Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Ben Nicholson, who left the Appropriations Committee staff in October after more than 12 years of distinguished service. Ben started his career serving our Nation in 1992 when he joined the U.S. Coast Guard, serving for 10 years before joining the Appropriations Committee staff in 2002. Since that time, Ben has worked on various subcommittees, and for several chairmen, ultimately becoming the Clerk and Staff Director of the Homeland Security Subcommittee in 2011.

As the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I have had the honor and pleasure of working closely with Ben. He is professional, he is reliable, he is dedicated, and he gets the job done, regardless of the circumstances. Ben is a born leader and a Patriot. He holds himself accountable to a code of the highest standards. He efficiently manages his staff, not by micromanaging but by setting an example and empowering them to make informed recommendations. He is affable, thoughtful, determined to make a difference, and calm under pressure.

As we all know, congressional staff work long hours, and often sacrifice weekends and holidays in order to keep this esteemed institution running. This inevitably takes a toll on personal commitments, and nothing means more to Ben than his supportive and loving family. In his new employment, Ben will hopefully have more time to spend with his lovely wife, Anna, and their son, Tim. I have said before, and I will say again, the Appropriations Committee has the best staff on Capitol Hill. And Ben Nicholson is the epitome of that statement.

Congress, the House, the Appropriations Committee, and I will surely miss Ben's contributions and leadership; but we thank him for his service and dedication and we wish him well now and in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion.

Mr. Speaker, this is a clean, straightforward continuing resolution that has bipartisan and bicameral support. It is our best, most clear path forward to keep the lights on in our Federal Government before the fiscal year ends.

The American people rely on the Federal Government to provide certain vital programs and services, and they expect the Congress to come together to ensure these programs continue.

Now, I would prefer to be standing here, presenting a bill that finalizes the hard work of this body to fund the entire government for the entire fiscal year. Unfortunately, the other body has refused to live up to their end of the equation.

They have yet to pass or even consider a single appropriations bill through their Chamber. Because the Senate leaves us with no alternative, we must replace politics with responsibility and pass the CR before us.

This motion to recommit only increases the possibility of a government shutdown, ignoring the tireless efforts of Members on both sides of the aisle to keep that from happening.

The motion to recommit would also put our national security at stake. With the addition of the McKeon amendment, this bill now provides authority to train and equip Syrian rebels to help degrade and destroy the terrorist organization ISIL.

Sadly, the minority is trying to hijack the process at the eleventh hour. They have reached deep into their grab bag of partisan agenda items in an attempt to attach, without fair consideration, sweeping policy changes that could place undue burdens on our economy, an effort that is designed to do nothing but score political points.

Funding our government and defeating ISIL are of grave national importance, and they are too important to risk over political maneuvers like this motion.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the Members to vote ``no'' on the motion and ``yes'' on final. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 722, I call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 124) making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2015, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.J. Res. 124.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present H.J. Res. 124, a short-term continuing resolution to keep the doors of the Federal Government open after the end of the fiscal year on September 30.

H.J. Res. 124 is a critical measure that ensures that hardworking Americans continue to have access to the government programs and the services they rely on and helps avoid the unnecessary uncertainty and economic harm caused by the threat of a government shutdown.

The bill continues government operations at the current rate of $1.012 trillion into the next fiscal year and lasts

until December 11, 2014. That level is in line with the Ryan-Murray budget agreement that this House approved last year.

My committee sought to draft a responsible, restrained bill that does not include controversial riders and does not seek to change existing Federal policies; however, it does make several very limited adjustments to prevent catastrophic or irreversible damage to critical government programs to address pressing global crises that have surfaced in recent months or to ensure good government.

These are changes I believe all of my colleagues can and should support. These include provisions, Mr. Speaker, that, one, increase funding at the Department of Veterans Affairs to help deal with the disability claims backlog and further investigations into wait-list allegations; two, to boost funding for Ebola research and response; three, to provide some funding flexibility within CBP and ICE to meet border security needs; and, four, to continue a surge in funding for State Department programs that help counter regional aggression against Ukraine and other former Soviet states. Each of these provisions is funded within the total discretionary funding level of $1.012 trillion.

The CR will also extend authority for certain laws currently in place such as the Internet Tax Freedom Act for the duration of the CR and the Export-Import Bank through June 30 of next year.

Later, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee will offer an amendment to this bill to address the President's request for the authority to train and equip Syrian rebels to fight ISIL. This critical amendment will address an issue of great importance to our national security, and attaching it to this continuing resolution will allow its enactment within a swift timeframe.

It does not involve any new or additional funding for these activities. I hope that my colleagues in the House will support the adoption of that amendment.

Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill, but we cannot address each and every aspect of Federal agency budgets within the scope of a continuing resolution like this one. These line-by-line budget decisions must be made in full-year regular appropriations legislation.

I am very proud, Mr. Speaker, that the House made great strides toward completing this vital work, which is our constitutional duty, by approving 11 out of 12 appropriations bills in committee and seven of them on the floor of the House, all before the August recess, dealing with some 400 amendments to those seven bills on the House floor.

The House made a good faith effort to complete all of these bills, but, unfortunately, the Senate has failed to approve a single appropriations bill which is why we are at this point today in trying to pass a continuing resolution.

It is high time that the Senate leadership allows us to complete critical legislation to fund the entire Federal Government in an up-to- date, line-by-line way in regular order.

This continuing resolution will allow us the time, hopefully, to do just that; however, as we move forward, we cannot and should not continue to fall back on stopgap funding bills like this one.

These lurching short-term bills only postpone the tough budget decisions, heighten our Nation's mistrust of Congress, and cause uncertainty within our Federal agencies and the economy.

At this point, though, the best way to avoid causing serious damage to the country is to pass this continuing resolution. It is our most clear path forward. It allows us the time we need to draft bicameral pieces of legislation that reflect our real and urgent budgetary requirements and utilize our Nation's taxpayer dollars in the most responsible, representative way.

Before I close these remarks, Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the service and hard work of the staff of the committee on both sides of the aisle, but I especially want to acknowledge the service and hard work of the clerk of the Defense Subcommittee, Tom McLemore.

Over his years on this committee he has been an integral member of the staff, no more so than his time as Defense clerk. Sadly, this will be his last bill before he moves on to greener pastures, and we will miss him a great deal. So I want to thank Tom for his service to this committee and to the Nation.

With that said, Mr. Speaker, we have just under 2 weeks left until the end of the fiscal year on September 30, so I ask that the House pass H.J. Res. 124 today without delay. I also urge the Senate to pass this bill and submit it to the President for his signature as soon as possible.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen), the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart), a member of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Appropriations, a very hardworking member.

Mr. Speaker, I want to associate myself with the remarks of the gentleman from Virginia, who made an excellent presentation.

May I inquire of the time remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire of my colleague if she has further requests for time?

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

I think, as has been said here numerous times by people on both sides of the aisle, we regret that we are having to bring a continuing resolution to the floor to continue the government over the end of the fiscal year. But that is because we attempted on the House side, on both sides of the aisle, to pass all 12 of these individual appropriations bills. And we were on our way to passing all of them until the Senate decided they weren't going to take any of them up, and they haven't. So it left us no choice but to ask for a continuing resolution to keep the government's lights on until December 11, by which time, hopefully, we will be able to cobble together an omnibus appropriations bill for all of the government for all of next year.

So that is where we are. We really have no choice. I don't think either side wants to shut down the government. Certainly on this side, we do not. So the necessity is that we pass this bill.

Now, the amendment coming up, on giving the President the authority to establish training bases and equip fighters in Syria, is all important, an amendment that I certainly support and welcome into the appropriations bill.

So, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from New York (Mrs. Lowey) for her hard work on these bills all year long, and all of the staff and all of the members of the committee on both sides of the aisle. We are a committee that abhors continuing resolutions, yet we are faced with no choice but to try to pass one.

So I urge my colleagues to support the continuing resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank and congratulate the chairman and Mr. Smith for their work on this issue.

I rise in support of this amendment. It has become urgent, Mr. Speaker, that we make serious strides against ISIL, and we must act quickly to curb their influence and to fight back against terrorism of the most brutal sort.

Chairman McKeon's amendment which provides the authority to train and equip Syrian rebels to fight ISIL is the right approach, and I support its inclusion on this continuing resolution.

Over the past week, the House has done due diligence to ensure that this amendment language is appropriate, supporting limited yet adequate efforts to degrade and destroy ISIL.

While providing our Commander in Chief with the tools he has requested for the near term, language is also included to prevent an open-ended blank check for these efforts.

This will help ensure that Congress maintains funding authority and oversight over taxpayer dollars and the use of our military forces. Mr. Speaker, I want to associate myself with the remarks of Mr. Smith who just spoke who gave a very eloquent and full explanation of where we are, and I support his statement.

I encourage my colleagues to support this critical amendment and then the underlying resolution today or tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Tom McLemore, the clerk of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, who will be leaving the Committee staff after more than 13 years of service.

Tom joined the Appropriations Committee staff in 2001 and has worked on various subcommittees and for various chairmen since that time, ultimately becoming the clerk of the Defense Subcommittee in 2011.

