would ask him to tell him when he sees him for me that I came here in 1993, and there were 14,000 bridges in need of repair in America, and last year the statistics from the society that does that analysis showed that there are 54,000 bridges in need of repair in this country. The point that I wish to make is that we need a serious substantial infrastructure measure.

Mr. Speaker, we talk a lot about jobs in this Chamber. I was at a forum on Saturday, and someone mentioned: My governor's mantra is ``jobs, jobs, jobs.'' And that person said: Well, he must mean that you have to have three jobs in order to get by.

I am glad that we are here today considering a bill that will help Americans in search of work to find a good-paying position that will help them support themselves and their families. We have a lot of issues facing us, and this bipartisan legislation is just one tiny step forward in the right direction. I hope this measure translates into more bipartisan bills.

Too often, from healthcare reform, tax reform--footnote right there. My friend mentions that we will likely see a tax reform measure sometime soon. I hope that it doesn't revert to trickle down. We have seen trickle down. It did not work, and I hope we don't do that again.

We have an opportunity on other issues, and in many respects the majority has shut out the minority from the process, just like what has happened until today, at least, in the other body with reference to healthcare.

The bills we have debated and even passed are projected to eliminate millions of jobs. Even as we talk about job creation, my friends across the aisle too frequently turn around and champion measures that would do just the opposite. There is so much room for cooperation in this area, yet time and time again we are kept out of the process, and the results speak for themselves. For the sake of our country, this needs to change.

Even though this is a bipartisan bill, it also serves as an example of what I mean. I was disappointed that my Republican colleagues in the Rules Committee blocked yesterday six germane amendments to this bill. It is a sympton of the closed process. When we prevent germane amendments from even being debated by the House, it does us all a disservice, yet my friends across the aisle do it again and again.

Mr. Speaker, I will close with this: President Obama is credited for creating 11.3 million jobs in our country. The economy added jobs for 75 straight months, and very fortunately that carryover for the last 5 months has continued.

While President Donald John Trump makes untenable pledge after pledge, I watched every word of his speech last night in Iowa, and all I heard was platitudes. I didn't hear anything about substance. And it seemed like a road test for some new ideas. He makes these untenable pledges, including a very humble promise to be--and I quote him--``the greatest jobs producer that God ever created.''

The record is clear, the Democratic Party is, has been, and will be the party of job creation, and is ready to work with my Republican colleagues to continue significant job creation in this country.

So I will ask my friends across the aisle, let us continue the trend of the past few years and work together to produce bipartisan measures that will benefit the American people.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mr. Leo Shey of Pembroke Pines, Florida. Leo was a dear friend of mine who sadly passed away on June 13, 2017.

Leo was born in the Bronx, New York. He served honorably in the United States Navy, and after marrying his wife Bunny in 1950, they moved to Dade County in South Florida in 1958. As a mortgage banker, Leo dedicated many years of his career specializing in low-income housing in Dade and Broward counties, and also served on the board of directors of the Park Place Association for 40 years. Through his contributions, Leo made a profound impact in South Florida.

Leo went on to establish himself in Atlanta, Georgia where he emerged as an ally of the African American business community. At the forefront of civil rights activism, Leo became an esteemed member of the 100 percent Wrong Club.

Distinguishing himself through extraordinary involvement in the community, Leo touched countless lives. He is survived by his wife Bunny, and adored by father of Nina Voges (Dan), Michael (Barbara), like-a-son Seth Brown, and predeceased by Douglas. Beloved and wise grandfather of Tim (Rachel), Caitlin (Todd), Sherri and Terri (Cesar), and blended family Danielle (Jorge del Valle, Arya and Jayley) and Sean Voges (Alice). Adoring Pop-pop of Wilhelmina, Sebastian and Violette Leo.

Mr. Speaker, words cannot express how deeply saddened I am for the passing of such a kind soul. I was devastated to learn of the death of one of the nicest people I have ever known. Leo was not a large man, but he was most among men. It is with a heavy heart that I honor his life arid accomplishments, but most of all, to honor our friendship. My thoughts are with his loved ones, during this most difficult time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mr. John Aloysius Shanley. John was a loving husband and father. He passed away peacefully on June 5, 2017, in the comfort of his home, surrounded by his family, after a hard fought battle against ALS.

