Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I first want to thank Chairman Hensarling and the entire Financial Services Committee for the work they have done on this bill. They have listened to Members and they have listened to constituents throughout this country. They studied the issue and they found the very best policy.

We all know we need economic growth, but we also know that growth means little if wages will not rise, if jobs do not return, and if more businesses close than open.

If a rising tide lifts all boats, we need to make sure every American is in the boat. Repealing Dodd-Frank with the Financial CHOICE Act lifts people back in so they can participate in America's economy. It will reestablish the severed ties that link communities to the money they need to start businesses and hire employees.

Bringing back the community banks that Dodd-Frank destroyed means that more people, not just the wealthy, will have access to credit. But if we want everyone to be part of the American economy, we don't want people to face the same risks they did before. We want people to be treated fairly.

In 2008, people lost everything. Aided by misguided Washington policies, some played fast and loose and put almost everyone else at risk. So it is only natural that people looked around and asked: Why do we have a system where, when things go wrong, banks need to get bailouts, but the American people get nothing?

It is not a fair system. Dodd-Frank made it worse. It actually codified bailouts into law and made a taxpayer slush fund. On top of all that, we all know the regulations it created were just ridiculous.

Why is it that the rich and powerful get to game the complicated rules produced by their friends in the bureaucracy while everyone else faces a mountain of paperwork and regulations that no human being has a chance of understanding?

We all know that is not fair. All this ends up boxing out small- business owners and normal Americans who can't hire lawyers to sift through it all.

The Financial CHOICE Act levels the playing field. It makes both Wall Street and Washington accountable so that their bad decisions don't cost the taxpayers money. It makes things simple so that you don't need an Ivy League law degree to understand the rules that govern our lives.

America is a nation for the people. Everyone has a shot. Everyone should be treated the same. Everyone has a chance to succeed. The Financial CHOICE Act brings us a little closer to that America one more time.

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I want to thank the gentleman for his leadership on this issue to help save those who have been trafficked across not only just America, but around the world.

Mr. Speaker, they didn't list her name in the report, and that makes sense. It all happened before she even reached the age of 16. So to protect her identity, they called her Tonya.

She ran away from home and ended up living with a man they called Eddie. Eddie was the stepdad of one of her classmates. Tonya and Eddie started a relationship. Tonya felt that she really loved him. Eddie took advantage of that, and he pressured Tonya into a life no child should have to live.

Tonya was saved in large part by luck. A tip to the police led to action by the Federal special agent. And now Eddie is behind bars finishing the second year of his 12-year prison sentence. Meanwhile, Tonya is just trying to return to a normal life.

Mr. Speaker, I wish I could say this story wasn't true, that these fictitious names didn't reflect hard reality. I wish I could say it was isolated. I wish I could say that this type of thing doesn't happen here in America, but it does.

It repeats itself with different details even more disturbing than Tonya's story in towns and cities across our Nation. It is not just sex trafficking. It is forced labor. It is exploitation. It is slavery. And every single instance cries out against the moral truth written on every human heart.

Now, the numbers are staggering. 20.9 million people are trafficked globally. Of that number, over a quarter are children. The majority are pressed to work for little to no wages. And 4.5 million of these people are victims of forced sexual exploitation.

Here in America, there were 7,572 cases of human trafficking reported in 2016. That is an increase of 35 percent over just the year before. My home State of California is particularly dire. Of all the cases in the Nation, 1,323 come from California.

Though we need no explanation for why we are passing anti-trafficking and exploitation legislation today, I think it helps that we understand the magnitude of this evil.

We have, in this body, voted on 11 bills so far. Today we will vote on two more by the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Brooks) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson). Altogether, these bills address many aspects of this problem: international trafficking, recording and transmission of child pornography, abuse uncovered on the U.S. Olympic teams, the handling of trauma cases in our justice system.

I don't believe that these bills alone will end human trafficking or exploitation in and of themselves, but they will help. They will help prevent these crimes, they will help the victims recover, and they will bring us closer to a world where every person, especially those who need us most, won't be abused but will be truly loved.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his work in this effort.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. On Thursday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes of the week are expected no later than 3 p.m. On Friday, no votes are expected in the House.

Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business today. This list will include a series of bills to honor our Nation's veterans.

With Memorial Day around the corner, it is important for this House to show our appreciation to those who have defended our freedoms, especially the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, next week in the House is Combating Human Trafficking and Child Protection Week.

In addition to a series of suspensions, the House will consider H.R. 1973, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act, sponsored by Representative Susan Brooks. This bill would require prompt reporting of suspected cases of abuse, as well as implementation of procedures for addressing such allegations.

We will also consider H.R. 1761, the Protecting Against Child Exploitation Act, sponsored by Representative Mike Johnson. This bill would protect victims of sexual abuse by ensuring that predators who send explicit content are subject to appropriate punishment.

Mr. Speaker, human trafficking is an incredibly serious issue in our Nation. With the passage of these bipartisan bills, we will show our continued commitment to ending this modern-day form of slavery, while supporting and assisting all survivors.

Now, lastly, Mr. Speaker, the House will consider H.R. 953, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, sponsored by Representative Bob Gibbs. My district is home to many hardworking farmers, so I know this issue quite well. This bill will reduce red tape that makes it more costly for farmers to protect their crops and our Nation's food supply.

In addition, the CDC reports that there are still 119 cases of individuals with Zika in the United States and 495 cases in U.S. territories. With the summer season approaching, this bill will ensure we can use pesticides to control mosquitos.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to thank a true public servant. Next week, Brian Cooper will retire from the House Parliamentarian's Office after 35 years on Capitol Hill.

Brian is a professional in every sense of the word. Much of his work is done behind the scenes, but it has not gone unnoticed. From timekeeping to processing bills, to preparing for joint sessions, Brian has made sure this body works in an orderly and fair way. It is my understanding that even my predecessor, Bill Thomas, could not challenge Brian's timekeeping.

On behalf of all those on this side of the aisle, we wish you well in your retirement, Brian, and from a very grateful nation for your service. I am sure you are ready to trade late nights on this floor for late nights watching the Orioles play baseball.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.

As my friend knows, we do expect to receive the formal budget request from the President next week, which, as my friend also knows, is common for the first year of a new administration.

Now, as the gentleman said, maybe this is later, but this is the latest in the history of America that any President has had to wait for a Cabinet, which is always helpful. He still has many more positions to be filled and confirmed, and as that progresses, I think actions will be able to move forward even faster.

But, as is tradition, the Budget Committee has announced its intention to host OMB Director Mick Mulvaney, as the gentleman knows, a former colleague here, to answer questions Members may have about the President's budget request following its release. This will kick off the regular order process of the committee work on crafting an FY 2018 budget resolution.

Likewise, with appropriations, the committee is looking forward to marking up bills through regular order. Now, as soon as action is scheduled for the floor, the gentleman will know that I will notify all Members.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

The gentleman will be happy to know that Appropriations has already held 47 hearings dealing with FY 2018, so, as we receive the President's budget and are able to ask questions of the OMB Director, we will continue to move forward. But it is our intention always to go through regular order and, in all cases, if possible, individually, down onto the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I thank him for his long question.

Let me first answer the number of points you have made because I want history to be written correctly.

First of all, you were shocked. I don't know why you were shocked. I thought you were going to say you were shocked that that exact same week, when you read the paper, 94 counties out of 99 in Iowa would have no healthcare if ObamaCare continued to go forward. I thought that would have shocked you.

Then, when you wanted to put dates down and talk about hearings, we had more than 113 hearings. That is more than the number of hearings you had for ObamaCare.

Our bill is less than 150 pages. That is thousands of pages less than ObamaCare.

You talk of CBO. You know that CBO scored this bill, but those eight pages of amendments you were shocked by. You shouldn't be shocked to know the rules of the House, that you do not move a bill until the CBO score of those eight pages is done. That will be done next week, and we will move it right along.

But let's go on further because I do want history to be written correctly.

We marked up this bill in three separate committees, with over 18 hours of debate in Ways and Means and over 27 hours of debate in Energy and Commerce. We debated countless amendments in committees, from both Republicans and Democrats, even the ones where the Democrats asked that they change the name to have some hashtag. We spent hours on that, but we did that because we believed that was important to you.

