Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

I rise, obviously, in great support of this bill. This is the fourth of the 12 appropriations bills that I hope to bring to the floor before August. It continues to move the ball down the field toward our goal of completing all of our appropriations work on time within the framework of the Ryan-Murray budget deal.

The bill contains a fiscally responsible level of discretionary funding--$52 billion for the important Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, agencies that support critical transportation infrastructure, safety, and housing assistance programs.

With this bill in particular, we had to make some smart but difficult decisions, as Mr. Pastor and Chairman Latham have said. Although the 302(b) allocation is $1.2 billion more than last year, when technical adjustments are taken into account, it is more than $1 billion below the current level. As Chairman Latham and Mr. Pastor have described, this is due to a considerable drop in Federal Housing Administration receipts that are used as offsets within this legislation.

As a result, this bill, by necessity, strikes a fine balance between fiscal restraint and targeted investment in programs that will boost our economy, improve our quality of life, and provide housing options to those Americans most in need.

One of our chief priorities in this bill is providing key infrastructure programs with the funding needed to keep our economy moving. The bill provides $40.26 billion from the highway trust fund for the Federal highway program for road investments, the same as the current level and contingent on the enactment of new transportation authorization legislation. It also includes funding to help communities build, maintain, and keep safe their mass transit systems.

Smooth, efficient, and safe air travel is another priority in this bill. We ensured that we provided full funding for air traffic control personnel, including controllers and safety inspectors. We are investing in the future of air travel as well, helping to ease future congestion and reduce delays by fully funding NextGen.

To protect every American who uses or lives near our roads, airways, pipelines, and waterways, we increased funding for important transportation safety programs.

Within the Department of Housing and Urban Development, we ensured that all those who are currently served by critical housing programs continue to keep a roof over their heads. To do so, the bill increases funding for public and Indian housing by $6.2 million. We also fully fund the President's request for veterans' housing vouchers.

Lastly, Community Development Block Grants have been held consistent with last year's funding level.

As I said before, to balance out the important increases in the bill and to factor in the reductions in FHA receipts, cuts to lower-priority programs were necessary. For instance, the bill reduces Amtrak by $193 million below last year and places strict policy reforms on how tax dollars are spent on this service.

We also reduced TIGER grants by $500 million below last year's level and mandated that these funds address our most critical transportation needs--road, highway, and bridge construction and improvement. None of these funds under this bill will go toward nonessential purposes, like streetscaping.

Overall, Mr. Chairman, this is a good bill. It will address our most immediate infrastructure needs and provides our most vulnerable citizens with housing.

Before I close my remarks, Mr. Chairman, I want to say a few words about the coauthors of this bill--Chairman Latham and the ranking member, Mr. Pastor. As you know, this will be their last T-HUD bill before they leave us at the end of the year for greener pastures.

These two men have been great assets to our committee, for their expertise, their willingness to work together, and their great attitudes; and we are going to miss them greatly. Their swan song, this bill, is a fine achievement, a capstone on two accomplished careers.

I want to thank them both for their hard work on this bill and others through the years and for their contributions to the Appropriations Committee and the House and the Nation.

My friend Mr. Latham and I have labored together on this committee for a good while--18 years, Tom says--and we have been friends all along. We served together on the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee for many, many years, among others, and I have learned to respect Chairman Latham.

He is a great personal friend whom I treasure greatly. Mr. Pastor, the same way--we have worked together on this committee for a number of years as well. We have tried to serve the Nation and the Congress as best we could, and these two gentlemen have done great work on behalf of the American people.

This is a tough bill. It is a good bill, but it is a tough bill. They had to squeeze some oversized feet into some undersized shoes, given the allocation that they had to work with, but they came through with flying colors.

So I enthusiastically urge my colleagues in the House to vote for this bill because it is the best we can do,

and it is a great bill, but also, I want to say in closing, as a tribute to these two fine public servants.

Will the gentleman yield?

I think we all owe thanks to Frank Wolf and Mr. Fattah for all of the work that they have done today.

This has been a long, hard slog. There has been dozens of amendments and almost endless debate, but they have stayed at the chore and they have guided us through this maze that we have been coming through--and, I think, done really well.

So I want to thank both of them for the hard work they have done on this bill yesterday, last night, and today and tonight.

In addition to what the minority leader has said about Frank Wolf, I want to say that he and I came here together in the same class. There are only three of us left out of 54 now; two after he leaves.

Frank Wolf, as the leader has said, never fails in compassion and honesty and transparency. He is above board. What you see is what you get. They say that character is when you do the right thing when no one is watching. Certainly, that is true of Frank Wolf.

He is a patriot. He served his State, his district, his Nation, and the people of the world, for that matter, in an exemplary way. I can think of no one in this body that I have served with in these years together who better exemplifies honesty, integrity, and devotion to his country and family as has Frank Wolf.

