Nita M. Lowey

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 466, I call up the bill (H.R. 3401) making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the motion currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House.

Mr. Speaker, the humanitarian situation at our southern border is disgraceful. The Trump administration has exacerbated a crisis that has led to intolerable conditions for children and families in the government's care.

We have been advised that agencies that provide critical services for children, including the Office of Refugee Resettlement and Customs and Border Protection, will imminently run out of funds.

Earlier this week, the House passed a comprehensive bill to fund these agencies and provide important reforms to ensure that children in our government's care are safe, healthy, and comfortable.

Sadly, the White House, which has done so much to create this crisis, refused to work with us to protect the children; and the Senate majority leader, who I am told is selling T-shirts that describe him as the Grim Reaper, refuses to respect the House as a coequal body of Congress and negotiate the differences in our legislation.

Left in the lurch by this cruelty and callousness are the babies and children in government care. The House refuses to be a party to this cruelty. That is why we are reluctantly bringing the Senate legislation to the floor today.

We could have done better for our children and our families, but, unfortunately, the White House and the Senate would not allow that. So we will fight another day, and we will never stop fighting to protect the children who are our future.

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

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

Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Quigley for yielding, and I would like to congratulate Chairman Quigley, Ranking Member Graves, and the outstanding staff for the bill before us.

House Democrats are fighting to ensure that America is safe, strong, and moving forward.

The investments in this bill to fund financial regulators and small businesses improve the financial security of every American. With the inclusion of funding for election security, we can safeguard our democracy.

This bill would provide $12 billion for the IRS, including $2.56 billion for taxpayer services, and $290 million for business systems modernization. These increases are particularly important to secure sensitive data housed at the IRS.

Small businesses are the foundation of our economy, and this bill gives them and their employees a better shot at success. A nearly 40 percent increase to the Small Business Administration includes a 14 percent increase for entrepreneurial development programs like Women's Business Centers.

To combat the attacks on our democracy by foreign powers, the bill would provide $16.2 million for Election Assistance Commission operating expenses, a 76 percent increase, and $600 million for election security grants.

Other important issues would make DACA recipients eligible for Federal employment and prohibit the use of funds from the Treasury Forfeiture Fund to construct the President's ill-conceived border wall.

What is not in this bill is also noteworthy, starting with objectionable riders from previous years that threatened Home Rule for D.C., such as the ban on D.C. using its own local funds to support abortion services, needle exchanges, and the legalization of marijuana.

The bill would also eliminate three riders related to the SEC and FEC aimed at thwarting transparency and disclosures of political contributions.

This bill would invest in a future that supports the security of our data and our elections, while setting up our communities, making sure that our communities succeed.

Mr. Chair, I urge support for the bill.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 462, I call up the bill (H.R. 3401) making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3401.

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Democrats' humanitarian supplemental to care for the increased number of migrants crossing the southern border.

In a matter of days, the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Homeland Security will run out of money to care for children and families at the border who are already held in deplorable, chaotic conditions, often without needed medical care or even soap and toothbrushes.

Children go without showers or clean clothes for weeks, and 7- and 8- year-olds care for infants they don't know, while toddlers go without diapers. This is heartbreaking and, in the richest country on Earth, unacceptable.

This bill totals $4.5 billion for basic human needs and better care. It includes $200 million for an integrated, multiagency processing center pilot program with nonprofits, as well as $60 million to assist local entities and non profits serving the influx of migrants.

The President's cruel immigration policies that tear apart families and terrorize communities demand the stringent safeguards in this bill to ensure these funds are used for humanitarian needs only--not for immigration raids, not for detention beds, not for a border wall.

This bill would better protect migrants' rights and dignity with stronger requirements for care of unaccompanied children, including standards for medical care and medical emergencies; nutrition, hygiene, and facilities; and personnel training.

Strict conditions on influx shelters that house children would mandate compliance with requirements in the Flores settlement. Sponsors and potential sponsors would be safeguarded from DHS immigration enforcement based on information collected by HHS during the sponsor vetting process.

Madam Speaker, we cannot be complicit in the crisis and suffering at the border. I urge support for this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the distinguished and outstanding chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

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

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard), the outstanding chairwoman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano), the distinguished chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I have great respect for the minority leader, but I ask Mr. Minority Leader: If not this bill, what bill can provide aid to these children?

Where is this Senate bill, Madam Speaker? It is being held up by a Republican Senator from the same State as the majority leader.

Just let me finish, and then I will be delighted to yield.

So I want to ask again: This bill is being held up by a Republican Senator from the same State as the majority leader.

So, Madam Speaker, a ``no'' vote on this bill by any Member will ensure that children remain in absolute squalor. Stop hiding behind the Senate bill that has not passed.

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Minority Leader, I have to reclaim my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar), who is a member of the Appropriations Committee.