John was known for his sense of humor, his youthful heart, and his successful business, P.G. Tire Inc. Known to his family as ``PopPop,'' John is survived by his wife Marlene Shanley and four loving children Genevieve and Charles Hawk, Nicholle and Kenneth Simpson, Joseph and Natalie Shanley, and Marilyn Shanley, as well as his sister, Sharon Shanley of Las Vegas, NV. He has 7 grandchildren, Andrew Simpson, Ryleigh Simpson, Elizabeth Hawk, Colin Hawk, Maggie Shanley, Jack Shanley and Blaise Ingoglia.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. John Aloysius Shanley will be remembered as a humorous and humble man, beloved by his family and friends. I am very pleased to honor his life and legacy here on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this most difficult time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bipartisan resolution supporting the concurrent-track approach to the Israeli- Palestinian peace process. I want to acknowledge and thank Representative Eliot Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and my friend and colleague across the aisle, Representative David Schweikert, for introducing this resolution with me.

There is no reason to parse words: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict presents an immensely difficult challenge. There are no easy answers. Successive United States Presidential administrations have pursued peace agreements between the parties for over 30 years, from the 1982 Reagan Plan for Middle East Peace to the 1993 Oslo Accords, Camp David Summit, Clinton Parameters, Annapolis Conference, and efforts to restart the peace process under the Obama Administration. Today, it seems as if progress has ground to a halt.

The relationship between America and Israel is paramount. We stand with our ally and continue to support efforts to move the peace process forward, whenever and in any way possible. Despite lack of progress, Israel and some of her Arab neighbors have worked quietly and behind the scenes to improve bilateral relations in recent years. Common threats posed by Iran and the Islamic State have allowed for new limited dialogues to emerge. However limited they may be, these interactions present a new approach for improving the outlook of the Middle East.

The concurrent-track approach, sometimes referred to as the ``outside-in'' approach, encourages Arab and Muslim-majority states to improve bilateral relations with Israel, as Israel and the Palestinian Authority concurrently work to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Although there are rarely, if ever, easy solutions to challenges as complex as bringing lasting peace to the Middle East, Congress should encourage and support those states willing to engage in that endeavor.

The resolution expresses support for the concurrent track approach, and commends Arab and Muslim-majority states that have already taken steps to improve their bilateral relations with Israel. I, like nearly all of my colleagues in Congress, continue to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, negotiated between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and resulting in two states for two peoples, living side-by-side in peace, security, and mutual recognition. I believe this is the only way to ensure that both the Israeli people and the Palestinian people can have a sovereign homeland. The inability to achieve a two-state solution threatens the State of Israel's security and identity as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people, just as it impedes the well-being and self- determination of the Palestinian people.

Earlier this month, we marked the 50th Anniversary of Israel's Six- Day War and the anniversary of the re-unification of Jerusalem. For the 19 years Jerusalem was divided, Jews were forced from the Jewish Quarter and the Old City, barred from Holy sites, and Jewish cemeteries and synagogues were vandalized. In the days leading up to the six-day war, the armies of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria massed on Israel's borders, threatening the Jewish people with annihilation for the second time in just two decades. The Israeli people fought for their survival and achieved a miraculous victory. In reuniting the city, Jerusalem once again became a place where people of all faiths can worship.

Despite this victory, the final status of Jerusalem and the safety of the State of Israel and its people, regardless of ethnicity or religion, will not be secured until peace is achieved.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to introduce this bipartisan resolution today, and urge its speedy consideration and passage by this body.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Willie Span of Tamarac, Florida. Willie was a constituent of mine, who tragically passed away on October 2, 2014, after being struck by a vehicle while on his way to the William ``Bill'' Kling VA Clinic in Sunrise, Florida.

Since this heartbreaking accident, Willie became a symbol for pedestrian safety and for veterans in our community. Veterans had advocated long and hard for a crosswalk and traffic light to the Bill Kling Clinic, yet they were told that there were not enough pedestrians crossing the street to warrant the changes. In the time since the accident, Willie's wife, Doris Span, has continued to push for a safer way for veterans to cross the street from the bus stop to get to the clinic.

The bus stop has been temporarily removed and replaced with paratransit service for veterans, and we are all anticipating a lasting solution to avoid future tragedies. We must do everything we can to create safe places for pedestrians through the placements of crosswalks and lights. Too often, this does not happen until a terrible accident occurs.

Mr. Speaker, Willie Span was a veteran of the war in Vietnam, having served as a private in the United States Army, 8th Infantry Division. He and his wife had been married for eight years before purchasing their first home together, something that had always been his dream.

