Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, to open the government and go to conference on a budget so that we end this Republican government shutdown and we allow the government to do the people's business again.

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

I am opposed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer a motion to recommit to end this harmful and unnecessary government shutdown. I do this by offering a motion that would bring to the floor the continuing resolution that has already passed in the Senate and awaits consideration in the House.

I know that not everyone is thrilled with this level of funding. Many of us in the Democratic Caucus think it cuts too deeply into important investments, while many of our Republican colleagues feel it doesn't cut enough. The Senate bill is a compromise, but it is a compromise that is acceptable to the majority of us in order to continue the vital functioning of the government that all Americans pay for and that all Americans deserve.

Unfortunately, a small faction of the majority party continues to hold the entire government hostage while it tries to obstruct the Affordable Care Act. I understand they disagree with the Senate and the President on certain issues, but shutting the government down to try and achieve an ideological goal that could not be achieved through the legislative process, through the Supreme Court, or through the ballot box is beneath the dignity of this body. That is why I urge my colleagues to support my motion and allow us to get the government up and

running again. Then, and only then, can we resume debate and discussion on other critical issues like creating jobs, supporting our veterans, and, yes, improving the Affordable Care Act.

As of today, it has been 10 days since the government shutdown. That is 10 days where we haven't had studies going forward at the National Institutes of Health, 10 days where the Small Business Administration hasn't been lending money to entrepreneurs and small businesses, and 10 days where families haven't had access to the critical services to protect those who need it most.

In my own district, the Small Business Administration normally gives out an average of $237,000 in loans each and every day. That is a total of $2.37 million in loans that haven't been made to the small businesses of New Hampshire's First District.

The majority has failed my State and others. All the American people are asking for is for us to open the government. They would be happy with a clean bill. We could put people back to work with a clean bill. We could continue lending money to small businesses with a clean bill. We could fund cancer research with a clean bill.

But instead of putting an end to the government shutdown by passing the funding bill that the Senate has already agreed to, Republican leaders in the House are offering bills to open individual agencies and programs instead of the entire government. Make no mistake, that is not an honest attempt to open the government. These cherry-picked funding bills serve only to give political cover to the very people who caused the government shutdown.

As former Republican Presidential candidate and Senator Bob Dole said, along with my dear colleague, John Dingell:

Piecemeal or partial spending plans do not adequately

ensure that our veterans--and, indeed, all Americans--have

access to the system of self-government established to serve

and protect them.

Former Republican Senator Judd Greg, who was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said:

A small group of Republican legislators led by the junior

Senator from Texas decided to take as hostages government

operations and the raising of the debt ceiling. The price of

release was to be the death of ObamaCare. This approach never

had a snowball's chance in Texas of succeeding.

However, here we are still shut down 10 days after the start of the new fiscal year; and, instead of voting on legislation that if brought to the floor would pass and open the government, what are we voting on? The same little, tiny piecemeal appropriations designed for messaging and attack ads that we have been voting on all week. It is Washington politics at its worst.

It has been 10 days of this sort of chicanery, and it is time to give it up. Let's stop the gamesmanship; turn the lights back on; reopen the government; and address the actual critical problems addressing the country.

We need more jobs. We need to find ways to grow the economy, make education more affordable, and invest in our decaying infrastructure. All of these are problems that our constituents sent us here to deal with, and they are what they expect us to work on.

That is probably why, yesterday, when Gallup released polling on what Americans believe is the most important problem facing our country, it should come as no surprise to find that, for the first time in history, they picked dysfunctional government. It has always been either the economy, unemployment, or jobs that were the most pressing problems. In yesterday's poll, though, it was us. I can't say that I am surprised, because I agree with them. We need to fix this, and that starts by doing the basics like funding the government and raising the debt ceiling.

I will end with one final quote from my former Republican colleague, Senator Gregg. He said:

People who have no interest in governing cannot be allowed

to be the dominant voices in a major party.

I thank you for your support, and I hope you will support this critical motion.

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 set up a commission to examine deficit reduction?

My motion to recommit would open up the entire Federal Government so that our taxpayers can receive the benefits they have already paid for, to recommit deals with government expenditures. And right now we are running a deficit. So isn't the amount the government is spending a relevant topic to the deficit reduction?

We have voted to pay workers furloughed during a shutdown. I supported that bill. But what sense does it make to have workers paid to sit at home and not be able to do their jobs? What kind of a strange House is this that would force this situation on our Federal workers?

Mr. Speaker, if you rule this motion out of order, does this not mean that we will not have a chance to keep the entire Federal Government open today? Can the Chair please explain why we can't keep the entire Federal Government open today?

