Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am such a proud cosponsor of the Taxpayer First Act, and I stand with my colleagues as we vote on this bipartisan, bicameral bill.

I am going to quickly address two key provisions of this bill.

First, this bill is an important step that Congress is taking toward reforming the IRS for the first time in 20 years to better serve taxpayers and to strengthen taxpayer protections that have been long overdue. This whole-scale modernization is an important step toward restoring confidence and trust in this crucial Federal agency.

Secondly, with the aim of encouraging sensible enforcement, this act modifies the IRS private debt collection program to stop the targeting of lower income Americans by creating two additional categories of cases not eligible for referral to private collection agencies: taxpayers whose income is substantially derived from Supplemental Security Income benefits or disability insurance benefits payments, or taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of 200 percent of the poverty level and below.

For years, experts have told Congress that private debt collection has hurt the most vulnerable among us. Today, we are providing safeguards to protect against businesses profiting by collecting from financially vulnerable taxpayers.

Mr. Speaker, I urge immediate passage of this important legislation, and I urge all Members to support it.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 1735.

Madam Speaker, I am so blessed to have known Louise McIntosh Slaughter, and I am so pleased to speak on her behalf today.

Louise was a legislator, with a capital L, and she lived up to the legacy of the ladies of New York. She represented Seneca Falls, and not only because it was her district, but she represented it in terms of her sentiments.

She was the sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act. She was the head of the Pro-Choice Caucus. She focused on medical research for women.

She was a thought leader. Consistent with her training in chemistry, she fought to decrease the amount of antibiotics, eliminate antibiotics in animals for consumption. She led on the issues of getting rid of lead, and, also, she really understood chemistry.

The first time she saw Bob Slaughter, she said, ``I have just got to have him,'' and she went and got him.

She was a bridge to leadership. These freshmen would have really, really enjoyed being around the head of the Rules Committee, their bridge to the leadership.

And let me tell you, I loved her because she really knew how to make people happy. Madam Speaker, she gave me an orange purse because she thought that orange was a happy color and that I deserved to be surrounded by it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Milwaukee Urban League as it celebrates 100 years of service to the Milwaukee area Community. The Milwaukee Urban League was established in 1919 as an affiliate of the National Urban League (NUL) in response to the migration of African Americans who moved north from southern states in search of greater opportunities and a better way of life. They assisted in their transition to urban life and employment, helping African Americans in Milwaukee secure economic self-reliance, parity and power, and civil rights.

The Milwaukee Urban League become a hub and sought to meet the various needs of the African American Community. They established a medical clinic in the 1920s and sponsored a community center for holiday gatherings, youth recreation and crafts, and taught boxing skills. In 1926 the Urban League released a study that established the need to eliminate poor housing as a high priority. In subsequent years, it was instrumental in ending legalized racial discrimination in housing and creating the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council which still exists today. In the 1930s, the Milwaukee Urban League established the Industrial Relations Project to improve job opportunities and working conditions through relationships with business establishments.

Over the years the Urban League has continued to promote employment and economic self-sufficiency through such initiatives as apprentice programs, and pre-employment skills training. Other employment help includes on the job placement and training and older workers and job ride programs. The Milwaukee Urban League has promoted business ownership and development through efforts such as the Franchise Initiative designed to help African Americans acquire franchises, thereby, generating wealth and increasing the number of jobs in the community. It hosts an annual Youth Leadership Summit to promote civic engagement.

The Milwaukee Urban League has been on the front lines of the struggle for equality by both performing research that establishes the case for change and taking actions that result in change to help the next generation succeed. The Urban League continues to collaborate on many issues to enhance the well-being of the community it serves to achieve positive outcomes, including: seeking alternatives to incarceration, working with organizations to speak out against hatred and bigotry, improving academic achievement and social growth among students, and eliminating barriers to employment including enhancement.

Madam Speaker, for these reasons I rise to recognize and pay tribute to the Milwaukee Urban League as it celebrates its 100th anniversary and continues its efforts to benefit the Fourth Congressional District and the State of Wisconsin.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which would, among other provisions, require Federal and State governments to physically provide voting registration materials at the same time they provide notification of a restoration of voting rights under the bill. Voting is the most powerful voice that we have in our democracy.

