Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on H.R. 8772, and that I may include tabular material on the same. Mr. Chair, I yield…
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on H.R. 8772, and that I may include tabular material on the same.
Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer H.R. 8772. The Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for 2025.
The recommendation for the fiscal year 2025 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act provides $5.546 billion, excluding Senate items, which are traditionally left to the Senate to determine. The bill supports the legislative branch as an essential branch of government and ensures the House is open to and works for the American people.
Regardless of what side of the aisle you are on, we can agree that our greatest duty is to our constituents and that this bill funds our ability to advocate on their behalf. It invests in the resources necessary to provide robust oversight of the executive branch. It also includes modest increases to ensure the safety of the Capitol complex and the work of the Capitol Police as well as the institutions that support our work such as the Library of Congress and the Government Accountability Office.
I believe the bill balances the legislative branch's capacity to effectively serve the American people in a fiscally responsible manner.
I thank Chairman Cole for his leadership and guidance throughout this process, and I also thank Ranking Member Espaillat for his cooperation and support throughout the formation of the bill. Finally, I thank the legislative branch staff for their hard work in getting the bill to this point.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Chair, I am prepared to close, I and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
Mr. Chair, I oppose my friend's amendment because I do not believe all the good the Congressional Office for International Leadership has done for Congress over the last 25 years should be negated by one embassy programming selection.
The Congressional Office for International Leadership links Members of Congress to leaders in Eurasia and Asia and is an instrument for Americans engaged in citizen diplomacy.
COIL's place as the only regularized international exchange program in the legislative branch provides opportunities for Members of Congress and their constituents to engage with their peers from countries of strategic importance to the United States.
COIL convenes congressional leadership and its constituents to provide foreign visitors with a multilevel State, Federal, and local introduction to American democratic governing systems and accountable governance.
This is the next generation of government and civic leaders where they begin, in the Halls of the most powerful legislative body in the world, the United States Congress.
The exchange establishes a personal and profound connection between leaders from around the world, providing unique and meaningful insights and experiences while fostering a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.
Thousands of Americans across the country benefit from hosting COIL participants in their homes and communities. The agency provides an important service for a very modest amount of money.
Mr. Chair, I oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat).
Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon).
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.
Mr. Chairman, I oppose this amendment as written.
The amendment would prohibit the use of all Architect of the Capitol electric vehicles and equipment, which are used for facility and ground maintenance activities.
For example, the Capitol Visitor Center's electric shuttles provide transportation to those needing mobility assistance while they are visiting the Capitol. Over the past year, Visitor Services provided over 33,000 shuttle rides for the elderly and disabled constituents and visitors to the campus.
These electric vehicles, currently in good working condition, would need to be replaced which would require a significant initial outlay of funds and would cause exposure to engine exhaust and noise for the equipment that would then have to be used indoor and in the buildings that we work in.
In addition to AOC operations, this would also adversely affect Members and House staff who pay to use the power from receptacles in the House garages.
Due to these adverse impacts, I oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Chairman, again, I think it is important to remind folks at home watching that these are all-electric vehicles in the building. So for the 33,000 people who required shuttle assistance to get around the Capitol, elderly and disabled people who needed assistance to visit their building that their tax dollars are paying for, there are a lot of services.
As the amendment is written currently, I have to oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment. Many of my colleagues are highly frustrated by the way the attending physician managed the COVID pandemic here in Washington. I am one of them.
I understand, but I do not agree that decreasing the funds of the Office of the Attending Physician will reduce the actual attending physician's salary.
To do that, how the United States Navy pay structure works needs to be changed. We are paying a nonnegotiable reimbursement to the Navy, and that is the way this process works. This will not affect the attending physician's salary.
I make clear that what this amendment will do is dramatically reduce the medical services provided to the people who work, visit, and protect this campus. For this reason, I cannot support this amendment.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Chair, in the event that this amendment was to pass, emergency services that run throughout the Capitol complex would continue, as would the security initiatives. Members would not see a change in their service, as Members are the first priority of the Office of the Attending Physician.
However, the Office of the Attending Physician would decrease services to staff, security forces, and visitors to the campus. Medicines and immunizations for official travel would be limited only to Members. The staff required to travel on official business would have to find other means of preparation on their own time and with personal funds.
The same would be true for seasonal influenza shots. It would be limited to Members and not to staff or security forces. In addition, over-the-counter medications and lower-cost durable medical equipment for health units would not be replaced.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.