Now, our bill eliminates the many taxes and mandates of ObamaCare. It gives patients enhanced tools to take control of their own healthcare decisions, and it expands choice for Americans.

So, yes, I am shocked every day I read the paper that more Americans are going to lose their healthcare if ObamaCare stays where it is or that people will even pay more, because I remember the promise the President made that our premiums would go down or we could keep our own doctor, which so many thousands of Americans found out to be a lie.

So, Mr. Speaker, I understand politics. I understand the phrases and the adjectives people can use, but there is no reason to be shocked that we kept our word of what we would do for the last 6 years. There is no reason to be shocked that the American public put a majority in the House and the Senate and the Presidency which, I would argue for the main purpose, that they want greater choice in their healthcare system.

So, yes, if I go to Iowa, I go to Tennessee, those 16 counties there that will no longer have healthcare--or what about Aetna? You didn't even mention them pulling out of Virginia. You weren't shocked by that either.

But you know what? Eight pages of amendments that stayed out there for everybody to read--not more than 2,000--yes, we will wait until the CBO finishes scoring the amendments and send it to the Senate. Yes, we know what is in those amendments, just as everybody else had the opportunity to read them, just as we went through the Rules Committee.

So there are lots of things to be shocked by, but don't ever be shocked by: We go by the rules of the House. I

think you should be shocked by the number of faces, the number of families that will not have healthcare if we did not act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I am actually shocked. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but did you actually make the argument that those 94 counties out of 99 in Iowa pulled out just because we were bringing a bill up?

Did you actually believe the 18 out of 23 CO-OPs that were given more than $2 billion pulled out because somehow they knew we would probably capture the White House, too, and keep the Senate and the House? So that is why it failed?

Or maybe those 16 counties in Tennessee that were told almost a year ago that they wouldn't have healthcare the next year; somehow people could look into the future, and just because a Republican took office, that is who we are going to blame?

I know President Bush is no longer here, but do we have to continue to put blame on others instead of having the facts?

So let's talk about a few things. Now, let's be clear of what you asked me earlier because, I apologize, I got off--you had a lot of adjectives out there. I wanted to make sure that I had answered them all. But I am very confident that this bill will hit the mark for reconciliation and it will move across the aisle over to the other Chambers.

Now, you talk about the House, and you are going to blame us for everything. Let's go to facts. They are not my facts. There is a recent report from Quorum, which is a data analysis company in D.C. These are bright, young people; a lot of them are Stanford grads. Here are the facts, because they just went and analyzed the first 100 days:

In the first 100 days, President Trump signed 30 pieces of legislation into law. Now, that is more than President Obama, Bush, Clinton, or H.W. Bush signed in their first 100 days.

Only once before in history has a Congressional Review Act been signed into law, only one. Now we have 14 overturned regulations through the Congressional Review Act, saving Americans $3.7 billion in regulatory cost, and 4.2 million hours in filling out paperwork.

Now, my favorite quote of this report, this House, the one we stand in today, passed 103 bills out of this Chamber, edging out former Speaker Pelosi's House as the most productive during the first 100 days of a Presidency since H.W. Bush.

Now, just this week we passed the Modernizing Government Technology Act, and I do thank my friend for his hard work on this. It is going to upgrade government IT to better serve our constituents. So if we are shocked, maybe that shocked you. Maybe we ought to stop playing politics. Maybe we ought to stop blaming things that just aren't even there. Maybe we ought to just take responsibility for where we currently are, understand that this is the greatest Nation on the face of the Earth, and it was ``. . . conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.''

No, we are not going to blame others for our problems. And if you want to go along that line, I can go into all of the things that were promised in the more than 2,000 pages of ObamaCare.

But you know what?

Today I live currently, and what I currently see is that 18 of the 23 CO-OPs have collapsed. And the current law says we are going to penalize the people who actually paid the CO-OPs to get their healthcare, but they have no healthcare to get.

I want to read the facts where more Americans took the penalty or the exemption than actually signed up for ObamaCare; that prior to a bill even passing on this floor--something we promised for 6 years--that a number of companies pulled out because it was not working. But the biggest shock I had all week is that somehow it is our fault.