So, Frank, we are going to miss you dearly. This is the last time that you will chair this bill on the House floor. You have been a great chairman of this subcommittee which I had the pleasure and honor of serving as chairman of for several years, and as a member of that subcommittee for many, many years. No one has done it better.

Our hearts are open when it comes to our love of Frank Wolf. We wish him the very best in the next chapter of his life.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding the time.

Madam Chairman, I rise in support of this bill. I want to congratulate and thank Chairman Wolf and Mr. Fattah, the ranking member, especially, and all the members of the subcommittee and staff for bringing us a bill that I think we can be proud of and support entirely.

This is the third of the 12 appropriations bills that make up our work--and this is the third that we have brought to the floor this year. I think this bill, like the other two that passed, deserves our support. We are moving at a very fast clip in the committee. That should allow us to complete our appropriations work for the 2015 fiscal year on time. I promise that my committee will do everything it can to make that a reality.

As Chairman Wolf has said, the bill provides $51.2 billion for the Department of Justice, the Department of Commerce, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and related agencies. This very thorough piece of legislation, which was approved by the committee on a bipartisan basis, makes clear our priorities of keeping our Nation safe and growing our economy.

To achieve these goals, the committee has targeted precious tax dollars toward those programs with proven results and economic benefit.

For example, they increase the funding for the Department of Justice by $383 million over last year. Within that total, the bill targets FBI funding toward counterterrorism programs and programs that fight cyber intrusion, gangs, and human trafficking.

We also work to fight drug trafficking by providing the DEA with $2.4 billion. That includes $367 million to combat prescription drug abuse, which has quickly become our Nation's number one drug threat. Prescription drugs abuse is described by the Centers for Disease Control as a national epidemic.

The funding in this bill will also help to protect communities across the country from the risks of devastating natural disasters. We rejected the President's proposed cuts to the National Weather Service and have made sure that adequate funding is provided for hurricane forecasting and tsunami warning grants. We have also made investments in the future of weather forecasting technology.

In addition to the efforts in the bill to keep the Nation safe, we have also funded programs that will help our Nation prosper.

Within the National Science Foundation and the Department of Commerce, the bill invests in programs that foster innovation and boost our economic competitiveness. This includes funding for programs that conduct research on manufacturing, cybersecurity, neuroscience, and STEM education, as well as $5 million in grant funding to encourage the repatriation of overseas jobs.

But, as my committee will do with every bill we bring to the floor this year, we have ensured that this funding is responsible, is reasonable, and will make the most out of every single tax dollar spent. By scouring out waste and trimming unnecessary or lower-priority spending, we have produced a bill that comes in nearly $400 million below the current year.

I would like to note that the committee did this in spite of the President's request, which had $800 million in false savings and offsets and underfunded a variety of critical programs. This bill rejects those gimmicks and makes sure that these programs have received funding levels that allow them to do their important work.

To make sure this good work does not fall to the wayside, the committee included several oversight provisions that will ensure our tax dollars are being spent responsibly.

In addition, the bill includes several provisions that will assure the life, liberty, and property of the American people, such as prohibiting the transfer or release of Guantanamo detainees into the U.S., protecting our Second Amendment rights, and preserving the sanctity of life.

Madam Chairman, before I close, let me take a moment to again thank the chairman, Frank Wolf; Mr. Fattah; and members of the committee and staff for all their hard work on this bill. This is a tough bill to put together, and the allocation they had to work with was not the greatest in the world. But they have, I think, fit the needs of the country into this bill.

I want to particularly draw attention to the chairman of this subcommittee and the author of this fine piece of legislation.

Frank Wolf has served in this House the same number of days that I have. We came together in January 1981. Over that 34 years of service in this body, Chairman Frank Wolf has been a stalwart, passionate, compassionate legislator, and a dedicated, conscientious Member of Congress and appropriator. His expert work on this committee can be summed up in the legislation that we have before us today.

I know that when he is gone, Frank Wolf's absence will be deeply felt by me, all of his colleagues, and I think by the country, because he has truly served America for all these years unselfishly and with hard work and with compassion.

So, Chairman Wolf, for all you have done for this bill, the Appropriations Committee, the House of Representatives, your native Virginia and the United States of America, we thank you, and we will miss you.

With that, Madam Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Madam Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

My congressional district, Madam Chairman, encompasses rural parts of southern and eastern Kentucky. The region has historically lagged behind others in the Commonwealth and in the country. Particularly in recent years, as we have reeled from a crushing downturn in the coal industry that has cost my district some 8,000 good-paying mining jobs in just the last few months, we have had to think and act strategically to revitalize our economic engine. Creating jobs in a mountainous region without sufficient roadways or suitable water infrastructure might seem an unsurmountable challenge. But I have always encouraged my constituents and community leaders to ``plan their work, and work their plan.'' With the help of EDA, this is what we have been doing.