On Monday, June 19, 2017, Willie's family, friends, and representatives of the U.S. Army, the Miami VA Healthcare System, the William ``Bill'' Kling Veterans Clinic, the Broward County Veterans Coalition, and Broward County Transit will gather at the location of the accident to honor his memory and place a memorial plaque. He is remembered as a soft-spoken and honorable man, beloved by his family and friends. I am very pleased to honor his life and legacy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Broward County Mental Health Court on celebrating its 20th Anniversary on June 23, 2017.

This year's Anniversary will honor the Broward County Public Defender, Mr. Howard Finkelstein; the Honorable Dale Ross; the Broward Sheriff's Office; the Broward Behavioral Health Coalition; the United Way of Broward County; Henderson Behavioral Health; the Broward County Crime Commission; the Mental Health Association of Southeast Florida; and the National Alliance on Mental Illness Broward County. All of these outstanding individuals and organizations deserve this honor as they have devoted countless hours and years to helping those with mental illness navigate an often unforgiving criminal justice system.

As we celebrate this august occasion, I would be remiss if I did not single out the efforts of Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren. Judge Lerner-Wren was tasked with presiding over and administering our country's first Mental Health Court in 1997, shortly after taking the bench. Since that time, she has been a leader in the field of Therapeutic Jurisprudence and the justice that emanates therefrom. Judge Lerner-Wren, and all those who work for the Mental Health Court, as well as those dedicated to the cause of Therapeutic Jurisprudence really have one simple goal in mind--ensuring dignity for those suffering from mental illness, who find themselves navigating our criminal justice system.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud all those associated with Broward County's Mental Health Court over the past 20 years. Their work has made an important difference in the lives of those dealing with mental health issues, to their families, and our community. I wish the Court many more years of continued success, and look forward to championing their important work in Congress.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from Colorado, for yielding me the necessary and customary 30 minutes for debate.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to debate the rule for consideration of two separate pieces of legislation: S. 1094, the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act; and H.R. 2581, the Verify First Act.

I begin with S. 1094, legislation aimed at bringing enhanced accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs and improving the care we provide to our Nation's veterans. Among other things, this bill codifies in law the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection at the VA and streamlines the process to demote, remove, or suspend VA employees if evidence proves they engaged in misconduct or poor performance.

Mr. Speaker, last night at the Rules Committee, we had the opportunity to hear from the chairman and ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee about this legislation, Dr. Roe and Mr. Walz. They discussed the bipartisan nature in which they have worked on this issue, along with the bipartisan work done in the Senate, to craft legislation that they hope can achieve strong bipartisan support in this body.

It is because of this display of bipartisanship and cooperation and a semblance of regular order that I am dismayed that I must now address the process and substance by which we are considering the second bill encompassed in this rule, H.R. 2581, the Verify First Act.

Let me connect the dots for you on how we got to this point, and bear with me. The Republican majority's path to take healthcare from 23 million Americans has been as convoluted as it has been chaotic.

Mr. Speaker, as I am sure you and my colleagues should remember, first, the Republican mantra was repeal. Then it was repeal and replace. Then it was repeal and delay, followed by access to coverage, and then, patient centered.

Finally, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle settled on a three-bucket strategy. The first bucket of this strategy was the Republicans'

American Health Care Act. The majority brought their first iteration of this bill to the floor after working on it for 17 days, and, with no hearings, only to have it go down in flames in the most public and spectacular fashion.

So they went back to the drawing board--not to improve the bill, or improve healthcare for the American people, mind you, but to garner enough Republican votes for a bill that ultimately had 17 percent approval ratings. And they added a manager's amendment to get support, then they added another manager's amendment, then another, and another.

Then with a bill patched together with the wants and wishes of powerful healthcare lobbyists and tax breaks for the superwealthy, with no CBO score, and with no way for the American people, let alone their own Members, to actually know what was in the bill, the majority pushed the bill through the House of Representatives.

What did my Republican friends do after passing this inexplicably bad bill? They got on a couple of buses from here at the Capitol and went to a rose garden ceremony hosted by President Donald John Trump to celebrate upending one-sixth of the American economy and taking away healthcare from 23 million people.

That was certainly the Republicans' most recent mission-accomplished moment, and it must have been some celebration because it will be another 2 weeks before the majority would actually get around to sending their healthcare bill to the Senate, due to the fact that they were not sure if it complied with the Senate rules or, more specifically, the Byrd rule in the U.S. Senate.

Then there is the second bucket of this plan, which involves the Trump administration rolling back regulations. Should the work associated with the second bucket proceed as it has with the other two, then I am sure it, too, will be a disaster, benefitting the wealthy at the expense of hardworking Americans.