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

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

Madam Speaker, it's very clear to The Wall Street Journal, it's clear to the Chamber of Commerce, it's clear to USA Today, and it's clear to the American public that the Republican right wing, the Tea Party, has shut down the government.

Now I find out that we're going home. Speaker Boehner has decided that Congress will go home tomorrow. How can we possibly go home? There are people who are not being paid, people here who are not being paid. The police were not paid that work here every day. Across this country, people are not receiving what they paid for, and we're going home. I'm embarrassed about this.

We should stay here. If they can't agree to accept the fact that they lost the vote on the health care law again and again, if they can't agree to that, can they at least agree to work on jobs? There's plenty of work to do in this country, and we have no right to go home until we get this job done.

Many years ago, during the last shutdown, my husband was a Federal employee, and we were impacted.

My husband used to leave the house every morning around 5:15, walk to the bus stop, like so many Federal employees, catch a bus at 5:30. And my son would have Cub Scouts maybe at 7, or some event that night, so he'd try to be home by quarter of 7.

And then one day, the government shut down. And I can't forget the sense of betrayal there. For all the hard work, for doing the people's work, this is what happened.

And now this is happening again today to so many. This is just wrong on every level.

The reason we have shut down the government is because they don't like the law. They don't like ObamaCare. They don't want all the people who have no insurance to get insurance today. They don't want people who have preexisting conditions now to be able to get health insurance.

Send us a clean bill. If you really want to work this out, send us a bill, take out the ObamaCare, take out the part about birth control, take out all of your special stories there. Give us a clean bill, and we could pass it today.

But, instead, they want to hold the American government hostage.

Mr. Speaker, here we are Friday afternoon. We have a lot of people around the country who are going home for the weekend, but expecting to go back to their workplace on Monday. Congress is not coming back until September.

Did we get everything done? No, we did not. We did manage to vote against ObamaCare 40 times, and basically that means we have voted against the people of this country and their right to health insurance 40 times.

We did not cancel the sequester, which is hurting people. I delivered meals last week to a 101-year-old man who has had his meals cut because of sequester. We didn't pass any jobs bill, not one, not a single jobs bill. All we've managed to do in this body is to try to take health care away from American citizens.

I urge Congress to stay here. I urge the Speaker to call us back and make us do the job the American public sent us here to do.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, today I'm offering an amendment with my colleague, Congressman LoBiondo, to support veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injury, or TBI.

This amendment designates $4.5 million within the peer-reviewed Psychological Health/Traumatic Brain Injury Research account for a 3- year study to evaluate the therapeutic service dog training program currently operating at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

This innovative servicemember dog-training program is designed to a safe, effective, nondrug intervention to treat the symptoms of PTSD and TBI. Servicemembers report improvement in their PTSD or TBI symptoms when participating in a therapeutic service dog training program.

The servicemen and -women involved in this program report a number of positive results, including lower levels of depression, improved self- control, improved sleep patterns, a greater sense of purpose, better integration into their communities, pain reduction, and improved parenting skills. This year's NDAA House report directed the Secretary of Defense to conduct whatever studies are necessary to evaluate this promising program. This amendment provides the resources for such a study.

There is now considerable anecdotal evidence that training service dogs reduces the PTSD symptoms of their warrior trainers, and that the presence of the dogs increases the sense of wellness in servicemembers and their families.

The most eloquent testimonials are from servicemember trainees themselves. One said:

It's been great working with the dogs. They're helping me

with my depression, anxiety and sleep. With a dog at my side,

my stress measurements returned to normal for the first time.

Another:

It's great knowing that I'm helping to train a service dog

for a servicemember who has physical disabilities.

Another:

It's hard for me to put into words how very important

working with these dogs has been to me. Working with the dogs

gave me a purpose again and a way to continue to give back to

soldiers. Training these dogs helps me rebuild my confidence

level and to feel that I'm functioning as an effective member

of the Army and of society.

And one more:

The dog I'm training bonded quickly with my daughter and

me. The dog allowed us to connect in a very positive way.

Working with the dog has taught me patience, which also

carries over to being a parent.

And finally:

Going out into crowded public places has been very hard for

me. However, to train a service dog, you have to lead them

confidently through places like grocery stores and on

underground trains. I find that while I'm teaching the young

dogs how to navigate these places, I am much more comfortable

as well. I'm even learning how to enjoy interaction with

strangers who approach me to talk about the dog.

