Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, as we enter the third week of this reckless, irresponsible shutdown, it is no wonder that folks in my Arizona district and across the Nation are disgusted. They see Washington treating this shutdown as a political game. I have got news for them. How far will the House majority push our Nation just to score political points? No one wins. Everybody loses, and here is what an editorial in the Arizona Republic says today about this shutdown:

When it is all over, the huge costs will be tallied, and

the hard work Congress has avoided will remain undone.

America will join the world in wondering: Is that all there

is? The only heroes in this tragedy are the Americans who

still believe their government can eventually do the right

thing.

Mr. Speaker, let's show the American people that this House is still capable of doing the right thing.

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

I am opposed to it in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, the tribal leaders in my district join me in calling for a vote on a clean funding bill to restart our government.

Arizona's District One has 12 Native American tribes. These families are suffering, and our economy is taking a direct hit as a result of this irresponsible, unnecessary shutdown.

House leaders have wasted precious time in offering nothing but a daily trickle of piecemeal bills that are going nowhere. These partisan games and this lack of urgency show a reckless disregard for the people, communities, and economies hurt by this shutdown.

Today, as House leadership puts forth yet another piecemeal bill that will go nowhere, I would like to share some comments from my district's tribal leaders. These are in their own words.

Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly said:

The current piecemeal approach House Republicans are using

to fragment tribal communities from the rest of the country

is insulting. Tribal communities, like the majority of

Americans, want a comprehensive resolution.

Peterson Zah, the former Navajo Nation chairman and their first president said:

Tribal issues should not be used as political props in this

shutdown. Our kids, families, and elders are all part of the

large community, and we all suffer from a shutdown. We need

the House to vote on a clean funding bill to reopen the

entire government.

On the White Mountain Apache Nation, where I grew up, tribal chairman Ronnie Lupe said:

Head Start and Impact Aid are vitally important to the

tribes, but we also need furloughed workers from BIA,

Interior, and all other agencies allowed back on the job. Our

tribal members need their paychecks, our small businesses

need their customers, and our veterans need their benefits

without any lapses.

And from the Hopi Tribe, Vice Chairman Herman Honanie said:

Piecemeal bills are empty gestures that have no chance of

passing both Chambers and being signed into law. We need real

action to reopen the entire government, or we will continue

to lose important resources like those from the Violence

Against Women Act that help protect women and families.

Mr. Speaker, if House leadership were genuinely concerned about our Native American tribes, then I suggest they listen to the tribes and allow a vote to reopen the government.

Congress should stop picking winners and losers and stop playing games that only prolong this shutdown.

House leadership should stop this shutdown right now. They should stop this shutdown tonight. Let's vote on a clean funding bill to restart our government and protect our economy.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Point of Order

Mr. Speaker, I wish to be heard on the point of order.

Mr. Speaker, doesn't the bill before us fund the Federal Government? My motion to recommit would open the Federal Government entirely so that all our needs can be met.

Why are we only providing funding for Native Americans through the Interior Department? What about education and law enforcement programs for Native Americans? Are they somewhat less important?

Can the Chair explain why it is not germane to keep all the Federal Government open instead of just a tiny slice?

Why are the Republicans in favor of closing down the Federal Government and denying taxpayers the benefits they have already paid for? This makes absolutely no sense to people who have to work hard every day to make a living.

Mr. Speaker, if you rule this motion out of order, does that mean we will not have a chance to keep the entire Federal Government open today? That we will not have a chance to vote on the Senate continuing resolution?

Can the Chair please explain why we can't keep the entire Federal Government open today? Can the Chair please explain why we can't keep the entire Federal Government open tonight?

Mr. Speaker, I appeal the ruling of the Chair.

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

Mr. Speaker, the tribal leaders in my district join me in calling for a vote on a clean funding bill to restart our government.

Arizona's district one has 12 native American tribes. these families are suffering and our economy is taking a direct hit as a result of this irresponsible, unnecessary shutdown.