As the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I have had the honor and pleasure of working closely with Tom. He is professional, he is reliable, he is dedicated, and he gets every job done well, regardless of the circumstances.

Tom is a leader. He efficiently manages his staff, not by micromanaging but by empowering them to make informed recommendations. He is affable, he is thoughtful, and he is calm under pressure.

As we all know, congressional staff work countless hours and through countless holiday seasons in order to keep this esteemed institution running. This inevitably takes a toll on personal commitments, and nothing means more to Tom than his supportive and loving family. In his new employment, Tom will hopefully have more time to spend with his lovely wife, Cory, and their two girls, Anna and Maggie.

I have said before, and I will say again, the Appropriations Committee has the best staff on Capitol Hill. And Tom McLemore is the epitome of that statement. Congress, and I, will surely miss this leader; but we thank him for his service and dedication and wish him well now and in the future.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in favor of H.R. 5078, the Waters of the U.S. Regulatory Overreach Protection Act.

Over the last five years, we have seen attempt after attempt to add layers of environmental red tape to any economic development that our states, counties, and cities may undertake. The new ``Waters of the United States'' proposal is no different. With this, the EPA seeks to gain jurisdiction over most of the country by claiming authority to regulate dry beds, ditches, pipes, farmland ponds and anywhere water could conceivably run. They would require local communities, businesses and individuals to navigate the costly and time-consuming process of obtaining additional permits for activities around these waters, making it harder to mine coal, to construct roads and shopping centers, and even to build homes. This is one of the largest federal power grabs we have ever witnessed in this country, and there is no question that the economic impact would be profound.

In my home state of Kentucky, mining permits have ground to a halt and onerous regulations are shuttering power plants, threatening the fossil energy industries that have been the backbone of our energy security for decades. I am dismayed at efforts that this Administration has undertaken with the express purpose of eliminating coal from our nation's energy supply, despite the fact that this fuel provides a cheap, abundant source of energy that keeps energy costs down and productivity up. With this bill, we stand firm against the latest attempt by the EPA to put up road blocks for those working to create jobs. These efforts are fruitless attempts to legislate through regulation, and the Congress must exercise its prerogative to prevent this kind of bureaucratic overreach that would be crippling for the U.S. economy. H.R. 5078 will uphold the federal-state partnership to regulate the Nation's waters, allowing states to continue regulating certain waters within their individual boundaries, and providing farmers, construction companies, energy suppliers, and manufacturers with much needed certainty as they work to create jobs and grow the economy.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 5078.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a dear friend of southern and eastern Kentucky, Mr. Bill Schweri, upon his retirement as the director of Federal Relations at the University of Kentucky.

During his 42 years at the university, Bill has been a champion for progress in education, health care, and energy research across the State. Behind the scenes of Kentucky's highly esteemed flagship university, Bill has been a driving force, seeking out partnerships, programs, and funding to help the most distressed region of the Commonwealth. I am certain there is not a single resource that Bill hasn't researched for the benefit of southern and eastern Kentucky.

No one knows the value and power of creating and sustaining longtime partnerships like Bill. If the University of Kentucky needed a partner to improve education or access to health care, Bill ensured the connection was secured with his genuine, kind, and humble approach.

Most leaders seek recognition or credit for their own efforts, but that has never been the case with Bill Schweri. His work has led to exponential growth of UK's research enterprise and jump-started new research initiatives that have enabled the university to be successful in competing for Federal grants and contracts.

This riveting scientific research on cancer, fossil energy, transportation, and agriculture is blazing new trails in every aspect of our everyday life in our country, to say nothing of how our State is better off for it.

He has fought for legislation that is important to UK and student financial aid. Bill has been a leader in the Science Coalition and actively involved in the Council on Governmental Affairs and the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. Over the years, he has deservedly gained the utmost respect of his peers in Federal relations.

As he departs his post, Mr. Speaker, at the University of Kentucky, it is my intention to ensure Bill Schweri receives the recognition that is due him for his tireless efforts on behalf of students and families all across Kentucky, and specifically living in Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District. We hope he knows he always has the thanks of a grateful Big Blue Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me as we honor my friend Bill Schweri as we bid him a joy-filled retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a dear friend of southern and eastern Kentucky, Mr. Bill Schweri, upon his retirement as the Director of Federal Relations at the University of Kentucky.

During his 42 years at the University of Kentucky, Bill has been a champion for progress in education, healthcare, and energy research across the state. Behind the scenes of Kentucky's highly esteemed flagship university, Bill has been a driving force, seeking out partnerships, programs and funding to help the most distressed region of the Commonwealth. I'm certain there is not a single resource that Bill hasn't researched for the benefit of southern and eastern Kentucky.