As a Wisconsinite, I am proud to stand today to fight for everyone's right to vote. Wisconsin has been the petri dish for some of the most pernicious voting suppression efforts, including partisan gerrymandering, all designed to marginalize some votes.

Where our votes are counted, our voices are heard. I am here to say no more--no more--to suppression.

Anyone who works to suppress the vote does not support democracy, Madam Chair. Anyone who limits the ability of all people to express their voice through the ballot does not support democracy.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, may I inquire of the Chair how much time I have left.

Madam Chair, let me commend the gentleman for his active participation in the First Step Act, the criminal justice reform. Let me commend him on his efforts to restore freedom to felons and, as he indicated, murderers and drug dealers and other kinds of criminals who he worked so hard to restore their right to freedom.

This amendment deals with really low-hanging fruit in terms of criminal justice reform. It just says that, when the department has decided that someone has finished their term, when they have finished their sentence, when they are released, they would simply receive those instructions as to how to register to vote.

If there is a pedophile--and I would have welcomed the gentleman's amendment--perhaps it can be part of the rules to say that you must vote by absentee ballot.

Madam Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), chairwoman of the committee.

Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for that clarification.

Democracy demands hard work, and, again, I commend the gentleman for his hard work to put criminals back onto the street.

This is very low-hanging fruit. There have been studies that have indicated that restoring the voting rights of felons really means that they will be more likely to not re-offend because we are bringing them back into the civil discourse of our communities.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, just in closing, I hope that my colleague will support this amendment. It doesn't deal with murderers or pedophiles. It deals with people who are coming out of prison and being notified of their rights and responsibilities with regard to voting.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, my amendment simply requires an ongoing evaluation after every Federal election of the efforts to ensure that those with disabilities have successfully been able to exercise their right to vote.

The Government Accountability Office would be charged with assessing polling place accessibility, privacy issues, and the extent of poll worker training on the rights of individuals with disabilities, as well as on accessible voting machines, among other identified barriers. They would provide their recommendations, if any, to Congress.

I recently had a constituent come into my office and speak about the continued challenges faced by those with disabilities when it comes to exercising this fundamental right, such as inaccessible voting machines that were located and situated as to not provide privacy for the voter.

And this is not just an anecdotal evidence of the problem. According to the National Council on Independent Living, over 2 million people with disabilities didn't vote in 2016, and this isn't just an issue of voter apathy. Study after study shows that our voting system is still inaccessible.

What we know is that, even with laws in place, not all polling places are accessible because of physical barriers, unprepared and untrained staff, or accessible equipment that is either not functional or turned off.

Let me be clear: This bill takes steps forward to address those barriers, and I appreciate the addition of those measures.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Can the Chair inform me about the time available to both of us?

Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes).

Madam Chair, I just want to thank the gentleman, again, for his support of this amendment.

I think that America's motto, E Pluribus Unum--out of many, one--will really be honored by this reporting requirement which I believe will provide information that will move us closer to an election process that is truly inclusive and accessible for all Americans. That is what makes democracy work.

Madam Chair, I urge a ``yes'' vote on my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise to express my deepest condolences to Mrs. Rochella Scales and her family on the loss of Milwaukee's ``Godfather of Soul'', Harvey Scales. Harvey was born in Osceola, Arkansas, on September 27, 1941, and passed away on February 11, 2019. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, relative and friend to many here in Milwaukee and around the world.

Harvey's family moved to Milwaukee when he was a young child where his father found work at American Motors. He attended both Roosevelt Junior High and North Division High Schools. For over 60 years, Harvey Scales has entertained us all beginning as a teen with doo wop bands in the 50's with such renowned Milwaukee contemporaries as the late Al Jarreau until he ultimately formed the band, Harvey Scales and the Seven Sounds in 1961. Harvey Scales and the Seven Sounds' first gig was at the Wisconsin State Fair. Harvey was able to perform in places in Milwaukee and Wisconsin where African Americans were not allowed and sought to break barriers through his music by playing at venues that drew an integrated crowd.

He was signed at various record labels over the years including the legendary soul labels of Chess and Stax. Harvey was signed by Casablanca Records after co-writing the platinum-selling song ``Disco Lady'' in 1976 for Johnny Taylor. In fact, it would be the biggest hit of Taylor's career, and the first song certified as platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Casablanca Records released Harvey's albums ``Confidential Affair'' in 1978 and ``Hot Foot: A Funque Dizco Opera'' in 1979.