I could not look an American in the eye knowing the knowledge that we all have. I don't care what party you are in; you don't sit on a carpet that has red on one side and blue on the other. This is the American House. You know people are hurting. You know people have lost their doctors. You know they are pulling out of these counties. Don't make up some political spin to make yourself feel better for some vote.

We promised we would repeal ObamaCare and give people greater choice. That is what we did. You disagree with it, then disagree with it, but don't lay blame where it is not true.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back.

As I said earlier, this is a technical issue. I have all the confidence in the world the CBO score will come back, we will meet the reconciliation number, and we will move it to the Senate.

If my colleague wants to schedule something, I will schedule with you. We can walk the bill over there together. I believe the American people are waiting for it.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 2 p.m. on Monday next and that the order of the House of January 3, 2017, regarding morning-hour debate not apply on that day.

Mr. Speaker, before the minority whip departs, I want to thank him for his work on this. This has really been a bipartisan effort, and it is really putting the country first. The gentleman is correct: This might not make headlines, but this will have a greater effect on our government being more efficient, effective, and accountable. We thank him for his work on it.

Mr. Speaker, there are some things we get used to hearing, but when you think about it, it is amazing just how much things have changed.

I hear a friend say that all of the photos he took on his phone automatically updated to his cloud--not surprising there. But how long ago was it that we couldn't even take pictures on our phone, much less have them saved automatically on a cloud?

Nowadays, it is not uncommon to cash your checks online, manage your accounts on Mint, pay individuals back online. Many millennials don't even carry cash anymore. That is a revolution in money management that just happened in a matter of years.

So, Mr. Speaker, why in the world would the Department of Defense use a 54-year-old system as a backup to send and receive emergency messages for our nuclear forces, a 54-year-old system that relies on floppy disks? Why would the master file of the public's taxes at the IRS run on a 1950s code?

Eighty percent of the $80 billion we spend each year on IT is used to maintain legacy systems, to buy expensive parts that nobody uses anymore for a 54-year-old system we shouldn't even have.

We would expect more from the private sector. We would expect mobile cameras, cloud computing, online banking. Heck, we would even expect to upgrade our phones and apps and

technology on a rolling basis every single week. Well, why should we expect less from the Federal Government?

I would say this is about more than expectations. We all saw what happened over the weekend with the massive global cyber attack: hospitals shut down, transportation systems. This is a government service issue. It is a government waste issue. It is a national security issue.

Now, government may never be like Silicon Valley, but it should not be stuck in the age of ``Mad Men.'' That is not only costly, it is dangerous.

Will Hurd, an individual that has served his Nation in some of the most dangerous parts of the world, an individual who worked in the private sector when it came to technology, an individual who serves in this body and, I will say this based upon everybody else I have served, probably has the most bipartisan approach of anyone I have ever seen serve in that position--he doesn't care about party. It is just as the time when he worked in the CIA. He cares about his country. He has seen the most deadly things happen, and, through his technology company, he has seen that people fight wars new ways.

So he took it upon himself--it is not the issue that people would campaign upon, but it is an issue that he saw needed a solution. He worked with both sides of the aisle, and he said: Why can't we modernize our own technology?

The Veterans Administration was created in 1921, and if somebody that was a veteran had a problem and a claim, they would write it on a piece of paper. In 1921, on a warm day like today, we would have fans going to try to cool ourselves down. We would rush, after we got done voting, to turn on our radios to see what the news was saying.

Well, the world all changed. We can look at our phones and get the news instantaneously. We got central air to cool ourselves down. And if you have a claim with the VA, lots of times they write it on a piece of paper.

Well, do you know what? That is all going to stop today. That is going to stop because we are going to make a smart investment. We are going to make the Federal Government have the same accountability that we expect in business or anywhere else.

And do you know what will happen? Government will become more effective, more efficient, more accountable, and more transparent.

So I want to tip my hat to both sides of the aisle, and especially to Congressman Will Hurd. He took the leadership, had the tenacity to stay with it and the ability to work with all on, really, the issue that people wouldn't talk about but expect to happen, and he was the right person at the right time to make the push. That is why I support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Tennessee for yielding, but, more importantly, I thank Congresswoman Diane Black for more than four decades as a nurse, for caring for the sick, for her passion for the unborn, and for her work on this legislation.