House leaders have wasted precious time, offering nothing but a daily trickle of piecemeal bills that are going nowhere.

These partisan games--and this lack of urgency--show a reckless disregard for the people, communities and economies hurt by this shutdown.

Today, as house leadership puts forth yet another piecemeal bill that will go nowhere, I would like to share some comments from my district's tribal leaders:

Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly said--quote--``The current piecemeal approach house republicans are using to fragment tribal communities from the rest of the country is insulting. Tribal communities, like the majority of Americans, want a comprehensive resolution.''

And Peterson Zah, the former Navajo nation chairman and president said--quote--``Tribal issues should not be used as political props in this shutdown. Our kids, families and elders are all a part of the larger community, and we all suffer from a shutdown. We need the House to vote on a clean funding bill to reopen the entire government.''

On the White Mountain Apache Nation, where I grew up, tribal chairman Ronnie Lupe said--quote--``Head start and impact aid are vitally important to tribes, but we also need the furloughed workers from BIA, Interior and all other agencies allowed back on the job. Our tribal members need their paychecks, our small businesses need their customers, and our veterans need their benefits without any lapses.''

And from the Hopi Tribe, Vice Chairman Herman Honanie said--quote-- ``Piecemeal bills are empty gestures that have no chance of passing both chambers and being signed into law. We need real action to reopen the entire government or we will continue to lose important resources like those from VAWA that help protect women and families.''

Mr. Speaker, if House leadership were genuinely concerned about our native American tribes, then I suggest they listen to the tribes--and allow a vote to reopen the government.

Congress should stop picking winners and losers. Stop playing games that only prolong the shutdown.

House leadership could stop this shutdown right now.

Let's vote on a clean funding bill to restart our government and protect our economy.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here on behalf of my Arizona district to once again make a simple request: allow a vote on a clean funding bill to reopen the government.

In the past week, House GOP leaders only allowed piecemeal votes on bills that went nowhere. Yesterday, they did it again. This time, they did it with Head Start funding, which is important for the 12 Native American tribes in my district. Schools on tribal lands have already taken a massive hit with sequestration cuts.

The shutdown is continuing this pain, not just with cuts to Head Start and impact aid, but with furloughs from the Indian Health Service and with cuts in funding for programs that protect women from violence.

These piecemeal games are a dead end. They only prolong the shutdown. If House leadership were genuinely concerned about programs like Head Start or Impact Aid, they would allow a vote to reopen the government.

Congress should stop picking winners and losers. This is not a game. We demand a vote on the budget.

Mr. Speaker, the good people in my Arizona district are disgusted with this Congress. They see Washington treating this shutdown as a political game.

News reports now confirm that there are enough votes in the House-- Democrats and Republicans--to pass a clean funding bill and reopen the government right now. Yet the House GOP keeps bringing up piecemeal bills that are going nowhere, designed to create campaign attack fodder.

This week, the House majority cynically used piecemeal votes on veterans and national parks. My district has the Grand Canyon and many national parks; and as a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I'm disgusted with these dead-end, piecemeal games. And you know who else is disgusted? Veterans.

Yesterday, the commander in chief of the VFW said:

We expect more from our elected leadership, and not a

piecemeal approach that would use the military or disabled

veterans as leverage in a political game.

Mr. Speaker, we must stop the piecemeal games and restart our government now.

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

I am, in its current form.

Madam Speaker, it is not surprising that the WIC program is the latest subject of the majority's ploy to use low-income mothers and children as political pawns.

WIC enjoys bipartisan support. A bipartisan poll in 2012 found the program enjoyed 67 percent approval among the American people, including 53 percent of conservatives. By providing things like fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy and salmon, tuna for breastfeeding mothers, every dollar spent on pregnant women in WIC produces $1.92 to $4.21 in Medicaid savings for newborns and their mothers. That just makes common sense. On Wednesday, the USDA estimated that WIC would continue operations for a week or two, thanks to a small contingency fund.