Harvey proved himself to be more than an entertainer; he was also a person who endeavored to unite everyone through the love of music. He was both a social and a fun person to be around; he had friends throughout the industry including MC Hammer and the late Aretha Franklin to name but a few. Harvey continued to perform well into his 70s; in fact, one of his last shows was at Summerfest in 2017. The songs he wrote would be later sampled and recorded by a new generation of musicians including the Beastie Boys and Pete Rock.

Harvey leaves family and friends to cherish his memory including his wife Rochella Scales; Children: Tonya Stoudermire, David Vela, Daniel Vela, Dorothea Felder, Theresa Sheppard, Rodney Sheppard, Cornell Scales, Eric Scales, Harvey Scales, Jr., Jewel Henry, Kim Brown, Michael Brown, Rochelle Brown, Michelle Brown, and Bobby Brown; 40 grandchildren and a host of other relatives.

Harvey Scales, my friend and fellow Blue Devil will be greatly missed because of the positive impact he left on the lives of so many. While his death leaves a huge void, he will be remembered for his lifetime as a music artist who continues to inspire future generations. The legacy of his music continues with his son, Harvey Scales, Jr., rapper JR Scalez who collaborated with his father, as well as, the many musicians who continue to both perform and record his music.

Madam Speaker, Harvey Scales has positively impacted the 4th Congressional District, the State of Wisconsin and the world. As family and friends gather to remember and celebrate the life of this loving and remarkable man; I applaud him and his legacy.

Madam Chair, let me thank the gentlewoman for offering this amendment, along with our other colleagues, to H.R. 1112 that would simply require the Department of Justice to release a report analyzing the effect of this bill's provisions on the safety of the victims of domestic violence, domestic abuse, dating partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Madam Chairwoman, I am here on the floor today with the hopes that my colleagues will listen to the 10 million men, women, and children who experience domestic violence each year. Domestic violence is a horrible scourge, and the presence or possession of a gun only worsens these tragedies.

You heard my colleague, Representative Porter, say that women are five times more likely to die or be killed in a domestic violence situation if a gun is owned, which is one of the reasons, Madam Chair, I have introduced legislation to help incentivize States to adopt laws that ensure that we do everything to take guns from those with a court restraining order or other protective order.

I hope, Madam Chair, that my colleagues will listen to the one in three women and one in four men who have been victims of intimate partner violence. I sure hope that my colleagues will listen to me as one of the 4.5 million women who have experienced gun violence firsthand.

There is much discussion in these Chambers about a national emergency. Gun violence and domestic violence are a national emergency, and that is why we have offered this amendment so that our laws actually reflect the realities.

The data collected will be critical to inform Congress about ways to prevent needless tragedies in our country, and to help us evolve in a way that will more accurately protect our constituents.

Madam Speaker, this week, I introduced the Corey Adams Searchlight Act and I rise to urge my colleagues to support this legislation which would establish a national Green Alert system at the Department of Justice to provide assistance and support to regional, state, and local officials as they work to help locate missing veterans.

This legislation is a practical step toward bringing missing veterans home safely.

This issue was brought to my attention by my constituent Corey Adams. When Corey went missing, his family knew that something was wrong-- Corey left his eyeglasses, phone, money, and medications at his parent's home, where he was last seen. Despite his family filing a missing person report within hours of his disappearance, it took eight days before the police determined he met the critical missing persons' criteria. On April 7, 18 days after his initial disappearance, Corey Adams' body was recovered from a pond in a local park just one mile from his mother's home.

After this tragedy, my state of Wisconsin became the first state to create a green alert system modeled after the ``Amber'' alert system which has proven effective at galvanizing public attention around abducted children. And the system has already been used to help locate missing veterans. Delaware quickly followed and more and more states may follow yet.

I would like to thank the bipartisan cosponsors that have joined in this effort so far, Representative Filemon Vela, Raul Grijalva, Derek Kilmer, Frederica S. Wilson, Hank Johnson, John R. Moolenaar, Donald M. Payne, Jr., Dan Kildee, Mark Pocan, Ron Kind, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Steve Cohen, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Debbie Dingell. The bill has also garnered the endorsement of Rolling Thunder National, Inc.