The soldier also noted:

Being allowed to sleep with a dog that I'm training has

been very helpful. I had been only managing to sleep a couple

of hours a night before being cleared to have a dog spend the

night with me. That night I slept almost 6 hours and I had no

nightmares. I awake so much more refreshed. My wife has noted

the improvement as well.

The dogs that these servicemembers with PTSD train become highly skilled service dogs for veterans with disabilities, while the Warrior- trainers reap the therapeutic benefits of training them. This amendment is a win-win-win. It's good for returning vets, it helps combat PTSD, and it doesn't add a dime to the deficit.

I and Congressman LoBiondo urge you to support these promising research efforts.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I recently had the pleasure of visiting New Hampshire's Bedford Memorial Elementary School to congratulate the school community for their recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School.

Bedford Memorial Elementary educates children from preschool through the fourth grade, and the school is dedicated to each student's academic, emotional, and physical development. The teachers' and staff's attention to every single child and every single detail was obvious from the moment I entered the school. The young students at the schoolwide ceremony I attended were some of the best behaved children I have ever seen, and it was clear that the teachers and the administration celebrated children and were dedicated to their wellness and their education.

At the ceremony, the school recognized the children, the leaders who had worked throughout the year to help other students get along. They also sang, and they danced a very happy and spirited dance that helped showcase their arts and their holistic approach to education.

The ceremony served as a testimony to the tremendous leadership of the principal and the staff and the school board and, most importantly, the parents.

The Department of Education's Blue Ribbon School Award is exactly the kind of positive recognition that helps our best available schools and shows others what is possible in every school for every child.

Congratulations to them.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this poorly conceived and deeply irresponsible legislation. This bill is a clear giveaway to oil companies that are already posting record profits, and it's a dramatic departure from the regionally-targeted offshore drilling strategy that has led to domestic oil production rising to an

all-time high. In fact, it's even possible that America will be the world's largest oil exporter within the next 7 years.

To most people, this would indicate that our current policies are working, but apparently, not to the supporters of this bill. Instead, they think taxpayers should give giant subsidies to Big Oil at the likely expense of the economically critical tourism and fishing industries in many States, including my own.

What we should be doing, 3 years after the awful BP spill in the Gulf, is passing legislation that would protect workers, coastal communities, and the environment from devastating spills. In the 3 years since that tragedy, Congress has yet to pass legislative reform to improve the safety of offshore drilling.

I would hope, Mr. Speaker, that we will vote down this unnecessary giveaway to oil companies and, instead, take up legislation to respond to the BP oil spill and protect our coastal communities and workers.

Education is the key to prosperity in this country. Families know that. That's why they save up for college for their students, but the cost of college has become so expensive that they've had to borrow money. The interest rates now are absolutely ridiculous, but they're about to get even worse on July 1 because Congress has not acted.

Families across our country and in my State of New Hampshire are depending on Congress to fix this problem. We cannot allow these rates to double. These families cannot afford that. I am calling on Congress to stay here until we settle this, to think about those families across this country, put off that vacation, stay right here and work it out.

Thank you very much.

I would like to add my voice to the others here in speaking about this wonderful man, John Dingell, who, I'm sure, is quite embarrassed as we talk about him because he has a great deal of humility, which is rather unusual here, so he stands out for that.

When I first won election in 2006 and came in in early 2007, I knew about John Dingell. I had taught politics and history. I knew his great reputation as a legislator--I knew a lot about him--but what I didn't know about him is what I want to talk about.

When I first arrived, you heard a lot of people call him ``friend'' because he has a gift for friendship. He uses the words ``my friend'' all the time, and you believe him. He really has a gift for friendship.

So he said, Sit down here, my friend.

And I sat and I talked to the great John Dingell, and he asked me about me instead of telling me about him. I, too, was pretty overwhelmed at the idea that I was going to be this wonderful man's colleague. He has taught me a lot through the years, but any time you want a little bit of wisdom, we know you can just go sit with John Dingell. He sits there very quietly, and people come to him. If you just want to have a quiet chat, John Dingell is available. If you want to remind yourself that civility exists here in this Chamber, sit next to John Dingell because he is always civil; he is polite; he is intelligent; he is warm; and he cares about the people.

Now, he has done a wonderful job in representing Michigan, but he has always done a wonderful job in representing New Hampshire and every other State in the country. Through his legislation, we are so much better, but through his presence here, we as Members of Congress look better, too.

So I want to thank you, John Dingell, for all that you've done for me and for all of our colleagues and for this country. I wish you the best of health and many more years in serving America.

Mr. Speaker, I will be absent from The House of Representatives on Thursday, June 13th, and Friday, June 14th, due to the wedding of one of my children. If I could vote, I would vote in favor of The National Defense Authorization Bill.