The Economic Development Administration is one of the few entities in our Federal Government uniquely qualified to address the needs of communities with chronically high unemployment issues or facing enormous setbacks due to natural disasters. EDA's grants, awarded in a competitive fashion, leverage over $10 from the private sector for every Federal dollar invested and are targeted at facilities that are essential for private industry to remain or locate in these underachieving areas. As a result of these targeted investments in water systems, workforce training centers, intermodal facilities, or broadband networks, struggling communities across the country have seen the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs in just the last decade.

I wholeheartedly concur with the sponsor of the amendment that the role of the Federal Government is not to create jobs, but instead to create the conditions favorable for private sector

job creation. By partnering with local area development districts, leveraging public and private dollars, and engaging the local workforce, EDA does just that.

This bill provides $247.5 million for the agency, which is already below the President's request; rejects the administration's request to shift funds away from vital public works programs; and supports a loan guarantee program to develop innovative manufacturing technologies that will keep rural areas competitive nationally and globally. With unemployment in rural areas around the country still hovering well above the national average, particularly in coal country, the victims of the war on coal, this is an investment we cannot afford to lose.

I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the 2015 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.

I am very happy to be on the floor with this bill today, Mr. Chairman, because it kicks off the 2015 appropriations cycle at a very early date. In fact, we know that this is the earliest in the year that our committee has presented a bill to the floor, at least since 1974, the date of the present Budget Act, and perhaps even more so beyond that. We just don't have the records for it. Nevertheless, it is a very early date. It also does the important work of providing funding for our military, infrastructure and for the care of our veterans.

This bill provides $71.5 billion in discretionary funding to meet those needs. Within that total, this bill provides $6.6 billion for military construction projects, family housing, medical units, education-training facilities. This will help make sure that the men and women of our Armed Forces have the quality of life that they deserve during their service and that they have the support that they need for our Nation's military missions.

The bill also provides a total of $64.7 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs. That goes a long way toward fulfilling our commitments to our veterans, making sure that, in exchange for their service and their sacrifice, we will take care of their health and well-being. Of that money, $45 billion goes toward VA medical services, including funding for mental health care, suicide prevention, rural health initiatives, homeless veteran treatment, and job training. The bill also ensures that our benefit programs and health systems operate smoothly and efficiently.

This bill continues our committee's hard work to reduce the disability claims backlog, and demands that an interoperable Department of Defense-VA, the electronic health record system is up and running as soon as possible so that when a veteran goes to a VA hospital and the hospital medical people need access to Army records or DOD records when the soldier was injured, those records are available and compatible so that VA then can use those records to further the treatment of the soldier.

By providing increased funding for claims processing, continuing performance benchmarks to reduce the backlog, and placing conditions on funding for modernization of the VA health record system, we are sending a very strong message, Mr. Chairman, to that agency that we want these problems fixed, and we want them fixed now.

In total, the bill provides $1.8 billion less than last year, hard- and-fast proof that we can streamline this government and root out unnecessary spending without adversely affecting our troops and veterans. For example, less funding is provided to Military Construction accounts due to current price stability and a favorable bid climate, which saves taxpayer dollars but has no effect on quality of life or services for our troops.

Mr. Chairman, this bill is a model of bipartisanship that represents the good we can do by way of the appropriations process. That is, in most part, thanks to the subcommittee lead by my good chairman, John Culberson, and his ranking member, Mr. Bishop. They worked on a collaborative basis to produce a bill that truly fulfills the needs of our military and our veterans.

I want to take a moment too to thank the staff who all put in a great deal of hard work to get this bill before the House this early and at all.

As you know, Mr. Chairman, this is the first of 12 appropriations bills that

we must bring to the floor before the August recess. With an agreed- upon budget and early start, the cooperation of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle and ample floor time, I believe we can complete our work, our congressional duty, on time, on budget, and under regular order. I look forward to working with our colleagues to make this goal a reality.

I couldn't be prouder to kick off our 2015 appropriations bill season with this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support it fully.

I thank the chairman for yielding me this time.

Madam Speaker, in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, we have dozens of historic sites and landmarks that demonstrate our Nation's proud history to thousands of visitors every year. I am pleased that one of these sites is the Mill Springs Battlefield, which sits in my home county of Pulaski and my birth home county of Wayne, Kentucky. The bill we have before us would give the National Park Service 3 years to complete a study on including this historic battlefield into the National Park System.

The Battle of Mill Springs is a source of great pride and interest to my constituents especially. In late 1861, Confederate forces had advanced into Kentucky on its southern border, and on January 19, 1862, they launched an attack on the Union Army camp that was stationed at Logan's Crossroads, later to be called Mill Springs. After a heavy night of marching, the Confederate troops attacked but were driven back, with their commander, Brigadier General Felix Zollicoffer, being killed in the fighting. In the confusion, the Union troops received reinforcements and were able to repel another Confederate attack, this time driving them back into Tennessee.