Madam Speaker, members of the military do not leave their fallen behind in battle and we should not do so when they come home. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this important legislation and to work with me to see that it is enacted in the 116th Congress.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a man of faith, Henry Lee Jones. He was a husband, father, grandfather and entrepreneur from the Fourth Congressional District of Wisconsin. Henry Lee Jones was born on July 19, 1943 in Aberdeen, Mississippi to the union of Elloyd and Rohdana Jones and passed away on February 18, 2019.

Mr. Jones moved to Milwaukee in his late teens and was employed by A. O. Smith as a welder for 12 years. In 1975, Henry and Bobbie's Bungalow was established on the corners of 14th Street and Keefe Avenue in Milwaukee. The restaurant featured specialties such as a variety of soul food, BBQ seafood and scrumptious desserts. The Bungalow's signature dessert is peach cobbler.

The Bungalow Restaurant provided catering services to many individuals in the community, as well as businesses and organizations. One of the most famous organizations he catered to was the Green Bay Packer franchise. In fact, as quoted in the Shepherd Express Newspaper, ``The authenticity of Bungalow's Southern-styled menu heavy on pork, chicken, beef and fish has even captured the attention of the Green Bay Packers. Members of the Green & Gold have had Bungalow employees truck their soulful grub to Green Bay for many years now. Whether ordered from Lambeau Field or the Bungalow's cozy brick building, options abound. You'll find relatively rare dishes such as oxtails and smoked ham hocks in addition to more common fare like fried chicken, steak and catfish. And though the Bungalow staff takes pride in making healthy meat and sides, including yams, turnip greens and okra, one can still order ``gravy, gravy and more gravy.'' Even if you don't spot a Packer on a day you visit this establishment, you can still enjoy the many autographed photos on the walls.

As a successful entrepreneur, he was inspired to expand his business to other locations across the city of Milwaukee and Kenosha. He was never a complainer but rather a doer. Mr. Jones' children share his passion and continue to carry on his legacy and business.

He married Bobbie Jones on July 29, 1967 and their union was blessed with 5 sons: Henry, Jr., Milton, Rodney, Demetrius and Lavial. Henry was preceded in death by his parents. He leaves many family and friends to cherish his memory including his wife Bobbie Jones and Children: Mitch Malone, Richard Jones, Henry Jones Jr., Milton Jones. Demetrius (Nichole) Jones and Lavial Jones; Siblings: Dorothy (John) Williams, Delores Tools, Elloyd (Parline) Jones, Yvonne Jones; Grandchildren: Latoya (Emmanuel) Amoah, Deaquann Forrest, Vegas Jones, Naytosha Jones, Xavier Jones, Corey Malone, Britany Malone, Marcus Malone and Cortez Malone; 6 great grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives.

Henry had a significant impact on the community who not only enjoyed his cooking but his loving and joking spirit as well. He was a pillar of the community, the patriarch of his family. I have known Mr. Jones for over 30 years, well before I began my legislative career and he was my friend. He has made a positive impact on Milwaukee and it is truly an honor for me to pay homage to someone who has contributed so much to Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin.

Madam Speaker, for these reasons I rise to pay tribute to a man whose legacy will continue to benefit the Fourth Congressional District.

Madam Speaker, I missed Roll Call vote number 72 on February 8, 2019. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

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

Mr. Chairman, I will be brief. The lack of childcare is a serious barrier to workforce participation. But the lack of childcare is also a significant barrier to obtaining good healthcare, which is why I am so grateful that we are taking this step today to make it less so for our Nation's veterans who are in dire need of critical services at their VA.

My amendment is simple, Mr. Chairman. First, it requires the VA to report on the use of this new benefit broken down by region. We need to have hard data about usage to gauge the effectiveness of this program.

Secondly, it requires a biannual report from VA on other childcare barriers besides the financial assistance we are providing today that may be hindering veterans' access to care.

Now, while this bill may get us down the road on improving care, there may be other barriers to childcare that remain: the lack of transportation, as an example; availability; or access to providers. While this bill is progress, we can't rest until all of the barriers to quality and affordable childcare for veterans seeking services has been addressed.

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

Mr. Chair, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), the distinguished chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. Chair, I do want to thank the chairman for his support, and I want to thank Members of the minority for their support. This is so very important.

I look forward to working with the chairman in this Congress to continue to ensure that the Veterans Administration has the capacity and the resources to do right by our veterans, to respect the rights of its union employees, to provide the needed services, and as you mentioned earlier, to make sure that they get critical healthcare.