No one knows the value and power of creating and sustaining long- time partnerships quite like Bill. If the University of Kentucky needed a partner to improve education or access to healthcare, Bill ensured the connection was secured with his genuine, kind and humble approach. Most leaders seek recognition or credit for their efforts, but that has never been the case with Bill.

His work has lead to exponential growth of UK's research enterprise and jumpstarted new research initiatives that have enabled the university to be successful in competing for federal grants and contracts. This riveting scientific research on cancer, fossil energy, transportation and agriculture is blazing new trails in every aspect of our everyday life, and our country--to say nothing of our state--is better off for it. He has fought for legislation that is important to UK and student financial aid. Bill has also been a leader in The Science Coalition, and actively involved in the Council on Governmental Affairs, and the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. Over the years, he has deservedly gained the utmost respect of his peers in federal relations.

As he departs his post at the University of Kentucky, it is my intention to ensure Bill Schweri receives the recognition that is due him, for his tireless efforts on behalf of students and families across Kentucky, and specifically people living in Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District. We hope he knows he always has the thanks of a grateful Big Blue Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring my friend Bill Schweri as we bid him a joy-filled retirement.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of today, I call up H.J. Res. 76, with the Senate amendments thereto.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative

days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the further consideration of H.R. 5230, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to continue the debate on H.R. 5230, with further amendments added by the rule the House just adopted. The need to pass this bill before Congress leaves for the August break is just as critical today as it was yesterday.

This bill, Mr. Speaker, provides funding to meet immediate border security and humanitarian needs in response to the recent surge of illegal immigrants crossing our southern border.

In terms of funding, this bill is essentially the same as the legislation the House considered yesterday. It emphasizes securing our borders, providing humanitarian assistance for unaccompanied children in U.S. custody, and preventing further influxes of illegal immigration, both by funding vital programs and by implementing important policy provisions. This is also a fiscally responsible bill. All funding is offset, so it won't add a penny to our deficit.

However, the bill differs from the version yesterday by adding an additional $35 million for the National Guard to allow States, including Texas, to be reimbursed for National Guard activities related to border security and the current influx of illegal immigrants. This brings the new total of the bill to $694 million, and, again, it is fully offset.

In addition, the bill includes new tweaks to various policy provisions which will help to further tighten our borders and provide solutions that help solve our immigration challenges for the future.

Mr. Speaker, we have a crisis on our hands, and we can't simply get up and walk away. It is our moral responsibility to protect our homeland and to properly care for and process the thousands of unaccompanied children who put their lives in the hands of criminals to cross our borders. We simply can't turn our backs on this. We must pass this bill today, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. Speaker, we are here with this crisis because the President announced a policy that no one would be deported unless they were a criminal. That word spread through our Central American countries, and families said: hey, the gates are open; while this President is in office, if you go there and you get in, then you won't be deported.

The administration knew this 2 years ago. The word came out that we were being flooded, increasingly so, from Central American countries. So we are here trying to fix the problem that is an emergency caused by this administration, and the administration's control of the other body, rather than help us solve the problem, left town at noon today without doing anything. So we are trying to clean up their mess and the administration's mess, and this bill will do that.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Mrs. Granger), the chair of the Speaker's task force on border security and the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the newly elected majority whip of the U.S. House.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume to say at least the House is putting a bill on the floor and passing it, which solves the problem. If we had the Senate here to work with us, we might be able to get a bill the President could sign. But the Senate is gone. They have left. So I would hope that the leader of the Senate would recognize that his body is getting severely criticized for leaving town without offering a solution to this crisis on our border.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), who chairs the Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson), the distinguished chairman of the Military Construction-VA Appropriations Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus).

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

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Marino).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), the chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King).

Mr. Speaker, this is a fair bill. It solves a crisis on our border. It does so in a financially safe and responsible way. It strengthens the border. It humanely treats those who are in our custody now and arranges for them to be humanely returned to their home families, where the Presidents of the three countries told us, We want these children back; and so this bill will do that.

I urge an ``aye'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 696, I call up the bill (H.R. 5230) making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5230, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself 6 minutes.

I rise today to present H.R. 5230, which provides immediate, short- term funding to address the southwest border crisis.

In total, this bill provides $659 million to meet urgent border security and humanitarian needs for this fiscal year ending on September 30.

Thousands of illegal immigrants, including unaccompanied children, have flooded our borders and overwhelmed our current facilities and personnel.

This includes a staggering number of children, arriving with no family, who are being smuggled across our borders by criminal organizations, subject to abuse and violence. We need to put safeguards in place to prevent them from taking this dangerous journey, as well as provide the resources needed to take care of them and process them appropriately.