Now, Mr. Speaker, Americans are a practical people. We know that we can have fair health care that helps those who need it without trapping everyone in a government-run system dreamed up by Washington's central planners.

Now, contrary to our freedom, ObamaCare forced the American people to purchase insurance. Contrary to our well-being, ObamaCare imposed taxes we cannot bear. Contrary to what is responsible and right, ObamaCare made Medicaid unsustainable for the people most in need. And contrary to common sense, ObamaCare regulations continued to drive up the cost of insurance beyond what people can afford.

You want to know how ObamaCare is working? Just read this week's papers. Now, let me take you all the way back to yesterday. This is the headline: ``Medica, the last insurer selling individual health policies in most of Iowa, likely to exit.''

Now, 94 of the 99 counties will have no insurer in Iowa. Ninety-four of the 94 counties in Iowa will have no insurer.

Here is another headline from yesterday: ``Aetna will exit ObamaCare markets in Virginia in 2018.''

Humana left the ObamaCare exchanges. Blue Cross left Nebraska. United Healthcare left all but a handful of markets this year.

Mr. Speaker, we have roughly 3,000 counties in all of America. One- third, 1,022, only have one provider. Soon, more counties will have none.

So do you know what doesn't cover preexisting conditions? A healthcare system that doesn't have coverage. No options means no coverage. That is the road ObamaCare is leading us down, and doing nothing leaves too many Americans out in the cold.

Now, Mr. Speaker, we will not stand for that. We tried the ObamaCare way. It is failing remarkably, and the American people are demanding a change.

Now we have a chance to do something great. We could have care without control, stability without centralization, and support without mandates. We have a chance to listen to the American people and repeal and replace ObamaCare.

The American Health Care Act will repeal the individual and employer mandates. It will repeal ObamaCare taxes. It will repeal ObamaCare rules. It will repeal ObamaCare subsidies. And it will do what is right by stopping taxpayer funding for abortion providers and by refocusing Medicaid on those who most need it. We replace all of that with a system that protects those with preexisting conditions.

Mr. Speaker, I heard a lot about this bill, and this bill is not 2,000 pages. It is less than 130. But, Mr. Speaker, I have heard things on this floor that are not true.

So let me state it one more time. We will replace all that with a system that protects those with preexisting conditions and then reduces premiums through the tried-and-true process of fair competition.

As the price of insurance decreases, we give those who still can't quite afford it a step up through tax credits and expanded health savings accounts. This is fundamental and structural reform.

Now, Mr. Speaker, since I have had the honor to stand on this floor and serve in this House, this body has done many good things. We have stood time and again for what was best for our country, struggling against other branches for so long. Many times that required us to dig in our heels and stop something terrible. It is good to stop bad things from happening, but it is great to make good things happen. Finally, after years of waiting, we have the chance to do something good today.

This bill is not perfect. No bill could be. The question is not: Why can't it be made perfect? The question is: Do we retreat or do we act? Do we take this great leap to repeal and replace ObamaCare, extend a hand to our fellow citizens most in need and break free from Washington control, or do we continue to wait for a day that is already here in the hope of a better day that may never come?

We were not sent here to wait. We are called to action. This is our opportunity. Mr. Speaker, I do not want to read another day of headlines of more people going without insurance, without insurance without preexisting conditions, without coverage.

Today we will do something good. That is why today we will act.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the House will vote on H.R. 1644, our North Korean sanctions bill. I do believe it is important that the House speak with one voice against the recent actions of the Kim regime.

Next, as I said in our colloquy on Friday, additional legislative items are possible. As soon as any items are added to our schedule, I will be sure to notify Members. However, Members should be prepared to be here and voting tomorrow.

I thank my friend for yielding. I appreciate his questions.

