Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise in opposition to the rule and to the underlying bill. This education bill fails students in so many ways it is difficult to know where to begin.

In addition to putting forth a proposal that will cause so much harm, the majority denied many opportunities for amendments and improvements to the legislation that we are considering today.

Among those amendments that were denied consideration was one offered by the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis) to prohibit discrimination in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Student Nondiscrimination Act is an important piece of legislation that will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students across our country from harassment and bullying and would hold schools accountable for failing to protect our Nation's children.

The Federal Government has a responsibility, Mr. Speaker, to do all that we can do to ensure the safest and best possible environment in which students can learn. When students are bullied or harassed because of who they are, they are denied the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Refusing to include provisions of the Student Nondiscrimination Act means we are failing our duty to protect all of our Nation's children and to guarantee them a safe and nurturing environment in which to learn.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this bill.

America's young people must be given every opportunity to obtain a world-class education in the best possible environment. The future of our country and our ability to compete in the global economy greatly depends on the education of our children.

Unfortunately, H.R. 5, the Letting Students Down Act, would cut education funding by over $1 billion next year and fail to support greater achievement of low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities, and English language learners. The bill also eliminates funding for critical afterschool programs, which work to improve learning opportunities for students outside the classroom by cultivating strong community partnerships.

It is a tremendous failure of the House Republican leadership that we are voting on a bill today that fails students in so many ways and would do so much harm to public education in this country.

Rather than putting forth this extreme proposal destined to fail in the Senate, we should be working together to ensure that a reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act improves student achievement, supports teachers and principals, and provides a quality education for all students. This bill does not do that, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, a parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. Speaker, is it the ruling of the Chair that if in stating my request for unanimous consent I state a single reason, it is not charged to the time of the gentleman from Massachusetts; if I state several reasons in the same sentence because I've cited multiple reasons for requesting unanimous consent, that it is charged, assuming I do it dispassionately, quietly?

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the underlying bill because it increases hunger in America, hurts seniors, and hurts the working poor.

Mr. Speaker, a parliamentary inquiry.

Is it proper to offer an amendment at this time or at some future time on the underlying bill that would preclude Members of Congress who receive financial benefits, payments, or subsidies from the underlying legislation from voting on this bill from which they directly profit financially?

I ask the majority manager if he would yield for such an amendment.

Will the gentleman yield for a question?

Mr. Speaker, this is a shameful day. The House Republican leadership has decided again to abandon all efforts to come to a bipartisan agreement on the farm bill. Instead, they've launched an attack--on the working poor, veterans, children and seniors who rely on the nutrition program--in a desperate attempt to win political points with their conservative base.

After an embarrassing, chaotic defeat of their last proposal, they've decided to make a bad situation even worse. This proposal strips out the entire nutrition title, putting families and children at risk of going hungry.

They made a clear choice to protect generous subsidies for agriculture corporations at the expense of the hungry and the working poor.

Make no mistake: today, House Republicans are telling hungry children, food banks struggling to meet the needs of their communities, and low-income seniors who depend on food assistance that their needs don't matter.

And I urge my colleagues to understand that for 180,000 Rhode Islanders who benefit from this nutrition program, they are not extraneous. This is disgraceful, it's immoral, and it's contrary to our values as a Nation.

I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this shameful proposal.

Mr. Speaker, Washington's failure to replace sequestration is imposing real penalties on families all across our country. This week, in my home State of Rhode Island, more than 3,000 civilian Department of Defense employees at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the U.S. Naval War College were furloughed, imposing the equivalent of a roughly 20 percent pay cut through the end of the fiscal year. And it doesn't stop there.

Sequestration is expected to cost the American economy 750,000 jobs this year alone, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Americans have had enough of dysfunction, gridlock, and political posturing between Republicans and Democrats in Washington. It's time for Congress to start getting things done for working families, and that's why I'm calling on the House Republican leadership to immediately bring H.R. 2060 to the House floor for an up-or-down vote so we can replace sequestration with smart, targeted spending cuts and new sources of revenue by eliminating subsidies for big oil companies and closing tax loopholes for corporations that ship American jobs overseas, commonsense solutions that all of us in this Chamber should agree on.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, I hosted Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi for a roundtable discussion at America's number one art and design school, the Rhode Island School of Design. It focused on creating jobs and the opportunities that exist at the intersection of innovation, technology, and design.

Rhode Island is the birthplace of the American industrial revolution. We know, on a level playing field, American workers can compete against any international competitor, and that's why it's so critical that our country begin taking concrete steps to leverage these new opportunities.

First, we need to better integrate curriculums on science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and art and design. Secondly, we need to think about using new tools, such as my Make It in American Manufacturing Act, to create manufacturing and innovation jobs right here in America, especially with the emerging opportunities in advanced manufacturing and 3-D printing.

Finally, we need to ensure that innovators and entrepreneurs have access to the capital they need to pursue their ideas without obstacles.

I will continue working with my colleagues to make these goals a reality and keep our country at the cutting edge of innovation, technology, and design.

Madam Chair, during rollcall vote No. 266 on H.R. 1947, I mistakenly recorded my vote as ``no'' when I should have voted ``yes.'' I ask unanimous consent that my statement appear in the record following rollcall vote No. 266.