The President must take the lead on this by mitigating this crisis, turning back the tide of illegal immigrants, and fully enforcing our laws. This problem has, without a doubt, been exacerbated by the administration's policies on immigration, and it is up to the administration to find a way to fix that problem.

In the meantime, however, Madam Speaker, it is plain that something must be done to ensure that our law enforcement personnel and Federal agencies have the resources needed to deal with this dire situation in the short term.

The $659 million in funding in this bill focuses on three areas-- border security, humanitarian assistance, and prevention--to meet the most pressing needs. Of this total $659 million, $462 million is provided to increase security and enforce our laws, boosting personnel, and increasing detention space to the largest capacity in our history.

Part of this funding will help accelerate judicial proceedings by increasing the number of temporary judges and outfitting all immigration courtrooms in the Nation with teleconferencing equipment that would allow them to be able to join in the process of adjudicating those cases on the border. There are some 332 of those courtrooms around the country.

We have doubled existing funding for the National Guard to bolster their presence along our border, as they assist Customs and Border Protection with surveillance, investigations, and humanitarian efforts.

The bill also provides $197 million to take care of these unaccompanied children, ensuring they have proper housing, meals, and temporary care while they are in U.S. custody.

Madam Speaker, to stave off the continued influx of illegal immigration, the bill redirects existing State Department funding to ensure that countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador must quickly accept and repatriate those returning from the U.S.

This bill draws a hard line on spending, scrubbing the President's request to focus on the most immediate needs. It does not including funding for longer-term needs or unnecessary programs, like cash subsidies for coffee farmers. Any additional funding for this crisis can and should be addressed under the regular appropriations process for fiscal year 2015.

In addition, to make sure that this bill doesn't add a penny to our deficit, Madam Speaker, every dollar spent here is fully offset from somewhere else by making noncontroversial rescissions of unused, excess prior-year funds.

Lastly, the bill includes several policy provisions recommended by the Speaker's Working Group on the Border Crisis, led by the chairwoman of the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, Representative Kay Granger from Texas. She will speak soon.

This includes a change in a 2008 law to ensure that all unaccompanied minors arriving in this country are treated the same as Mexicans and Canadians for the purpose of removal.

It also strengthens the law prohibiting immigration status to criminals convicted of serious drug crimes and prohibits the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture from restricting Customs and Border Protection apprehension activities on Federal land on the border, and it expresses congressional intent that detained aliens awaiting processing should not be housed on military installations.

Madam Speaker, this is a good bill. This is a fair, sensible, and reasonable address of the most immediate needs on the border. It also puts in place much-needed policy changes that should stop the flow of unaccompanied children who are being put at risk during their long, dangerous journey through Mexico.

It is our congressional duty to quickly pass this bill in short order. Therefore, I ask all Members to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), the chairman of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Appropriations, but more importantly, she has accepted the responsibility of the Speaker to put together a task force to investigate the problem on the border and to recommend solutions--and she has, with great success.

Madam Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1 minute.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), who chairs the Homeland Security Committee of the House.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent), a member of our committee.

Madam Speaker, I don't know where the gentleman gets his information, but this bill was filed Tuesday.

You have had since Tuesday morning to study this bill, and that is the appropriate--under our rules, that is the appropriate time.

I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

That is not this bill. Reclaiming my time, this bill has been available to you since Tuesday.

Madam Speaker, may I inquire of the time we have remaining.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Salmon), a member of the Speaker's task force that investigated the border problem.

I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Will the gentleman from Arizona yield?

Do you understand that the experts have told

us that if we do nothing, if we don't change the law, that another 145,000 people will be with us next year alone? Is that not correct?

Just focusing on the money part of this, the gentleman from Arizona is saying, if we don't change the law, we can expect to pay another few billion dollars a year----

To care for that continuing stream of people coming across?

Well, I would think that not only conservatives would like it, but that everybody would like that kind of savings.

Will the gentlewoman briefly yield on that point?

The 145,000 additional people coming across the border, that number came from the Department of Homeland Security. So those are governmental estimates, if we do nothing on the law change.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, may I inquire of the time remaining?

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).

I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

May I inquire of the gentlewoman from New York if she has further speakers? I am prepared to close. If the gentlewoman has one additional speaker, then I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, we have a crisis on our border with Mexico right now. It can't wait. It is a humanitarian crisis. It is also a failure of our border. It is an open border now unless you fix it. If we don't change the law to treat Central American children the same as we treat Mexican children at the border, you are going to be flooded. The amount now on the border will pale into insignificance because Homeland Security tells us they anticipate another 145,000 children next year, on top of the tens of thousands of adults and families flooding across that open border.