Mr. Speaker, this brings me to the Republicans' third bucket. According to Senator Ted Cruz, this bucket is ``a sucker's bucket.'' Indeed, some like Senator Tom Cotton have referred to all of this bucket talk as simply a bunch of political spin. Whatever it is, it is an empty bucket.

The most recent bill the Republican majority has decided to dump in this sucker's bucket is H.R. 2581, the Verify First Act. Under current law, premium assistance tax credits are available for eligible individuals and families to subsidize the cost of health insurance. Individuals are not eligible for these credits unless they are U.S. citizens or are living in the country legally.

Currently, applicants have 90 days to provide documentation or otherwise address any issues with citizenship and immigration status, and are presumed eligible to enroll in marketplace coverage. If an individual is unable to provide the necessary documentation, coverage and financial assistance are terminated.

This provision ensures that individuals are not left in a position of having to wait potentially months to be verified before they can afford coverage, and it provides the proper guardrails to terminate assistance if an individual is deemed ineligible. There is no evidence to support the majority's claim that this process is not working.

H.R. 2581 would repeal this 90-day verification period, setting up an unnecessary barrier for eligible individuals to receive the credits they need to afford lifesaving healthcare. Republicans themselves acknowledge that the verification process could take months, but, nevertheless, they are bringing forth today's bill knowing full well that it will make it harder for vulnerable people to access healthcare when they need it most.

It would disproportionately hurt low-income Americans, especially naturalized Americans from immigrant families since they can have a harder time producing documentation needed to verify their citizenship. But don't just take my word for it.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter signed by dozens and dozens of national, State, and local civil rights and advocacy groups strongly opposing this legislation, such groups as the NAACP, the Children's Defense Fund, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the American Friends Service Committee, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy, and I could go on, and on, and on, but in the interest of time, I thank the Speaker for allowing it to be made a part of the Record.

June 12, 2017.

Dear Member of Congress: As national, state, and local

organizations concerned about immigrant rights or access to

affordable health care, we are writing to strongly urge you

to VOTE NO on H.R. 2581, the ``Verify First'' Act. This bill

is an attack on people's ability to see a doctor and on

immigrants and people of color. It is not the ``common

sense'' taxpayer protection bill that its supporters would

have you believe.

H.R. 2581 is a dangerous bill that puts up roadblocks for

both citizens and immigrants to obtain timely, affordable

health insurance. It would strip away provisions that provide

for a person to obtain subsidies for enrollment in an

Affordable Care Act (or the contemplated American Health Care

Act) plan while they work with Department of Health and Human

Services to verify their U.S. citizenship or immigration

status. The people most impacted are U.S. citizens who were

born abroad or naturalized. The bill also affects many

immigrants, especially those newly arrived or certain victims

of domestic violence and trafficking survivors.

The fact is that when individuals are not able to

immediately verify their citizenship or immigration status on

an Affordable Care Act Marketplace, it begins an often months

long, strenuous process of sending in documents that must be

physically inspected. Health care assisters routinely say

these clients are the hardest cases they work on because the

process for verifying citizenship and immigration status is a

time-consuming exercise in dealing with inefficient

government processes.

Rather than protect American taxpayers, H.R. 2581 would

strip from American taxpayers important protections that are

needed to overcome deficiencies in federal government

databases. Immigrants who are not lawfully present are

categorically barred from enrollment in health insurance on

the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, and for the subsidies

that make that insurance affordable. Moreover, safeguards

protecting taxpayers are already built into the ACA;

individuals whose citizenship or immigration status cannot be

verified already are required to pay back all of their

subsidies when they file their taxes and ``reconcile'' their

premium tax credits.

Supporters of this bill cite a sloppy Senate Homeland

Security and Governmental Affairs Committee report that

arrived at a made-up number of supposed ``fraud.'' It's just

not true. The committee assumed that every person who lost

coverage for failure to verify their citizenship and

immigration status was undocumented. In the experience of our

organizations and organizations we work with, this is false.

These reports describe the first year of the marketplaces,

and it is well documented that system outages and

understaffing, among other technical problems, contributed to

the federal Marketplace's failure to verify consumers' status

promptly. The Department of Health and Human Services

Inspector General reported in 2014 that a cause of the delay

in verification was the agency's lack of prioritization of

this issue.