In Arizona, 29 percent of children are food insecure, and over 36 percent of Arizonans live in WIC-eligible households. In my district, the Arizona Department of Health Services in Apache and Navajo Counties says 70 percent of families were WIC-eligible in 2010.

We need this program. But the bill before us is not meant to relieve needy families. It is only a tool meant for partisan gain.

The Republican budget proposal would cut WIC 22 percent. The National WIC Association estimates that the sequester has resulted in nearly 12,000 deserving families in Arizona dropped from the rolls, yet now the majority reverses itself to fund this program.

Beyond the cynicism of this tactic, WIC cannot stand alone. It is a gateway to health care and social services for families, services that will remain unsustainable due to the shutdown--services like low energy assistance through the Department of Energy, immunizations through Health and Human Services, and early childhood education programs like Head Start. Where is the funding for these programs? The majority proposes a fragmented program that would be crippled.

My motion to recommit would open up the entire Federal Government for funding so that we're no longer picking and choosing the needs that we are going to meet.

Can the Chair explain why it is not germane to keep all of the Federal Government open instead of just a tiny slice?

Stop these political games. Let's get serious about helping the American people.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Point of Order

Madam Speaker, I wish to be heard on the point of order.

Madam Speaker, doesn't the bill before us fund the Federal Government? My motion to recommit would open up the entire Federal Government so all of our needs can be met.

If we are funding WIC, why aren't we providing funds for school safety? If we are funding WIC, why aren't we providing funds for supplemental nutritional assistance? Why aren't we protecting food safety for every single American? Can the Chair explain why it is not germane to keep all of the Federal Government open instead of just a tiny slice? Why are the Republicans in favor of closing down the Federal Government and denying taxpayers the benefits they've already paid for? This makes absolutely no sense to the hardworking, everyday people trying to make a living.

Madam Speaker, I appeal the ruling of the Chair.

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

Mr. Speaker, partisan games have serious consequences. One of the many consequences is in my Arizona district where the Grand Canyon National Park is closed and our local economy is taking a direct hit.

Instead of acting responsibly and funding the government with a clean bill, on Monday night the House GOP acted recklessly. The bill that they passed Monday night was so weighted down with partisan baggage that they knew it would lead to a government shutdown, and yet they chose this approach intentionally.

The price of these partisan games is high and the American people are now stuck with the tab. Some estimates have the shutdown costing our Nation about $300 million every day. In Arizona and across the country, this hurts our working families, small business owners, veterans, and seniors. And this hurts our tribal communities. I have 12 Native American tribes in my district. All of these folks need and deserve to have elected leaders working to help them, not hurt them.

After what happened on Monday, we must now do the urgent work of funding and reopening our government. But instead, the House GOP is stalling with more games, introducing piecemeal bills that pick winners and losers for funding. Last night, they tried to do it with piecemeal bills for veterans and for national parks.

I will always fight for our veterans. I am proud to serve them in my work on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. The first piece of legislation I passed this year will help our veterans who are stuck in the VA backlog.

And I will always stand up for our national parks. I am grateful to live near the Grand Canyon, a national treasure. My district has many of these wonderful destinations. I recently introduced a bill that will protect and expand the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in southern Arizona.

So my support for these issues is clear. But the real way to support our veterans and support our parks is to reopen the government. And if piecemeal is their solution, then what about making sure Social Security offices are open to help our seniors?

What about making sure programs to help women and children are up and running? What about our Indian health services, which serves the 12 tribes in my district?

We need to restart everything and protect our economy. Taking a piecemeal approach to the shutdown is like driving down a dead-end street. The House GOP knows this, and yet they refuse to allow a vote on a clean CR.

We are wasting precious time. Every ounce of energy and urgency in Congress should be directed toward reopening the government and protecting our economy. Our local economies in Arizona are taking a direct hit.

Yesterday, on day one of the shutdown in my district, busloads of tourists and hundreds of visitors were turned away from the Grand Canyon National Park. These folks waited a year or more for their turn to go on a river rafting trip in the canyon. There were even folks whose weddings, planned long ago, had to be scrapped today.