Although this battle did not generate the number of casualties seen at such battles as Antietam or Gettysburg, it was a critically important battle and one of the first major Union victories in the Civil War. As a border State in the conflict between the North and South, Kentucky sat at a dangerous and strategically critical crossroads, with both sides vying for control of its territory. In fact, President Lincoln has been quoted as saying, ``I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky.'' Victory in the Battle of Mill Springs held off the Confederate advance into Kentucky and laid the groundwork for later Union successes at Fort Donelson, in now Nashville, Tennessee, in February 1862, and at Shiloh, in April, under General Ulysses S. Grant.

Despite the importance of this battle, like many battlefields throughout the country, the site of the Battle of Mill Springs became threatened over the years by disrepair and development. In the early 1990s, the U.S. Department of the Interior classified the site of the Battle of Mill Springs as one of the most endangered battlefields in Kentucky. It might have slipped into the pages of history with no living monument to it had it not been for a group of concerned citizens in the community who came together in 1992 out of concern that the site would be lost forever.

Today, thanks to the Mill Springs Battlefield Association, along with determination from State and local officials and the Civil War Trust and the National Parks Conservation Association, hundreds of acres of battlefield land have been diligently preserved. Through a partnership of public and private funds, the association has constructed a fantastic 10,000-square-foot Mill Springs Battlefield Visitor Center and Museum, established interpretive signage, and led driving and walking tours of the battle. Above all, they have created a vibrant tourist attraction which hosts thousands of visitors and students each year, preserving the memory of this historic battle for generations to come. Periodically, Madam Speaker, there is a reenactment of the Battle of Mill Springs with thousands of participants from all across the country.

After years of work preserving this precious historic site, the Mill Springs Battlefield Association has expressed its desire to turn the site over to the National Park Service and the people of the United States so that the joy of learning and history will be enjoyed by many more people through the years. This bill, H.R. 298, will start this process by evaluating the feasibility of adopting this important site into the Park Service. I am proud to associate myself with this effort and to have this battlefield and generous group of citizens in my district.

Madam Speaker, our Nation has been truly blessed. We have a remarkable array of natural beauty which people from all over this country and the world flock to see. Additionally, we have a great number of historical sites which have been dutifully and faithfully preserved so that new generations can appreciate what this country has been through and what their forefathers cared for. The Mill Springs Battlefield is a jewel of this group and will be an excellent addition to the National Park Service.

I am proud of the work that they have done, and I look forward to many years of this site being an inspiring and educational attraction for our Nation. So I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I thank the gentleman for yielding the time.

I thank the chairman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to again rise in support of this bill, H.R. 4152, a bill that I did introduce and that the House originally passed almost a month ago to provide loan guarantees for Ukraine.

The bill has now come back to us from the Senate, as has been said, with additional authorizations for security and democracy assistance. It also sends, I think, a very clear message that the United States will not tolerate the Russian incursion into Ukraine, human rights abuses, or corruption by imposing sanctions, visa bans, and asset freezes.

As we all know, Ukraine is facing an extraordinarily difficult economic situation. The International Monetary Fund has now said they will step in with a financing package, but the United States and our partners must also help during this time of need.

By giving the administration the ability to provide loan guarantees from funds already appropriated, this bill will provide some stability for Ukraine throughout this tumultuous time.

This is a critical bill at an important moment. The Congress must stand with the government of Ukraine. We must get this bill passed and to the President's desk as soon as possible. We have already waited too long while other issues, such as the IMF, got unnecessarily entangled with aid and sanctions proposals.

Mr. Speaker, we must pass this bill today and I hope overwhelmingly. I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4152) to provide for the costs of loan guarantees for Ukraine.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on the consideration of H.R. 4152.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring to the floor H.R. 4152, a bill providing the authority for loan guarantees for Ukraine.

As we all sadly know, Ukraine is facing an extraordinarily difficult time. As a valued partner and friend of the United States, our Nation has a duty to provide the people of Ukraine with help when they now need it most.

This bill will provide some stability for the government and the people of Ukraine as they navigate through these troubled waters. The legislation before us will allow funds to be used to guarantee loans for the Government of Ukraine, in support of the Secretary of State's $1 billion pledge this week. This bill does not appropriate new funds, but simply allows funds to be used from existing State Department resources.

Ukraine's economy has been in a difficult position for years, but now the country faces, of course, real risks. Russia has punished Ukraine for leaning toward the West and has suspended the assistance they planned to provide.

This bill will not solve all of Ukraine's problems, obviously, but it is an important first step that will allow the country to shore up its finances and begin to make its economy more efficient.

With this legislation, Congress--and the United States--will show that we stand by those that oppose authoritarian rule. It will show that, as a nation, we will step up to help the people of Ukraine not only with our words, but with our deeds.

Ukraine is facing an uncertain economic future, Mr. Speaker, but they are choosing the right path of democracy and reform. The American people will stand with the Ukrainian people as they chart this new course, and today we will take a first step to quickly respond to their present need.