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

Madam Speaker, I oppose U.S. military intervention in Venezuela. I am a cosponsor of legislation that would make that crystal clear to this Administration. At the same time, I strongly and unequivocally condemn reported acts of violence that have been carried out by security forces against Venezuelans peacefully exercising their fundamental civil rights, including to protest.

We must find other ways to continue to express our nation's legitimate concerns, as well as that of the rest of the international community, about the attacks on human rights and democracy underway in that nation. I am aware of the demonstrations that Venezuelans, opposed to Nicolas Madura and his cronies, have held amid a deep and ongoing political and economic crisis.

While continuing to condemn violence against protestors and attacks on basic democratic rights and institutions, the U.S. must also press for multilateral diplomatic actions to help create the conditions for a peaceful return to democratic order in Venezuela. Additionally, any sanctions (either bilaterally or multilaterally) imposed against Venezuela must be targeted at government officials and coordinated to avoid worsening the country's dire humanitarian emergency. And let's be clear, sanctions are not an end to themselves and do not substitute for smart and disciplined diplomacy.

The U.S. should support international efforts to achieve a negotiated resolution. Rather than trying to repeat all the mistakes of our failed foreign policy of the past in this region, I urge this Administration to engage with other partners in order to best facilitate a return to democracy.

Lastly, I share concerns about the individual, Elliott Abrams, appointed by this Administration to serve as a ``special envoy'' to Venezuela. His history, particularly with regards to his views on U.S. policy in this region, disqualify him to serve as an impartial implementer of a strong diplomatic effort to reach a peaceful resolution. Among other concerns, this individual was twice convicted of lying to Congress and has long held troubling views on how the U.S. should engage with governments in the region with which it disagrees.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from California for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleague from Missouri in asking my colleagues to support H.R. 430 and to vote ``yes'' on this legislation.

Now, this is just a short-term, 6-month extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program because we could not sign off on the negotiated 2-year extension from the omnibus. Therefore, the program has lapsed, and it is imperative that we move this legislation quickly, get it cleared through the House, sent over to the Senate, and signed into law.

Needy Americans are relying on us to do this. There are several States that have absolutely no TANF dollars, zero carryover funds to insulate against the prospect that this reckless shutdown will persist and impact our most vulnerable citizens.

While my State is not one of the 23 States that have less than one quarter of Federal TANF funding in reserve, our reserve is not gigantic. At the current spend-down rate of funds in Wisconsin, we are projecting that these funds will only last until early May, so this is of some urgency.

Just let me remind you, Mr. Speaker, about the importance of extending this program. This bill will allow HHS to send States, Tribes, and territories overdue funds that they depend upon to help level the playing field for struggling parents trying to work and to support their families, tools like childcare assistance, transportation, job training, money for basic needs, and services like food and diapers.

I want to remind you, Mr. Speaker, that three-fourths of current TANF recipients are children, usually living in poverty with their parents or grandparents.

Mr. Speaker, as a former welfare recipient who rose out of poverty with the help of cash assistance, SNAP, and higher education, I understand how critically necessary it is for Americans to have access to our Nation's safety net known as TANF.

Mr. Speaker, I will never forget the spring of 1996, when Wisconsin Governor Tommy G. Thompson decided to end welfare as we knew it.

I was a State senator at the time. I stood on the floor and filibustered until the wee hours of the morning with 100 amendments. Then in the fall of 1996--it was a gigantic error of judgment, in my estimation--Congress, on a bipartisan basis, followed Governor Thompson's lead and replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children with TANF, a program that turned into a block grant, having absolutely no connection with people's ability to get work.

It imposed work requirements, whether there was any viable work there or not. It limited educational opportunity for women, thus creating a permanent underclass of workers. It does not provide promised childcare and training, the very things that are most helpful for helping people get employed.

While this proposal has been adopted by Congress and signed into law, I have known, since 1996, that I would spend the rest of my career trying to right-size this program and make sure that the program not only met people's basic survival-level needs but actually worked toward helping people lift out of poverty.

I am looking forward to this 116th Congress, when we can reenvision welfare reform, because this imperfect program needs to continue to assist struggling families to meet those basic needs. Forty-three million Americans currently live in poverty and some in extreme poverty.