Stated against:

Mr. Speaker, unless Congress acts, in less than 2 weeks, the interest rates on federally subsidized Stafford loans will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent for more than 7 million students.

In my home State of Rhode Island, which is home to more than 40,000 borrowers of federally subsidized Stafford loans, this means that higher education will become less attainable for more and more young people who depend on financial aid. As we work to get our economy back on track, we should be making it easier, not more difficult, for young people to access higher education.

Once again, the House Republican leadership is failing to act in the best interest of the American people. Rather than working towards a commonsense solution on student loan interest rates, we are spending this week voting on a $20 billion cut to children's nutrition programs and a bill that would severely restrict reproductive health care for women.

This has gone on long enough. In the interests of our constituents, Republicans and Democrats should set aside our differences and get back to solving the problems that our country faces. The Republican leaders in the House should bring bills to the floor for a vote that focus on protecting students from interest rate increases and getting Americans back to work.

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise to support the point of order and in strong opposition to the bill that would cut more than $20 billion from critical nutrition programs, especially those that serve our Nation's most vulnerable children. In my home State of Rhode Island, it is estimated that nearly 67,000 children rely on support from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

The bill before us today would devastate funding that these and millions of children and families all across our country depend on each and every day. Because of the way this funding is structured, it would be especially devastating for States like mine, where families are struggling in a difficult economy, and where reductions in LIHEAP would be a grave hardship in long, cold New England winters.

In the next couple of days, we will consider a wide range of amendments. Some, like one offered by my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), of which I am a cosponsor, would restore this critical funding for nutrition programs. Others would impose additional burdens on families already struggling to get back.

The actions we take in this Chamber and the bills we enact into law should reflect our values as a country. We should not take actions that will make hunger worse in America, and this bill will do that.

I urge my colleagues to oppose these drastic cuts to nutrition programs and support the McGovern amendment so that we can continue to help improve the lives of millions of families and children across our Nation. America has always stood for the idea that we look after each other. We take care of the least fortunate among us. And most importantly, we protect our most treasured asset, the children of America.

Madam Speaker, today's vote on H.R. 1797 marks the 10th time since 2011 that House Republicans have held a vote to restrict women's health care options, and as a result endanger the health and well-being of women all across this country.

In the last six months, the House has failed to enact a single jobs bill into law. This is unconscionable--especially at a time that families across our country are still struggling just to make ends meet, and so many Americans are still out of work.

And yet, here we stand, not discussing ways that Republicans and Democrats can work together to get our economy moving again, but instead we're relitigating the culture wars and actually voting on a bill that would allow Washington politicians to make medical decisions that should be made between women and their doctors.

As the Obama Administration has said, this bill is nothing short of an ``assault on a woman's right to choose.''

H.R. 1797 subverts Roe v. Wade and uses pseudoscience to tell women that they're not allowed to make their own health care decisions after the 20th week of a pregnancy.

Madam Speaker, rather than using political wedge issues to score points with their electoral base, Republicans should be working with Democrats to put men and women across our country back to work and start growing the economy again.

In the strongest terms possible, I urge my colleagues to oppose this extreme proposal.

Mr. Speaker, in the 6 months since we've convened the 113th Congress, the legislative branch has passed only 13 bills that have become law, but none of these is focused on the most urgent issue facing families all across our country: jobs and the economy.

This is wrong.

With so many people still out of work and middle class families struggling to achieve economic security, the same old broken Washington political games need to stop.

The American people have had enough of congressional dysfunction and gridlock in Washington. They want Republicans to come to the table and work with Democrats to pass legislation to put our country back to work. That's why I'm adding my voice to a growing list of Members from both parties who want leaders in the House and Senate to set aside the issues that divide us and take immediate action that will create jobs, prevent an unnecessary interest rate hike on student loans, and help our small business owners succeed.

Let's come together not as Democrats and Republicans but as Americans and get our country moving together. Let's work together to confront the big challenges facing our country. The American people deserve nothing less.

Mr. Speaker, America's veterans deserve better.

Right now there are more than 865,000 claims pending before the Veterans Administration, and, of these, more than 575,000 have remained unresolved for 125 days or more.

It is completely unacceptable that the brave men and women who have served our nation in uniform should have to wait months, or even years, before they receive the benefits they have earned.

That's why I'm proud to join my colleagues in supporting a package of ten bills that would help clear the existing backlog and fix the flaws in the current system.

The VA Claims, Operations and Records Efficiency Act, H.R. 1729, would help to reduce the amount of time spent waiting for the Department of Defense to provide information in a more timely manner.

The Claims Adjudication Centers of Excellence, H.R. 2088, would establish a pilot program to help expedite the adjudication of the most difficult medical conditions afflicting American veterans.

There are eight other bills that would help remedy a range of problems and enable policymakers to get more definitive information to solve this problem. I encourage my colleagues to join us in this important effort.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deepest sympathies for the victims of this week's tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, and the surrounding area. I want to especially pay my respects to my colleagues, Congressmen Tom Cole and James Lankford, and their constituents as they begin the difficult work of rebuilding their community following this natural disaster. All of us in this Chamber mourn today for the 24 individuals who were killed, including 9 children, 7 of whom died in their local elementary school. Our thoughts and prayers remain with them and their families.