Despite huge gains since then, problems still persist. The

Social Security database holding many citizens' information

may not reflect common changes, such as when a person marries

and changes their last name, or when someone naturalizes and

gains U.S. citizenship. People lose their coverage because

they receive notices in languages they cannot read.

Immigrants are required to submit documents multiple times,

or wait while the Department of Homeland Security finds paper

files, a result of deficiencies in their databases affecting

groups like asylum applicants and some survivors of domestic

violence. These are among the many issues consumers face.

Congress has already deprived undocumented immigrants from

the ability to buy coverage, even at full price, so they can

see a doctor when they are sick, but this bill would go a

step further to delay or put out of reach affordable health

insurance for many citizens and lawfully present immigrants.

Our organizations firmly believe that this would be

detrimental to the people we represent and to all of our

communities as a whole. We have seen that when health

insurance is unaffordable, people are effectively prevented

from obtaining access to the care they need to be healthy.

This bill is not just an attack on our health care system,

it is also an attack on immigrants and people of color, which

our organizations stand firmly against. In his statements

when introducing this bill, Rep. Lou Barletta focused the

bill as part of his effort to ``stop illegal immigration.''

Rep. Barletta has a long history of anti-immigrant rhetoric,

from trying to prevent immigrants from leasing a residence to

stating that they should be denied life-saving services in

hospital emergency rooms. This bill is simply a vehicle for

scapegoating immigrants and people of color and will keep

eligible people from accessing health care.

We the undersigned organizations urge you to vote NO on

H.R. 2581 and the continued assault on immigrants and the

health of our communities.

Sincerely,

National

Advocates for Youth; African American Ministers in Action;

American Federation of Teachers (AFT); American Friends

Service Committee; American Intercession; American Society on

Aging; Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum; Asian

Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC; Asian Pacific Institute

on Gender-Based Violence; Asian Pacific Partners for

Empowerment, Advocacy & Leadership (APPEAL); Association of

Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO);

Autistic Self Advocacy Network; Black Alliance for Just

Immigration; Breast Cancer Action; Center for Law and Social

Policy (CLASP); Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc.; Child

Welfare League of America; Children's Advocacy Institute;

Children's Defense Fund; Church World Service (CWS).

Coalition on Human Needs; Columbian Center for Advocacy and

Outreach; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good

Shepherd, US Provinces; Conscious Talk Radio; Detention Watch

Network; Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund;

Dominican Sisters; Dominicans of Sinsinawa; Family Equality

Council; Farmworker Justice; First Focus Campaign for

Children; Food Research & Action Center; Franciscan Sisters

of the Poor IJPC; Friends Committee on National Legislation;

Generations Inc.; GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT

Equality; Immigrant Legal Resource Center; Indivisible;

Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas; Interfaith

Worker Justice.

Irish Apostolate USA; Jobs With Justice; Justice in Aging;

Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Commission, Priests of the

Sacred Heart, US Province; Lambda Legal; Leadership Team of

the Felician Sisters of North America; League of United Latin

American Citizens (LULAC); Medical Mission Sisters; Mi

Familia Vota; MomsRising; NAACP; NAPAFASA; National Advocacy

Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd; National Asian

Pacific American Women's Forum; National Association of

County and City Health Officials; National Association of

Social Workers; National Black Justice Coalition; National

Center for Transgender Equality; National Council of Asian

Pacific Americans (NCAPA); National Council of Churches.

National Council of La Raza (NCLR); National Education

Association; National Employment Law Project; National Health

Law Program; National Hispanic Medical Association; National

Immigrant Justice Center; National Immigration Law Center;

National Justice for Our Neighbors; National Latina Institute

for Reproductive Health; National Network of Abortion Funds;

National Organization for Women; National Women's Health

Network; Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility

of United Church of Christ; NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social

Justice; NMAC; OCA--Asian Pacific American Advocates; Our

Revolution; Peace and Justice Office of the Congregation of

Notre Dame; Physicians for Reproductive Health; PICO

National.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Poor People's

Economic Human Rights Campaign; Prevention Institute; Project

Inform; Racine Dominicans; Raising Women's Voices for the

Health Care We Need; Refuge Ministries; Sargent Shriver

National Center on Poverty Law; Service Employees

International Union; Sisters of Charity; Sisters of Charity

of Nazareth; Sisters of Mercy of the Americas--Institute

Justice Team; Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC);

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; United

Sikhs; United We Dream; Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk, U.S.

Province; We Belong Together; API Wellness.