I remind the Speaker that our Nation is only as strong as its most vulnerable population. Instead of criminalizing welfare recipients and creating more barriers for the poor, we must help lift them up so that they, too, can escape poverty, join the economy, and add to our tax base.

Let's pass this bill, and let's use the next 6 months provided by this legislation to work together to enact long-overdue changes to TANF that will restore childcare, incentivize education, and move away from punitive time limits.

I ask my colleagues to vote for H.R. 430, and then I urge them to join me in reenvisioning the program.

Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues in supporting House passage today of the long overdue FY 2019 Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill which will help bring an end to the reckless shutdown for the agencies, programs, and federal employees that are covered by this measure.

We need to pass this bill today, and the Senate needs to follow suit, to help stave off some of the worst consequences that face some of the most vulnerable as a result of the President's reckless decision.

If the partial government shutdown, which the President is so proud to have caused, continues there may not be sufficient appropriations for food assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to provide full benefits or any benefits. USDA recently announced it was making moves to try and delay the inevitable for these programs. But that is just a stall--one of the many desperate actions by an Administration

apparently just now starting to realize the damage it is inflicting across America.

To make his case, the President held a national press conference earlier this week to sell his made up ``crisis'' along the Southern border. A ``crisis'' that experts say is not happening. Border apprehensions are at lows not seen in nearly two decades. The ``crisis,'' if any exists, is his policy of denying asylum seekers their legal right to make their claims.

President Trump inflicted this chaotic shutdown on the American people to try and bully the nation into building his vanity wall.

Well, let me tell you about the real crisis that he is creating in millions of households across the country from the dedicated federal employees who have been sent home without pay or those working without pay who are wondering how they will pay rent or their mortgage and their bills now that the federal government has broken faith with them.

Or the real crisis this Administration is creating for the millions of families and individuals who depend on SNAP and WIC to help keep food on the table. In my home state, that includes hundreds of thousands of women, children, seniors, low-income military veterans, and the disabled who are already struggling. These harms aren't hypothetical, folks. Hunger is real in our country and millions of Americans are struggling to put food on the table. And the Trump Shutdown is only making it harder to do.

One estimate is that if USDA does not have enough funding on hand to pay full benefits and provide partial funding spread evenly across all SNAP households, it would result in an average benefit cut per household of at least $90 or close to 40 percent.

Similarly, benefits available through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are at risk. WIC is such an important program that helps provide targeted nutrition and other services to at-risk women. This program has helped improve breastfeeding rates among its target population and saves lives and money for the taxpayer. Over 7 million mothers, pregnant women, and children rely on WIC.

WIC clinics are currently open and operating normally but that funding will run out if the shutdown continues. If the shutdown continues as long as the President wants it to, WIC agencies may be forced to start waiting lists for benefits, freeze new applications, furlough staff, or close clinics in the face of declining or no funding.

And even with doors open, the uncertainty created by the shutdown may be discouraging eligible individuals from reaching out to WIC for support, undermining the program's purpose.

And we will all pay in the end if taxpayers have to bear health care expenses and other costs for individuals that could have been avoided.

The bill before us, that the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved last year, will ensure that these critical benefits continue to be paid and that families can continue to put food on the table.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, being sort of last in this debate gives you an opportunity to hear all of the arguments.

The question has been asked: Why should we allow Speaker Pelosi to intervene? Well, she authored the bill. We need her to defend this bill, and we believe that she has standing.

Another question that was raised was about an initiative that was offered last week and that this is just a theater here today. Well, I was here the 60-plus times that we tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That is the true theater.

And let me tell you something, Madam Speaker. Why do we think that there was such a strident effort to destroy the Affordable Care Act? Because our colleagues have told us it cost a lot of money, and we have tried to prevent insurers from maximizing their profits.

And how do they maximize their profits? By denying the sickest people with preexisting conditions--like the people I met today, the kids with neurofibromatosis, a serious illness that causes tumors all through your body and causes you to wake up in pain every single day--if you can get rid of them, then you won't have to pay much money; to impose lifetime limits on coverage not just for people under the ACA, but for everybody, including those folks who get employer-based insurance.

Why have they tried to deny health coverage to consumers, to provide essential health benefits? Because they want to provide these skeletal benefits, this fig leaf of provisions for folks.

So I think that we need someone like Speaker Pelosi to intervene, and I think that she should have standing, and this body ought to authorize it.