In the face of such loss, we ask how so many American lives could be taken so quickly. But as we have in the past, through scores of other natural disasters, our country will get through this difficult time, confident in our capacity to persevere through any trial and committed to doing all that we can to help each other. If the spirit of America, in one Nation, indivisible, means anything at all, it means all of us will come together to help Oklahomans through this difficult and painful time.

On behalf of all of the residents of Rhode Island's First Congressional District, I offer my thoughts and prayers to the people of Oklahoma.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise in strong opposition to the Republican Making College More Expensive Act that we're considering today. Market-based systems will drive up the cost for millions of middle class families but will, of course, also benefit some of our biggest banks and other financial institutions.

If we want to get our country back on the right track, put men and women

back to work and ensure that we remain competitive in the global economy, we have to do more to make higher education more accessible and more affordable, not more expensive.

Without Congressional action, the interest rate on Federal subsidized Stafford loans is scheduled to increase from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent for more than 7 million students. We should not be making a profit on student loans--period.

We have proposals that will end this practice and give students access to college at the lowest cost possible. Unlike this bill, the Student Loan Relief Act, the Responsible Student Loan Solutions Act, and the Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act would each preserve low interest rates for students.

The bill before us today is a bad Republican idea that will make college more expensive for working families and will benefit some of America's largest financial institutions who will earn billions more in student loan interest. Hidden within this bill is a blatant bait-and- switch scheme that will allow students to borrow money at one rate before the interest rates skyrocket.

Let's reject the Making College More Expensive Act and find a serious, long-term solution on student loans that will make college more affordable for millions and millions of American students.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Making College More Expensive Act that we are considering today. If we are serious about getting our country back on the right track, putting people back to work, and ensuring that we remain competitive in the global economy, we have to do more to make higher education more accessible and more affordable, not more expensive. Without Congressional action, the interest rate on federal subsidized Stafford loans is scheduled to increase from 3.4% to 6.8% for more than seven million students.

The United States Government should not be making a profit on student loans. Period.

And there are several proposals pending before the House today that would give students access to college at the lowest cost possible. Unlike this bill, the Student Loan Relief Act, the Responsible Student Loan Solutions Act, and the Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act would each preserve low interest rates for students. But the bill before us today is a bad Republican idea that will make college more expensive for working families. This bill before us today will make college more expensive to millions of Americans.

According to the independent, non-partisan Congressional Research Service, students with five years of subsidized Stafford loans borrowed at the maximum amount would owe $4,174 in interest under current rate and $8,808 if we allow interest rates to double on July 1st. But under this proposal, students would owe a total of $10,109 in interest payments on their loans.

Hidden within this bill is a blatant bait and switch scheme that will allow students to borrow money at one rate before their interest rates skyrocket. Our friends on the other side of the aisle like to claim that putting student loans into the ``marketplace'' is a cure-all for increased student debt. But in this case, ``marketplace'' is code for billions of more dollars in interest payments as this bill would prevent students from enjoying the lowest available interest rates.

Let's reject the Making College More Expensive Act and find a serious long-term solution on student loans that will make college more affordable for millions of Americans.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in strong opposition to the Making College More Expensive Act. This legislation is an attack on students, and it undermines the dream of higher education.

If we are serious about getting our country back on the right track, putting people back to work and ensuring that we remain competitive in the global economy, we have to do more to make higher education more accessible and more affordable, not more expensive.

Without congressional action, the interest rate on Federal subsidized Stafford loans is scheduled to increase from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent for more than 7 million students. Rather than fixing this problem, this legislation makes it worse. This bill will hurt young people and middle class families who are already struggling with crushing student loan debt. The idea that as a country we make money on the pursuit by young people of their educations is plain wrong.

Simply put, the United States Government should not be making a profit on student loans, and there are several proposals pending before the House today that would give students access to college at the lowest cost possible. The Student Loan Relief Act, the Responsible Student Loan Solutions Act, and the Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act would each preserve low interest rates for students; but the bill before us today is a bad Republican idea that will make college more expensive for working families and millions of students.

According to the independent, nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, students with 5 years of subsidized Stafford loans borrowed at the maximum amount would owe $4,174 in interest under the current rate. It would rise to $8,808 if we allowed interest rates to double on July 1; but under this proposal, students would owe a total of $10,109 in interest payments on their loans. Hidden within this bill is a blatant bait and switch scheme that will allow students to borrow money at one rate before their interest rates skyrocket.

We've seen this before. Our friends on the other side of the aisle like to claim that putting student loans into the marketplace is a cure-all for increased student debt; but in this case, the ``marketplace'' is code for billions of more dollars in interest payments, as this bill would prevent students from enjoying the lowest available interest rates. This is just wrong.

Our young people deserve more. It's in the interest of our entire country to ensure that as many young people as possible have access to higher education. So let's reject the Making College More Expensive Act and find a serious long-term solution on student loans that will make college more affordable for millions and millions of Americans.

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