As has been reported in the press, we have made significant progress on our healthcare bill. When we are ready to bring the bill to the floor, I will make an announcement and relay scheduling information to all Members.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

As the gentleman clearly knows, there is a CBO score out there right now on the bill. As the gentleman knows, we are making progress; and as soon as we designate that, yes, we will move the bill, and I will notify the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, Congresswoman Martha Roby is an amazing woman. She is a Congresswoman, she is an attorney, she is a wife, but, most importantly, she is a mother to two beautiful children. She has the same concerns and the same challenges that everybody else across this country has: Does she have enough time? Does she have the flexibility?

Just going through her own life, listening to her constituents, she came forth with this bill. She has worked hard to bring the Working Families Flexibility Act to this floor. She has done it before, and it passed in this House. One of the things I admire most about her is she does not give up. Because it is not about her; it is about the rest of America, and it is also about fairness.

In 1978, Congress granted this choice to government employees. Twenty-nine years later, it is past time we end the double standard and offer the same deals to workers in the private sector.

You can work and work overtime, but then you have the choice if you want to take that in pay, or would you like to have comp time?

Maybe there is a child sick, or maybe you have a family member that comes down with a disease, or another choice. You can go and spend time. You get to direct it. I think that is great policy. That is why government workers have it.

But why can't they have the same standards in the private sector?

Do you know what would happen?

Higher productivity. It would actually move America's economy.

Why?

Because the individual has choice.

Instead of being concerned and worried about something that is happening away that you need to be at, you put that time in. And instead of taking the money, you put it into flexibility.

When we look at the future and think about the economy we want to have, yes, we want great employees; we want happy employees; we want employees with great productivity. But we don't want that just to happen in government. We want the private sector to have the same fairness that government has.

It is a great idea. But I will tell you, the work that Congresswoman Martha Roby has done has led this charge. It has passed this House before, and we are going to find time in a very busy week to have the flexibility to do this bill tomorrow because you know what? The rest of America is waiting for it.

I want to congratulate Congresswoman Roby for her work on it, for not giving up, for listening to constituents across this country, but also for every working family in the private sector to let them have a choice to have the flexibility to be where they need to be after they put the overtime in. It is only fair, and, to me, it is the American way to solve a problem.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business.

On Thursday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business.

Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business today.

One suspension worth highlighting is H.R. 1644, the Korean Interdiction and Modernization of Sanctions Act, sponsored by Chairman Ed Royce. Mr. Speaker, last year, North Korea conducted two nuclear weapons tests and 26 ballistic missile flight tests.

Congress has long led the charge to impose strict sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime. This bill would continue that effort by specifically sanctioning North Korea's shipping industry, as well as targeting those who employ North Korean slave labor abroad. It is critical we send a clear and bipartisan message that North Korea's reckless provocations cannot continue.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, the House will consider H.R. 1180, the Working Families Flexibility Act, sponsored by Representative Martha Roby. This bill would give employees the option to convert the overtime hours worked into paid time off. Mr. Speaker, hardworking Americans in the private sector deserve the same flexibility that public sector workers have enjoyed for decades. By passing this bill, we will give American families greater choice in how they spend their most important resource, their time.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, the House will consider legislation providing further appropriations for the 2017 fiscal year. I am encouraged by the reports I have received from our Appropriations Committee regarding these negotiations, and I look forward to a strong vote on this agreement next week.

Mr. Speaker, additional legislative items are possible. If any items are added, I will relay scheduling information to Members as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is correct. This is a critical area and one that we do want to make sure we speak with one voice and a bipartisan voice.

I have spoken to the committee chairman. He is continuing to work on this. And I anticipate, not next week but in the future, that coming to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding.

That is true. I want to thank the gentleman even for his comments earlier in the week. I know they might not have been the same comments as the rest on the other side of the aisle. It was our anticipation that we would not have to do a continuing resolution.

I do believe that the committee is very close. It is the intention of the committee to get to an agreement. I hoped to get to an agreement as early as today, knowing that we do want to provide to the Members the 3 days so they can read through the entire bill and that we can vote on this before the end of this short-term CR.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I know we have had many discussions in regards to this, and we have a very strong difference of opinion.

I would believe those individuals that have lost their doctors and that have lost their health care entirely, that they do not have someone providing it. If you look within Tennessee and one-third of the entire country, they only have one provider. There are challenges. We cannot continue to sit back and just watch ObamaCare fail. We have to do something about it.