Thank you.

I ask unanimous consent to insert my statement in the Record opposing the GOP's awful Mother's Day gift--more work and less pay for working moms. Happy Mother's Day.

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

I am opposed in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill and to offer the final amendment, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.

The amendment I offer today would reject this bill's attack on workers and their families. The base bill brought to the floor today effectively ends the 40-hour workweek and offers comp time in lieu of overtime pay.

The Republican bill boils down to this: more work, less pay. This continues the House Republican no jobs agenda that undermines American workers, weakens worker checkbooks, and harms the middle class. This legislation does not guarantee that workers will be able to use the time they have earned when they need it the most. Instead, the comp time earned by workers would go into a pot that would be controlled by their employer. This is not more flexibility for workers; it's less pay for workers.

Under this bill, employers could schedule excessive overtime hours and only offer overtime work to workers who agree to take comp time instead of overtime wages. An employer can refuse to allow a worker to take time off to deal with a family member or to attend a parent- teacher conference. And under this bill, if employers choose not to allow the time off, workers will get paid at the end of the year, having kindly provided their boss with an interest-free loan. And let's hope the year's worth of accounting is accurate.

So this amendment presents the House with a choice: support hardworking Americans and their families, or side with interest groups and corporate lobbyists.

This final amendment says that workers may not be denied use of earned compensation time to attend a medical appointment, care for a sick child or a family member, or for veterans to attend counseling or rehabilitation appointments for injuries suffered in combat. Finally, if you are an employer that has violated the Equal Pay Act, my amendment ensures that you can't cut workers' overtime pay also. That's just common sense.

Today, as the gap between the very wealthy and middle class Americans is widening, a pay cut is the last thing that hardworking Americans who are struggling to provide for their families need. That's why President Obama has pledged to veto this legislation, and that's why more than 160 organizations oppose it, including women's organizations, labor organizations, and civil rights organizations.

Now, I'm passionate about workers' rights because that's where I come from. I worked on the floor of a manufacturing plant to pay for college. I took all the overtime I could work, second and third shifts, and I needed that money. I remember the tough conditions in that plant. Workers were afraid to question management. Anyone who thinks this won't happen to many workers who try to get comp time when they need it is fooling themselves.

Workers need the guarantees provided in this final amendment in order to make sure they're not trading overtime pay for comp time they might

never be able to use. Instead of asking employees to work more and get paid less, I urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment and protect veterans, women, and working families.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Today, the House proved that if it really wants to, it can move quickly. Today, we made it easier for air travelers, and I'm very happy that we did that. But the sequester is still there, and it is still impacting schools. I have a little Head Start that's going to be closed in my district. Others are being impacted. We're laying off Federal employees. This is impacting the military and health research across the country.

And so I call on the House majority to continue the work they started today. Don't just choose one group. Repeal this sequester. They have it in their power to put it on the floor to repeal the sequester. The American public is asking for this. It is our obligation to do this not just for air travelers but everybody around the country.

Thank you very much for having this moment, an opportunity to talk about Boston and also to talk about the country and to talk about Boston's neighbor, New Hampshire.

On that day, like so many others, I had a family member whose brother-in-law was running in that race and he was running because his father had died of cancer. And so many people were running for causes that day. Fortunately, the family is fine, but some families were devastated beyond belief.

You know, Boston is a small city, but it's a great city; and New Hampshire is a small State, but it's a great State. And so what happens to Boston and what happens to Massachusetts is felt deeply in New Hampshire. You see, we work together, we play together, and we attend events together. We also grieve together. And so when that call came to New Hampshire, when Boston reached out and asked our police forces to help, the answer from a Nashua SWAT team member was, of course we can. The answer from the Manchester SWAT team--Manchester, New Hampshire-- was, yes, and they were on their way. The answer from the Seacoast Emergency Response Team, SERT, that has officers from 11 different seacoast communities was, yes; and the answer from the New Hampshire State Police SWAT and the explosives disposal unit was, yes, we'll be there.

They understood the danger, but they also understood that they were needed and they didn't hesitate. And the stories coming from that experience are very moving. One team reported how an elderly woman in Watertown had hidden behind her couch for hours. You can imagine the terror that the residents felt. And yet our first responders were there, the police were there, the comfort was there.

So as we pray for the victims and we remember those who died, the victims are also from New Hampshire and many other States, as we know, and somebody died from a foreign country, but we're all one. We're all Boston strong. As we remember all of them, we thank our police officers and our first responders for always being there when we need them because, as they said when the call came, yes, of course we'll do that.

Thank you very much for having this.