Mr. Speaker, this is a critically important bill and one that should pass the House and the Senate and be enacted into law without delay. I urge a ``yes'' vote.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), the committee's chairman of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen), the distinguished chairman of the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Harris), a distinguished member of our committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).

I reserve the balance of my time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, might I inquire as to how much time is remaining?

Mr. Speaker, might I inquire of my colleague if she has further speakers?

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I want to thank the gentlelady for cosponsoring this legislation and working in a bipartisan fashion to be sure that it is brought up in the quickest possible manner, which this is. Like you and the others who have spoken, I am proud of our committee for acting expeditiously and doing the right thing at the right time.

It is really a sad, sad, sad state of affairs that we find in Ukraine. I remember going there many years before when it was still a part of the Soviet Union under Communist rule and visiting the wonderful church where the Eastern Orthodox Church was born in Kiev and going through the labyrinth, the catacombs; and today, to realize that that peaceful, wonderful place, the home of Christianity, really, in that part of the world, is being torn apart by people of no faith is doubly troubling.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the members of a program dedicated to improving lives in my region of Appalachia, the Christian Appalachian Project, in honor of its 50th anniversary.

Whether employees or volunteers, the exceptional members of this organization work hard to fight the problems which have plagued eastern Kentucky and Appalachia, including natural disasters, domestic violence, and barriers to economic development.

The Christian Appalachian Project began in 1964 with Reverend Ralph W. Beiting, who provided clothing, food, and other goods to the people of eastern Kentucky with the help of members of his church and community in northern Kentucky. Over the last fifty years, the organization has grown tremendously to include a vast array of programs for children and families, individuals with disabilities, and the elderly. These programs offer hope and help.

Each of these programs is designed to help enrich the lives of eastern Kentuckians and better the community as a whole through an approach that emphasizes providing a hand up and not just a hand out. Each year, more than 1,000 people volunteer from across the nation to help make this project one of the most influential efforts in the Commonwealth.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring an incredible program which helps so many in my region get back on their feet. The program's fifty years of service is a testament to how much this program has done for Kentucky and the whole Appalachian region, and I wish them a bright and exciting future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of Appalachia's most dedicated allies, Thomas M. Hunter. Tom will retire after 20 years of esteemed service as Executive Director of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

Over the years, Tom has made a tremendous impact on eastern Kentucky's communities and local economies. The ARC has consistently worked to leverage their funding in order to spur private-sector investment in commercial and industrial development, as well as provide for improved water, sewer, gas, fiber, and road infrastructure projects where they had previously been sorely needed. Many of these investments have occurred in my District, where all 28 of the counties I represent are recognized as a part of the ARC. Specifically, Tom has had oversight of the 3,080-mile Appalachian Development Highway System; noted to be the cornerstone of the ARC's transportation efforts. The ADHS is a system of modern highways that connect with the interstate highway system. The ADHS recently achieved 85 percent completion, and has already proved to be a formidable economic stimulator for a region where roadways have traditionally been difficult to construct and often fall into disrepair. In my district, these vital corridors allow Kentuckians from even the most remote areas a chance to reach interstates with ease; thus opening up entire communities to travel and trade in a way that would have been impossible just a few decades ago.

All told, Tom Hunter has his fingerprints on hundreds of improvement projects in eastern Kentucky alone. Over the last 20 years, he has affected the lives of countless Kentuckians by overseeing the installation and repair of water lines, investments in small regional businesses via grant initiatives, and educational programs such as the Appalachian Higher Education Network--a group developed to work with high schools to increase the number of college-ready students in Appalachia. Tom has aided in tourism development with projects such as the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails, and actively demonstrated his interest in improving the health of Appalachians with the creation of the Appalachian Health Policy Advisory Council. Tom has done so much for my district, and for Kentucky, that it becomes difficult to fathom how he has likely been an equally significant champion for the other 12 states included in the Appalachian Regional Commission's territory. The ARC has been an extraordinary federal agency due to the constant commitment they have shown in responding to the needs of people throughout Appalachia. There is no doubt that Tom's strategic leadership was a fundamental driver behind the ARC's steady success.

As he moves into retirement, Tom leaves behind a legacy of forthright demeanor, an attentive ear, and humility in service. His wisdom, care and passion for the region will be sorely missed.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a true hero of the Appalachian region, Thomas M. Hunter. I wish him all the best in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of eastern Kentucky's toughest leaders, both in and out of the courtroom, Chief Circuit Judge for Kentucky's Thirty-Third Judicial Circuit, the Honorable William Engle III, upon his upcoming retirement.

Judge Engle made a profound impression on Kentucky's Perry County when he first won a special election in 2004 to take the bench. He was determined to restore dignity and honor to the court that was mired by countless drug-related cases. One year earlier, our region was dubbed the nation's ``Painkiller Capital,'' and Judge Engle was determined to implement changes that could save the lives of people who entered his courtroom, and curb the tide of prescription drug abuse in Eastern Kentucky.