So we have an immediate crisis today. This bill is an urgently needed bill. It provides immediate funding for critical border security and these humanitarian needs. The money will be there immediately. If we do not pass this bill today, you are going to risk these resources running out. Then your hands will be tied. More and more immigrants will continue to flood across that border if you fail to act.

This bill will allow the DHS, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Guard to tighten security and restore the border. It will allow the Department of Justice to process the cases that may be needed more efficiently. It encourages repatriation in the countries from which these immigrants came, and it provides much-needed shelter and care for the thousands of unaccompanied children who have recently crossed that border.

We must act today before we leave town, not only to protect our borders, but to help these unaccompanied children who are being brought here by criminals, no less, on a long, dangerous, arduous journey, subject to abuse, injury, and death along the way. How can you turn away from these faces?

This bill directs responsible levels of resources toward the front line, toward the highest priority needs. The bill

puts policy measures into place that keep criminals out of the country and helps encourage children not to make that very dangerous, life- threatening journey. The President's request would do nothing to enforce our laws and make this Nation a safer place.

Help the problem. Stop the crisis. This bill does it. Vote for it.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I urge Members to support this bill. This is a good bill. It provides $21.3 billion to fund many, many important programs and services that help our government function and our economy grow.

For example, the bill includes $862 million for the Small Business Administration, to assist our small businesses--and we all know those small businesses are the backbone of our economy--to help them prosper.

It also includes $6.7 billion for our Federal courts, to ensure the faithful execution of our laws and the timely processing of Federal cases.

The bill also demonstrates a commitment to keeping poor-performing or misbehaving agencies and programs in check. It cuts funding for the IRS, as the chairman has said, by $341 million from last year, nearly 12 percent below the President's request.

This funding level will allow the agency to perform its core duties, but will require IRS management to streamline and make the very best use of its allocated dollars.

We have also included language that will help ensure that each and every dollar spent by the IRS is spent legally, responsibly, and appropriately. For instance, the bill prohibits funding for the production of inappropriate videos and conferences that many of us have seen on television and for employee bonuses or awards, unless their performance is considered.

The bill also prohibits funding for the IRS to implement the ObamaCare individual health care mandate on the

American people. In light of the chaotic and dysfunctional rollout of the Affordable Care Act, I don't see how, in good conscience, we can possibly allow the IRS to fine American citizens when many are just trying to comply with this flawed law.

Due to the past inappropriate actions by the IRS, we have also prohibited funding for certain activities to prevent a repeat of these abuses, including targeting individuals based on their political beliefs, determining the tax-exempt status of organizations under 501(c)(4), and several other provisions that will help preserve the First Amendment rights of all Americans.

The bill is designed to make sure the government works for the people, not against the people or our laws. Bill-wide, the bill includes stringent oversight, accountability, and transparency measures to make sure each and every agency toes the line.

This includes prohibitions on funding for the Executive Office of the President to prepare signing statements and executive orders that contradict existing law and a provision that will bring the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of Financial Research under the annual appropriations process, so we can have oversight for the American people, ensuring that these agencies will remain accountable to the taxpayer.

These actions fulfill our congressional duty to the American people, to act as faithful shepherds of Federal tax dollars, to force these agencies to respect our laws and our budgets, and to encourage a more streamlined, efficient Federal Government.

Now, I want to take a minute to thank Chairman Crenshaw and Ranking Member Serrano for their dedicated work on this bill. This is a tough bill to write.

In fact, this is the first time, Mr. Chairman, that the Financial Services bill has been brought to the floor, I think, since 2007, roughly; and so these gentlemen and the staff and members of their subcommittee--and gentleladies--have worked hard. They have worked together.

I know Mr. Serrano is not perfectly happy with every provision in the bill. None of us are perfectly happy with it either.

However, we need to thank them for their hard work. We appreciate it very much--and the staff, of course, who labored mightily to bring this bill out.

This legislation, I think, reflects commonsense decisions to prioritize programs and services that are effective, efficient, and responsible with taxpayer dollars. I urge all the Members to support it.

Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Madam Chairman, I rise strongly to oppose the amendment of my friend. The funds my colleague seeks to remove are administrative costs that the Department of Energy needs to conduct oversight of its existing loan portfolio.

The recent loan guarantee to create the first new nuclear facilities in over 30 years at the Vogtle plant in Georgia will create thousands of jobs and will need oversight to ensure funds are spent properly.

In April, the Department made available $8 billion of loan guarantees to accelerate advanced fossil energy technologies on the cusp of development. These loan guarantees, among others, need administrative support for decades to come.