State and Local

Academy of Medical & Public Health Services; Advocates for

Children and Youth; AgeOptions; Almost Home, Inc.; Anti-

Hunger & Nutrition Coalition; Arkansas Advocates for Children

and Families; Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing;

Asian Americans Advancing Justice--Los Angeles; Asian

Community Alliance--Cincinnati OH; Asian Law Alliance; Asian

Services In Action, Inc.; Baltimore Jewish Council;

California Health Professional Student Alliance; California

Immigrant Policy Center; California Latinas for Reproductive

Justice (CLRJ); California OneCare; California Pan-Ethnic

Health Network; California Partnership; California Physicians

Alliance; CASA.

Center for Southeast Asians; Chicago Hispanic Health

Coalition; Child Care Resources of Rockland; Children Now;

Children's Defense Fund--CA; Chinatown Service Center;

Chinese-American Planning Council; Coalition for Humane

Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA); Collaborative Center for Justice;

Colorado Center on Law and Policy; Colorado Center on Law and

Policy; Columbia Legal Services; Community Health Councils;

D.C. Hunger Solutions; DuPage Federation on Human Services

Reform; Empower Missouri; Ensuring Opportunity Campaign to

End Poverty in Contra Costa; Erie Benedictines for Peace;

Esperanza Health Centers; EverThrive Illinois; Farmworker

Association of Florida.

Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC); Give for a Smile;

Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness; Having Our

Say Coalition; Health Access California; Health Care for

All--WA; Health Law Advocates; Healthy House Within A MATCH

Coalition; Hmong Ohio of Tomorrow; Hunger Action Los Angeles;

IHM Sisters, Immaculata, PA; IL Hunger Coalition; Illinois

Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Indivisible

Mountain Home, Idaho; Interfaith Movement for Human

Integrity; IRIS--Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services;

Islamic Civic Engagement Project; Jewish Family & Children's

Service; Kansas Appleseed; Kentucky Equal Justice Center;

Korean Community Services of Metropolitan NY; La Fe Policy

Research and Education Center.

La Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program; Legal Council for

Health Justice; Legal Services of Southern Piedmont; Maine

Consumers for Affordable Health Care; Make the Road New York;

Maryland CASH Campaign; Maryland Hunger Solutions;

Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition

(MIRA); Massachusetts Law Reform Institute; Maternal and

Child Health Access; Maternity Care Coalition; National

Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter; National Tongan

American Society; Nationalities Service Center; NC Child; New

Mexico Center on Law and Poverty; New York Immigration

Coalition; New York Legal Assistance Group; NICOS Chinese

Health Coalition; NJ State Industrial Union Council; NOELA

Community Health Center; Northern NJ Chapter, National

Organization for Women.

Northwest Health Law Advocates; Northwest Immigrant Rights

Project; Office of the Health Care Advocate at Vermont Legal

Aid; OneAmerica; Pacific Islander Health Partnership; Pitkin

County Human Services; Public Justice Center; Puget Sound

Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA); Rainbow Center;

Reformed Church of Highland Park; RESULTS--Santa Fe (NM);

Salaam Cleveland; Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education

Network (SIREN); Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word,

Houston; Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, NY; Sisters of

the Most Precious Blood; Social Justice Committee St. Patrick

Church; South Asian Network; Southwest Women's Law Center;

St. Francis St Vincent de Paul Society; Tennessee Justice

Center; Thai Health And Information Service.

The Children's Partnership; The Latino Health Insurance

Program, Inc.; Turning Points; United Way Bay Area; URI

Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America; Vermont

Affordable Housing Coalition; Virginia Poverty Law Center;

Voices for Vermont's Children; Voz Hispana Cambia

Comunitario; Washington Community Action Network; Washington

Healthcare Access Alliance; Washington State Labor Council,

AFL-CIO; West Chester Food Cupboard; West Side Campaign

Against Hunger; Westlake Chinese Culture Association;

Wisconsin Council of Churches; Wisconsin Faith Voices for

Justice; Women's Action Movement Washtenaw County, MI;

Worksite Wellness LA; Xaverian Brothers; Young Women United.

Mr. Speaker, ``This bill,'' that letter says, ``is an attack on people's ability to see a doctor and on immigrants and people of color.''

``H.R. 2581 is a dangerous bill that puts up roadblocks for both citizens and immigrants to obtain timely, affordable health insurance.''

If this is what we are in store for with the Republican's third bucket, then it is even worse than a sucker's bucket. It is callous, and it is cruel, and someone described the Vice Presidency once many years ago as a warm bucket of spit.