Fulfilling his pledge, Judge Engle established a Drug Court in Perry County in 2005, volunteering his own time to oversee the program. Drug Courts are designed to reduce the relapse rate of drug abusers and drug-related crime through substance abuse education, treatment, drug- testing, and counseling. With strict oversight, four participants made it to the first graduation ceremony in 2006. Since then, some 60 people have successfully graduated from this impressive treatment-alternative program in Perry County. Additionally, Judge Engle had the foresight to partner with a local workforce center to help Drug Court participants re-enter the workforce and build a career. His work has helped restore thousands of dollars in child support payments, as well as restitution and fines owed by the individuals. Most importantly, dozens of families have been transformed through the program and at least eleven drug-free babies have been born, giving them all a wonderful new beginning.

As he passes the gavel, Judge Engle leaves behind a legacy of fortitude in the law, yet humility in his service. His wisdom and passion will undoubtedly be sought after as the people of Perry County choose his successor.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a champion for drug-free communities, the Honorable William Engle III. I wish him all the best in the years to come.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 458, I call up the bill (H.R. 3547) to extend the application of certain space launch liability provisions through

2014, with the Senate amendments thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Madam 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 consideration of H.R. 3547, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

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

I rise today to bring to the floor, Madam Speaker, an amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 3547. This is the consolidated appropriations package that will fund the government for the remainder of the 2014 fiscal year.

This omnibus contains all 12 regular appropriations bills for fiscal year 2014--funding every aspect of the Federal Government, from our national defense to critical transportation infrastructure to the education of our kids. In total, it provides $1.012 trillion in discretionary funding--the same level delineated in the Ryan-Murray budget agreement.

I am pleased that Senator Mikulski and I were able to come to this fair, bipartisan agreement on funding the government. Although our differences were many and our deadlines short, we were able to come together to draft a solid piece of legislation that meets the guidelines of the Ryan-Murray agreement and keeps the government open.

I understand that not everyone will like everything in this bill. That is the nature of compromise. But I believe this legislation reflects the best possible outcome. We made responsible choices to realign the Nation's funding priorities, targeting precious tax dollars to where they are needed the most.

We have continued the 4-year trend of reducing Federal discretionary spending, making a total of $165 billion in cuts since fiscal year 2010. In fact, this is the fourth straight year that we have cut discretionary spending. That has not happened since the Korean war. And we have remained committed on our side to our Republican principles: reducing regulatory burdens, fortifying our national security, and enforcing stringent oversight on the executive branch.

Throughout the bill, we have maintained pro-life policies and protected Second Amendment rights. We have made sure that this bill provides no new funding for ObamaCare, and have even cut existing ObamaCare funds to the tune of over $1 billion.

The Appropriations Committees in the House and Senate, working side- by-side, went line-by-line through thousands of agencies and the 12 regular appropriations bills to make sure that each program was weighed individually and received a funding level that supports their most current needs.

We have prioritized funding for the most important and effective programs and reduced lower-priority programs at

the same time. For example, we did not include any funding for high- speed rail or three new Department of Homeland Security headquarter buildings, but we targeted funding to essential national defense activities, critical law enforcement programs, and lifesaving efforts, such as medical research.

This bill also includes an important provision fixing the Bipartisan Budget Act to ensure that those who have given the most in military service, the approximately 630,000 medically retired personnel and survivor benefit plan recipients, our disabled veterans, receive their full yearly cost-of-living increase.

Before I close, Madam Speaker, I would like to take a moment to thank the many, many people who were integral in getting this bill to the floor today.

First, I thank the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Mrs. Lowey. Thanks to her partnership and her dedication, we were able to wrap up this omnibus by the deadline, and I know her drive extends to our next challenge--the 2015 bills that we will start next month. In fact, the passage of this bill will allow the Appropriations Committee to get back to regular order, as they say, get the train back on track so that this coming year we can do 12 individual bills brought to the floor separately, as is the practice and is required. I want to thank her for her leadership in helping us get to that point.

Secondly, our counterparts in the Senate, whose open-minded approach to negotiations led to many honest and reasonable discussions throughout the many stages of this process. I don't know any appropriations bill that has gone through as many reasonable tests and, I think, wise decision processes as went into this bill. So I appreciated the work of the gentlelady on the Senate side, the chairman of the committee there, Ms. Mikulski, and Senator Shelby of Alabama. We had wonderful times at Christmas and New Year's. Next time, as much as I love these people, I would rather be with my family.

Lastly, I want to thank the members and the staffs of the committee. They gave up countless hours of family time at Christmas, New Year's, and during the holidays in order to complete this bill. They really are the A-team. I am lucky to have all of them working for this committee. Without their hard work, expertise on the issues, and their commitment to this legislation, we would not be here today. We should all be grateful for their service. I hope that you will say something to them as you pass.