Without those administrative costs, the Department would not be able to monitor risk, manage projects, or provide the proper financial analysis that a loan guarantee needs. These activities are essential to ensure that taxpayer funds are protected in the existing loan portfolio.

For these reasons, Madam Chairman, I cannot support our colleague's amendment, and I urge Members to vote ``no.''

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I yield 1 minute to our distinguished colleague from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

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

Madam Chairwoman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

This is a balanced bill. It makes important investments in our Nation's nuclear defense capabilities, as well as the water infrastructure and energy resources that keep the economy moving. It does so in a fiscally sound manner, finding ways to save taxpayer dollars wherever possible.

First and foremost, this legislation prioritizes national security by increasing funding for nuclear weapons programs above last year's level to support the safety and readiness of our nuclear stockpiles. Maintaining this Nation's nuclear deterrence posture remains critical to our safety, particularly during a time of global instability and increasing risks of future nuclear threats.

Next, this bill includes investments in our water infrastructure that will also help grow our economy, facilitate trade and commerce, and ensure the well-being of the Nation. Recognizing the importance of what the Army Corps of Engineers does, we have rejected the administration's proposed cuts to these programs, providing nearly $1 billion more than requested and $25 million above last year's levels. That funding will allow the Corps to continue its important work performing flood mitigation, updating dam safety, and improving our waterways to facilitate increased import and export capability.

Within the Department of Energy, the bill prioritizes funding for programs that encourage economic competitiveness and energy independence and that help promote an all-of-the-above solution to the Nation's energy needs. By making sound investments in coal, natural gas, and other fossil energy sources, we are moving our Nation closer to a balanced energy portfolio, as well as keeping down energy costs for hardworking Americans across the country.

To make these important investments, the bill targets lower priority programs for cuts. For example, renewable energy programs with the Department of Energy are cut by $113 million from last year's levels. By implementing these types of savings and including stringent oversight requirements for the DOE, the Army Corps, and other Federal agencies, we have produced a bill that will support economic growth and security, while encouraging the government to act with greater efficiency.

The legislation also puts the brakes on the administration's destructive and misguided regulatory agenda that threatens our Nation's small businesses and other industries. For example, within this bill, we have included a

provision prohibiting the unnecessary expansion of Federal jurisdiction over our Nation's waterways.

At one of the subcommittee's many hearings about the Federal budget just a few weeks ago, the Assistant Secretary for the Corps could not provide clear answers as to how much these regulations would cost the American taxpayer, how many man-hours it would take to implement, and how such a change would affect this struggling economy. Since the Corps plainly has no idea what it is doing with this rule, it would be irresponsible, if not disastrous, to allow such a change to move forward.

The bill also stops the administration from changing the definition of ``fill material,'' an action that could drastically alter Federal regulations and could effectively shut down coal and other mining operations throughout the country. While this proposal is very troubling on many levels, I am most concerned about the unknown costs of this large-scale, invasive change. This is the type of overzealous, unneeded regulation that will harm, not help, the economy in this very sensitive time.

Madam Chairwoman, before I close, I want to thank Chairman Simpson-- this is his maiden voyage as chair of this subcommittee--and Ranking Member Kaptur and all of the subcommittee and the staff for their hard work on the bill, and I want to commend Chairman Simpson for a job well done on his first bill as chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee.

This is a good bill. It reflects smart budget decisions to invest tax dollars in effective, necessary programs that will help keep our Nation safe and our economy growing. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill.

Mr. Chairman, I urge our colleagues to support this Defense spending bill for 2015.

This bipartisan legislation provides $491 billion in discretionary funding for our Nation's highest duty, and that is the security of country, the sustainment of our military operations, and the well-being of the brave men and women of our Armed Forces.

The bill before you today, Mr. Chairman, will help meet the most pressing needs of our military as we address current and arising threats to the safety of our Nation in an ever-changing global landscape. It also takes into account the ongoing challenges of our current fiscal situation, finding ways to trim excess spending and reduce lower priority programs without negatively affecting our troops or the success of our military missions.

Providing our military with the highest standard of readiness is a top priority in this bill. This includes procuring important equipment and resources, supporting troop training and flight time, and maintaining our bases and facilities. The bill marks investments in important defense technology R&D to help advance the safety and success of our military operations now and into the future. Investments like

these will help to preserve our military's status as the most effective and capable in the world.

The backbone of our military is, of course, the brave men and women who lay their lives on the line in defense of this Nation. With that in mind, the bill fully funds the authorized 1.8 percent pay raise for our military personnel instead of the 1 percent as requested by the President. Troop housing costs are also fully funded as authorized. This ensures that our more than 1.3 million Active Duty troops and 820,000 Guard and Reserve troops have the quality of life they deserve during their service. $31.6 billion is included for the Defense Health Program, to ensure a consistent and strong quality of care for our troops, their families, and retirees. Within this total, the bill includes increases above the President's request for cancer research, traumatic brain injury research, psychological health research, and suicide prevention outreach programs. The bill also provides an increase of $50 million above last year for sexual assault prevention and response programs, helping to address this growing challenge within our forces.