We had committees work through a bill. We have made great progress over the Easter break. Members have been talking to one another. Members have seen a new amendment to add to the bill. They have been looking at it this week, and I anticipate as soon as Members have looked through that that we will bring that bill to the floor.

I don't have anything scheduled for next week. But as soon as a bill is scheduled, we will notify you. I anticipate the Members reading through it this weekend, and, as soon as possible, we will bring that bill to the floor.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

And yes, we have had a lot, ample debate already, through committee and part of the floor, but it is our anticipation that we will give you plenty of notification.

We have already posted the amendment to make sure everybody has the ability to read it, and it has already been there 3 days. It is just 8 pages long, and we have provided the 3 days already. But we will give you, as soon as it is scheduled for the floor, notice of it coming.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet on Monday, May 1, 2017, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday the House will meet at noon for morning-hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning- hour and noon for legislative business.

On Thursday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes of the week are expected no later than 3 p.m.

On Friday, no votes are expected in the House.

Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business tomorrow.

In addition, the House will consider several bipartisan measures from the Committee on Financial Services that will create jobs and support American entrepreneurship. First, H.R. 1343, the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act, sponsored by Representative Randy Hultgren, which will open up more opportunities for employees to share a stake in the companies they work for every day.

Next, H.R. 1219, the Supporting America's Innovators Act, sponsored by Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry. This bill will increase access to capital for America's small businesses and startups and ensure our entrepreneurs have the best chance to succeed. Mr. McHenry's bill is also a key component of our Innovation Initiative in the House, which aims to accelerate private sector innovation and leverage more innovation in government.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, additional legislative items are possible, and I will relay scheduling information to Members if any items are added.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Discussions are ongoing about the appropriations process and how to ensure the government is funded after April 28.

I thank my good friend from Maryland for being a good faith negotiating partner in this effort.

I do not currently anticipate floor action next week. But as always, I will advise Members as soon as possible when action is scheduled in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding again.

I was encouraged by the bipartisan agreements we reached on the MILCON/VA bill and the defense appropriations bill. As you know, together, these two bills make up roughly one half of our total discretionary spending.

However, I was disappointed to hear that Democrats have apparently walked away from the negotiating table on further bipartisan agreements like these. Personally, I was disappointed to hear rumors that Democrats are hoping for a government shutdown.

The New York Times is reporting that, ``as a minority party struggling to show resistance in the era of President Trump''-- Democrats--``are now ready to let the lights of government go dark.''

I sincerely hope these rumors and reports are not true. I know the gentleman disagrees with ever having a government shutdown.

As I mentioned, discussions are ongoing about how to ensure the government is funded after April 28. I want everybody to know that my door is always open, especially to you, my friend from Maryland, and any other House

colleague who wants to play a constructive role in the process. I firmly believe the government will not shut down. It will be funded as we continue further.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

The gentleman does know, from the widespread disagreement, that ObamaCare is failing. He disagrees with that, but the majority of Americans agree that it is collapsing and that we have to solve this problem.

As of today, I do not have anything scheduled for next week. But as we continue discussions with our Members as we move forward, I anticipate in the future that we would have that vote.

That is correct.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet on Monday, April 3, 2017, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Members are advised that votes are now expected in the House tomorrow, March 24, 2017. I know this is a change from our previously announced schedule. Members should be prepared for multiple vote series, the first of which will be as early as 10 a.m.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

The Rules Committee will meet tomorrow morning. I anticipate a short amendment will be posted as early as tonight. It is our expectation the Rules Committee will meet tomorrow morning to report the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act.

Upon adoption of that rule, the House will proceed with general debate on the measure and final passage.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I anticipate the Rules Committee meeting earlier than 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

It is our anticipation to be done in the afternoon, but the gentleman may know better how long it will take based upon as we move through during the day.

Mr. Speaker, I don't want to grab the exact time, but it is our anticipation, after the Rules Committee meets, that we come down and have a rules vote. We will have hours of debate, and then we will proceed with the vote, and as orderly as we can get done, we will get done by the afternoon as early as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.