I would particularly like to recognize the clerk of the Agriculture Subcommittee, Martin Delgado. After 16 years, this is his last bill with the committee. How fortunate we have been to have him until the end. No one knows the ins and outs of Agriculture appropriations like he does. He is a true expert in every sense of the word. We will miss him dearly and wish him Godspeed.

Let me also mention the chief clerk of the committee, Will Smith, who sits beside me. He has led the effort from day one. He has put in untold numbers of hours--day and night, weekends, all-nights--to bring us to this point. He has been a great staff leader. He has done a fantastic job. I want you to say something to him.

On the other side of the aisle, his counterpart, David Pomerantz has been a terrific asset to the committee and to piecing together this very difficult, complex bill. We want to say thank you to David Pomerantz for his great work.

Jim Kulikowski, who also sits beside me, the number two clerk in the committee, has been invaluable in getting us to this point.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I would like to once again remind our colleagues that providing funding for our Federal Government is one of our chief duties as Members of Congress. In fact, I think it is the chief duty, one that we can't shirk. The people elected us to fulfill this duty and govern. To govern, you have got to pass these funding bills for the government.

As we pass these funding bills, the imprint of Members of Congress on these funding bills directs agencies of the executive branch to follow the will of the people represented here in this body. So this bill is a reflection of the need for Members of Congress, under the Constitution, to decide how and when and why money is spent by the executive branch. The people elected us to fulfill that duty, and this bill does just that. Three and a half months into the fiscal year, I would say it was just about past time that we pass this legislation.

So I urge an ``aye'' vote on the omnibus. We can send it to the Senate today for their approval and get it to the President for his signature as soon as possible. Certainly, before Saturday.

With that, Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), a very hardworking and longtime classmate of mine, chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee.

(Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, most of the provisions of this bill were written by the subcommittees on the House and Senate side and worked out between them. One of the chief writers of the bill is Rodney Frelinghuysen, the new chairman of the Defense Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. His part of the bill was, by far, the biggest of anybody else's. It was only $572 billion.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen) to explain that.

(Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham), the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.

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

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), the chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee on Appropriations.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Crenshaw), the subcommittee chairman that drafted the Financial Services part of the omnibus bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), the author of the Homeland Security portion of the omnibus bill, the chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the chairman of the Interior portion of the bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the House Science Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent), a member of our committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Herrera Beutler).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta) for the purpose of a colloquy.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Yes, the gentleman from Ohio is correct. The bill includes additional funding for flood control studies, and the report direction encourages the Corps to consider economic development and job growth when allocating these funds to individual studies.

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

If I were allowed to make reference to people in the gallery--which I am not allowed to--I would say we have over my right shoulder up there most of the staff of this committee who are responsible for this bill. If I were allowed to say so, I would want to congratulate and thank them for giving us their Christmas and New Year's and all of the heart and desire they have to bring us to where we are.

Madam Speaker, in closing, when you think about this room, this hallowed Chamber where we came together during times of crisis and in times of non-crisis, a place you can almost hear the words echo of MacArthur addressing this body, or Churchill, or President Wilson, and you remember that this is the Chamber where we all came together to survive the Depression, world wars beginning with I, and the dire days of World War II, and all the other wars, this is the place where the Nation found itself coming together.

I can't think of a more satisfying time that I have had in this Chamber in these years than now in helping bring together across the aisle and across the Capitol Members of the Senate and the House, doing what we are supposed to do, and that is governing and deciding how we want to spend the taxpayers' dollars for the country. I want to thank all who took part in that. It has been a great chore.

We had 30 days to put together a trillion-plus-dollar spending bill, get it approved in the Senate, controlled by another body, and to be signed by the President, another party from ours, on this side. It has been a great pleasure working with all of you.

This bill is not perfect, I hate to tell you, but it is a good one, and it represents the best traditions of the country in coming together, recognizing our common problems, then finding a way out of it.

I want to thank Mrs. Lowey and our colleagues in the Senate for all the work they put into it, and I urge an ``aye'' vote.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 106) making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes.

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. 106.

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

This is a very, very short-term continuing resolution to keep the government open and operating until January 18. The continuing resolution that ended the government shutdown in October provided funding only until January 15, which is, of course, tomorrow.

As you know, yesterday I posted the full fiscal year 2014 omnibus to fund the government for the rest of the year. We hope to pass this comprehensive legislation tomorrow and send it to the Senate in short order. However, in order to allow for the Senate and White House to process, pass, and then sign the omnibus, we simply needed a little extra time for the Senate to take up the matter and work it through their process. This legislation extends the deadline by 3 days and prevents a potential lapse in appropriations that would cause unnecessary problems for government operations.

I ask that my colleagues vote ``yes'' on this necessary bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.J. Res. 59, the Ryan-Murray budget agreement.

First, I want to commend Chairman Ryan on achieving a resolution to our immediate budget challenges. It takes a good deal of courage; it takes persistence; it takes dedication to reach a bipartisan agreement such as this, and I want the chairman of the Budget Committee to know that we deeply appreciate his hard work on our behalf.