Lastly, the bill provides $79.4 billion in overseas contingency operations funding to support our troops in Afghanistan. As we have yet to receive an official budget request that reflects the most current and anticipated status of our troops in the field, this OCO funding will undoubtedly require further evaluation, particularly with the developing situations in Iraq and the Middle East.

By prioritizing these vital programs, closely scrutinizing the budget request and assessing the most current needs, the fiscal '15 Defense Appropriations bill ensures the best use of our limited Federal dollars. We made careful, targeted reductions wherever possible without adversely affecting the safety of our troops or the ongoing success of our military missions.

Mr. Chairman, as of today, we have completed 10 appropriations bills of the 12 through subcommittee. Eight have gone through full committee, and we have begun or we have completed the consideration of six bills on the floor. So, when we finish this bill and the ag bill, we will be half through the 12 bills. That has not happened in many years. We are moving at a remarkable pace, and if our colleagues in the other body continue their good work as well, we stand a great chance of completing this important work on time.

This is an even greater achievement because we have done so under regular order, with open rules that have allowed every Member to have his or her voice heard. Over the five bills we have considered on this floor so far, we have had more than 200 amendments, and I am sure we will add to that tally today. We have taken great care to weed out waste and excess and to terminate duplicative programs. In this year alone, we have found savings in every bill, and we have done all of this while abiding by the Ryan-Murray budget agreement.

Before I finish, Mr. Chairman, I can't help but compliment the new chairman of this subcommittee. This is his maiden voyage after becoming chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. I think he has steered the ship properly so far, and we look forward to the complete work that he is doing.

So congratulations to Chairman Frelinghuysen and to Ranking Member Visclosky. They have done a great job. It is a bipartisan bill, and I urge the Members to support it.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this bill. This is the fifth of the twelve 2015 appropriations cycle bills. It provides $20.9 billion in discretionary funding for important agriculture, rural development, and FDA programs.

With this legislation, we ensure America's farmers and ranchers--who contribute billions to our economy, as well as create jobs and put food on our tables--have the resources they need to continue to remain successful.

We have provided responsible funding for programs that work to stop crop, plant, and animal disease that can cripple U.S. producers and entire industries. Funding is also directed to programs that help conserve and protect farmland, and improve water quality and food safety.

In addition, this bill also provides funding for infrastructure development, housing loans and rental assistance, and economic opportunities for America's rural communities. These vital loans and programs help foster an environment for economic growth and will help rural America thrive.

The committee also prioritized the safety of our Nation's food and drug supply, targeting increases to FDA food and drug safety activities.

The funding in this bill will maintain 8,000 inspection personnel for meat, poultry, and egg products and facilities across the Nation.

I am also pleased that we have included language that forces the FDA to develop more robust guidelines for abuse-deterrent opioid pill formulations. We withhold $20 million from the Commissioner's office until these long-overdue regulations are finalized, because the drugs on the market that are not abuse-deterrent result in opioid addictions, overdoses, and deaths. They need to be corrected.

Prescription drug abuse is a scourge on this Nation, and FDA can and should be doing more to battle this epidemic.

Beyond funding these critical USDA and FDA programs, the bill also includes funding for a variety of nutrition programs, making sure our most vulnerable, including our children and elderly, don't go hungry.

The discretionary funding level in this bill is about the same as last year,

which is a testament to the hard work of this subcommittee to find savings wherever possible to make that possible. Each and every program within this bill has been closely examined to help make the best decisions about where to direct tax dollars and where to trim funding.

The bill also makes strides to make these programs more efficient, more effective, and more useful for the American people and strengthens congressional oversight, particularly where it comes to mandatory spending on important nutrition programs.

For example, within SNAP, formerly called food stamps, we have required the enforcement of a ban on certain outreach with foreign governments and implemented protocols to help weed out waste, fraud, and abuse.

Mr. Chairman, the bill before us today is a commonsense bill that makes every step to adequately fund important agricultural programs, to support our most vulnerable citizens, and to act with fiscal restraint.

I want to thank Chairman Aderholt, Ranking Member Farr, the subcommittee members, and their staffs for all they did to achieve this very good bill. It was not easy because the allocation they had was not perfect, but they made do with it, and they made do well. I want to thank them for their hard work and congratulate them on a good bill. I urge unanimous support for the bill.