As my colleague, Congressman Richard Neal, said last night at the Rules Committee, bad process leads to bad product. I agree with Mr. Neal, and this bill is a perfect example of his salient insight. The provisions in this legislation are contingent upon enactment of the American Health Care Act.

If the American Health Care Act is enacted, this bill would not go into effect. That means we are now considering legislation amending a bill that we have already sent to the Senate, and that the Senate has made clear it has no intention of taking up.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, Donald John Trump issued an executive order placing a hiring freeze on Federal civilian employees across the executive branch. This executive order, like many of the executive orders this President has issued, failed to take into account the effects it could have on our most vulnerable communities.

Veterans make up one-third of all Federal workers. I am very pleased that one is in my office. She is probably smiling because sometimes Charity probably doesn't think I even know that she is in the office. But she is there and does incredible work.

The Department of Veterans Affairs--a severely understaffed agency serving those veterans--cannot afford a hiring freeze.

This week, Republicans are bringing to the floor bills they claim would improve veterans' lives. If the President and my Republican colleagues are truly committed to our veterans, then they should ensure that reckless hiring freezes do not harm them in the future.

Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I am going to offer an amendment to the rule to bring up Representative Schrader's bill, H.R. 696, which would prohibit any hiring freeze from affecting the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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

Mr. Speaker, what we have here today is a rule with one bill that really was worked on in a bipartisan manner--sort of like regular order like we were promised by the Speaker at the outset of this session of Congress--and another bill, which is just more of the same from this majority: creating problems where none existed before.

The fact remains that the Republicans' healthcare bill and overall bucket strategy is a disaster for the American people, and no amount of Rose Garden backslapping is going to change that fact.

Under the Republican plan, 23 million Americans will be kicked off of their health insurance and $800 billion will be cut from Medicaid. Footnote right there, we hear that the Senate is taking up something. We don't know where and who is doing the taking up, but what I read today is that they are considering a glide path of some kind to cut Medicaid.

Mr. Speaker, cutting Medicaid hurts poor people. Whether you glide it or run it over them, either way you look at it, it hurts them, and we need to pay attention to that, particularly if we are doing it to provide for those of us that are better off in our society.

Seventy-five billion dollars will be cut from Medicare, insurance premiums would increase for people ages 60 to 64 by more than $3,000 a year, and protections for those with preexisting conditions will be eliminated.

I read about a 63-year-old lady who said that all of her conditions are preexisting and she can't afford insurance. H.R. 2581 only adds to this pain by setting up an unnecessary barrier for eligible individuals to get access to healthcare.

But not to worry, under the Republican plan, the 400 highest income families would ultimately get tax cuts averaging around $7 million a year, and that information comes from the Ways and Means Committee's fact sheet.

Mr. Speaker, I and others here very frequently have pointed out that what the Republicans want to do is to cut benefits for poor people--the most vulnerable in our society--and to provide for the better-off tax cuts--those people in our society who least need them.

It occurs to me that if we were to have an opportunity to ask the 400 wealthiest families in this country whether or not they really need a tax cut, my belief, based on the four billionaires that I have known personally--two are deceased now--but in my conversations with all of them, their position was that they didn't need a cut. To the man, each one of them said that, if they were to receive tax cuts, they would prefer that they go to education, particularly education for kindergartners and prekindergartners.

If my Republican colleagues can move past throwing red meat to their base--a group of people, mind you, who are most certainly disadvantaged--one day they are going to wake up and recognize that much of what we are doing here, even though they support it, many of the persons who are doing it, they, too, are caught up in this downward spiral that is involving healthcare in this country, the game that we are playing.

If we are willing to work in a serious manner to address the issues in our healthcare system, then I know that Democrats are ready to work with Republicans. But whatever is going on in the other body, I assure you, no Democrats in the other body are involved in.

Last night I asked the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee whether or not he knew what this bill looked like, and his answer was that he did not.

I also said what I repeat here, that people are hurting in this country. Whether it is ObamaCare that the Republicans, I believe, are going to find that it is going to be hard to fix, or whether it is the Affordable Care Act that is in some phantom hole over in the other body, somehow or another, my friends on the other side are going to be held accountable for all of what is necessary to be done. The only way that is sensible--and I believe that every American is imploring us to undertake--is to sit down together.

I cannot believe that the 435 people plus 6 here in the House of Representatives and the 100 United States Senators do not have the ability to do all of the things that are necessary in order for Americans to receive adequate healthcare and to lead with protecting the most vulnerable in our society.