Great job.

While everyone might not like everything in this bill, it is the best product that is achievable right now, and I urge that it be passed.

As our Budget chairman has said, this agreement reflects a compromise in policies but not in our conservative principles. Not only does this deal hold the line on spending, it actually puts a dent in our annual deficit--a very significant accomplishment. Plus, it opens the door for future progress on the problem of runaway entitlements. It paves the way toward budget and economic stability for the next 2 years.

The legislation before us will also accomplish several other critically important goals:

First and foremost, it will turn off the potentially devastating $20 billion sequestration cut to our national defense. Even if Congress provided what flexibility we could, which isn't much, a cut of this magnitude would cripple readiness programs and leave us all at risk;

Second, this bill will allow Congress to avoid another shutdown showdown and help us return to regular order. As I have said many, many times before: the best way to trim spending, ensure wise investments of taxpayer dollars, and provide stability for our government and our economy is to do appropriations bills on an annual basis, each one separately brought to the floor, as the Constitution intends.

This budget conference agreement will now permit bicameral negotiations on the fiscal year 2014 appropriations bills to begin, allowing my committee to get to work and make the hard, thoughtful, responsible, line-by-line funding decisions that are Congress' duty to make.

It is important to remember that this is just the first step in the current budget process. My committee will now begin to negotiate and craft an omnibus appropriations bill that will fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year, with the goal of completing it before the end of the CR, January 15. The omnibus will reflect the budget outline that is the Ryan-Murray bill before us now and will make the hard choices to implement this budget agreement into actual funding levels.

Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill. It makes a significant first step to putting us on a more stable and responsible fiscal path.

Again, I want to commend the chairman, the ranking member, and all of the members of the conference committee for the hard work and difficult decisions that they had to make to bring this bill to us now. I urge our colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a dedicated and compassionate leader in emergency management, Mr. Larry Dixon of Morehead, upon his retirement from Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM).

With more than 20 years of experience as an Area Manager, including 30 presidential disaster declarations, Larry has earned the respect of his peers across the Commonwealth for his outstanding efforts to aid our communities during their darkest hours. He has guided projects in 13 counties, helped update disaster plans, trained officials, and assisted local first responders. Statewide, he served as the lead instructor for ten emergency management courses. He's the go-to guy. Yet, even with a wealth of knowledge and his tenacious ability to work through devastating circumstances, he'll tell you no storm proved more challenging than the March 2012 EF-3 tornado that ripped through West Liberty, Kentucky. Comforting families and friends in his neighboring county through the aftermath, Larry pressed forward to ensure relief efforts were prompt and thorough.

Larry has also gained recognition on the national stage. He never hesitated to lend a hand when hurricanes disrupted our southeastern seaboard, or when wildfires spread out of control in Montana. As a result of his excellence in emergency management, Larry was selected to join the Emergency Management System Compact Executive Task Force and helped craft national policy for sharing state resources during disasters.

For his remarkable work, Larry Dixon was honored as the Regional Response Manager of the Year and has been inducted into the Kentucky Emergency Management Association Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating and honoring a real hero during disasters in Kentucky, Mr. Larry Dixon on his retirement. I wish him and his wife, Tully, the very best in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a dear friend and true leader for southern Kentucky, Charley Greene Dixon, Jr., in honor of his selection as the 2013 Knox County Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year.

During his ten-year service as the Knox County Attorney, Charley Greene Dixon witnessed first-hand how the prescription drug abuse epidemic destroyed the lives of countless families in our region. The rapid rate of overdose deaths and repeat drug trafficking offenders funneling through his courtroom stirred a passion within him to do more--to try to save the lives of his neighbors and their children. In response, Charley played a key role in establishing Juvenile, Family and Adult Drug Courts in his hometown, and he remains a steadfast advocate for expanding drug-free

education and treatment efforts across our region. I count it an honor to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Charley in this fight for our communities.

Outside of the courtroom, Charley Greene Dixon has rallied efforts in our schools and communities, as Chairman of the Knox County UNITE Coalition. Through his dedicated support, thousands of young people have had the opportunity to attend drug-free events like, Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs, a prevention camp, as well as faith-based walks, parades, along with basketball and cheerleading programs. He has undoubtedly inspired countless young people to break the cycle of addiction in their families, encouraging them to dream big and to accomplish great things through a life of sobriety.

Additionally, Charley has worked diligently to obtain several instrumental grants for Knox County, including a victim advocate grant, a truancy prevention grant, and an environmental PRIDE award. Those grant dollars have been vital to the growth, security, and health of area communities.

Despite his battle with cancer, Charley's passion for progress in Knox County is still holding strong. He continues to serve as a member of the Knox County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and President of the region's Bar Association. He is also very active in his church, serving as an usher for the past 15 years and a trustee for two years.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a champion for southern Kentucky, Charley Greene Dixon, Jr. His recognition as the Knox County Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year is duly warranted and I wish Charley the very best in the years to come.