The Grand Canyon National Park generates more than $1.2 million a day in visitor spending. That spending, like the government, is now shut down.

I represent several other national park attractions, including the Petrified Forest National Park, the Grand Canyon Ruins National Monument, and the Montezuma Castle National Monument. These are some of Arizona's most important economic drivers. We can't afford to hang a ``closed'' sign out in front of these destinations. This shutdown will devastate the small communities in my district.

I call on my House colleagues to stop the games and get to work to restart government.

Mr. Speaker, I unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR that would end this reckless government shutdown.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this legislation.

I thank my colleague, Mr. Grijalva, for yielding time to me, and I thank him for his work and his comments. I also want to thank my colleague from across the aisle, Congressman Gosar, for working with me in a bipartisan way on this legislation.

I just want people to know that the town of Superior is a small town. It's in the Copper Corridor of Arizona. Arizona's unemployment is higher than the national unemployment; but in our rural communities, it's even higher. This is an area in which people have been miners for generations, and they want these jobs.

If the folks in a small town like Superior can come together, we as Members of Congress can come together. I urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation. It's an opportunity for us as Members of Congress to show the American people that, yes, we can work together and get things done. Let's make sure that this gets done.

Mr. Speaker, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service recently published notice of two proposed rules. The first is to delist the gray wolf and list the Mexican wolf as endangered. The second is to consider expansion of the geographic boundaries of the Mexican wolf experimental population area in Arizona and New Mexico, as well as modification of the 10(j) rule for managing the experimental Mexican wolf population. Much of the area in consideration is in Arizona's First District, which I represent.

The Service has not scheduled a hearing of these proposed rules in Arizona, where folks live and work on these multiple-use rural landscapes. It is imperative that the Service hold hearings in Arizona, close to the areas that are most affected by these proposals, and that there be adequate time to analyze and submit comments.

It is equally imperative that the Service continue to work with, as a partner and cooperating agency, the Arizona Game and Fish Department. This is the boots-on-the-ground State agency the Service has depended on the most in managing the Mexican wolf program.

Mr. Speaker, due to my attendance at a White House briefing with Vice President Biden on the Syria Resolution, I missed the afternoon series of votes on September 10, 2013. Had I been present, I would have voted the following way on these suspension votes:

H.R. 1155--NARAB Reform Act--I would have voted ``yea.''

H.R. 2747--Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees--I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor to H.R. 2319.

Mr. Speaker, due to my attendance at the memorial service in Arizona for the Prescott Fire Department's Granite Mountain Hotshots, I will miss votes today, July 9, 2013.

Mr. Speaker, due to my attendance at the memorial service in Arizona for the Prescott Fire Department's Granite Mountain Hotshots, I will miss votes this evening, July 8, 2013. Had I been present, I would have voted the following way on these suspension votes: H.R. 1341 Financial Competitive Act of 2013--I would have voted ``yes''; H.R. 1564 Audit Integrity and Job Protection Act--I would have voted ``yes''; H.R. 1171 FOR VETS Act of 2013--I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, imagine waking up one day to learn that your property really isn't yours. In fact, that's exactly the situation that a group of residents in my district find themselves in.

They didn't cause the problem. Over 40 years ago it was created because of a land survey that simply got it wrong. For years, even decades, they've lived on their property, they've maintained it, they've invested in it, only to find that their property is within the boundaries of the United States Forest Service.

Now, this has been a real economic hardship for these folks. Today we have an opportunity to solve this for them.

I thank Congressman Gosar and his staff for the opportunity to work together on behalf of the people of Arizona. Our bill, H.R. 862, has a simple, commonsense conveyance which returns this land to its rightful owners and removes this economic hardship that has been hanging over them for so long.

We are pleased that the bill has bipartisan support, that it passed out of Natural Resources with a unanimous vote. And I urge my colleagues to join us today to support H.R. 862, because these people have been living in limbo for way too long.