It is ridiculous to talk about cutting Medicaid when more than 60 percent of the people on Medicaid are seniors that are in nursing homes.

What are we going to say to those families? How are we going to address them when it comes to the reality that they are confronted with while we are up here jaw jacking back and forth about whether or not it is ObamaCare or whether or not it is the Affordable Care Act that we can't seem to find.

Somewhere along the lines, we need to sit down and work together. Failure to do so is to our own peril and to the peril of the citizens of this great country of ours.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Cheney), my friend, for yielding to me the customary 30 minutes for debate.

H.R. 2213 would broaden the criteria for waiving the polygraph requirements for certain applicants at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Under the Anti-Border Corruption Reauthorization Act, the Commissioner of the CBP would be permitted to waive polygraph requirements for certain State and law enforcement personnel who have passed a polygraph examination, Federal law enforcement agents who have passed a stringent background investigation, and veterans with three consecutive years in the military who have held a security clearance and passed a background check.

Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of ensuring that our Federal law enforcement agencies are operating at full capacity, but there are other big-ticket items that we are ignoring in this institution. So I ask: Where is the Republican agenda?

With control of both Chambers of Congress and the White House, my colleagues across the aisle have made it through nearly half of their first year in power without a single major legislative achievement. It appears that President Donald John Trump is more interested in slashing old policies than proposing new ones.

Mr. Speaker, President Trump and congressional Republicans have yet to put forward the promised $1 trillion infrastructure package. Voters are still waiting for the massive tax cuts promised to them during the campaign.

The American people have yet to see a single jobs bill, let alone the supersecret plan to defeat ISIS. And looming over this long to-do list is the investigation into Russia's blatant attempts to interfere in our election, an issue that many of my Republican colleagues seem more than happy to ignore.

Instead, President Donald John Trump and my friends across the aisle have spent their time rolling back protections for workers, consumers, teachers, students, and the environment.

Instead of tackling a bipartisan spending deal, addressing budget cuts under sequestration, and avoiding debt default, the Republican- controlled Congress insists on dismantling the Affordable Care Act and replacing it with a plan that will raise deductibles, lessen coverage, and leave 23 million more people uninsured.

Mr. Speaker, there are still plenty of people without jobs in this country. We have plenty of families worried that they will be tossed off of their health insurance plan, and we have plenty of folks who are pleading with Congress to pass compassionate immigration reform.

Yet President Donald John Trump is tweeting about his travel ban and attacking London Mayor Sadiq Khan hours after a terrorist attack hit London which, sadly, killed seven people and injured dozens more.

Mr. Speaker, after being the antigovernment party--and I find it hypocritical that people in the administration are declaring that we are obstructionists. They gave, during that period of the previous President, obstruction absolutely new meaning. After being the antigovernment party for so many years, it appears that the congressional Republicans have forgotten how to govern.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), my good friend and a member of the Judiciary Committee.

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1 minute.

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

Mr. Speaker, we continue to be deeply concerned by revelations that Russia hacked last year's elections. In fact, just this week we learned that Russian military intelligence engaged in a monthlong cyber attack against our voting infrastructure, specifically targeting a voting software supplier and 122 local election officials.

This most recent revelation comes on the back of earlier determinations by the intelligence community that Russia hacked the DNC and distributed fake news in order to sway the election in Donald Trump's favor. This has been made even more troublesome by the fact that Donald John Trump recently admitted that he fired FBI Director Comey over the Bureau's investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Mr. Speaker, the integrity of our electoral system is at stake. It is time the Republican-controlled Congress does its job and acts to defend our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up the bipartisan bill, H.R. 356, which would create a nonpartisan commission to investigate Russian interference into our 2016 election.

This marks the eighth time we have tried to bring this bill to the House floor. On the previous seven occasions, the Republican majority, regrettably, refused to allow the House to even debate this important legislation. But today, they will have yet another opportunity to redeem themselves. I hope they will finally put country ahead of party.

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

Mr. Speaker, we stand here today with a to-do list a mile long, and we don't have much time to cross items off that list. There are only 30 working days before our 5-week August recess. That is not much time, but those of us on this side of the aisle stand ready to work in a bipartisan manner with our Republican colleagues in order to make sensible reforms to our Tax Code, our infrastructure and healthcare system, in short, to work hard for the American people, because that is what we were sent here to do.

It is far past time for my friends across the aisle to come to the table ready to work on behalf of the American people in a bipartisan manner. We on this side of the aisle continue to stand ready to do so, and I urge a ``no'' vote on the rule.

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

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