Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, we are on the brink of a shutdown, a brink of sending this Nation over the cliff.

Tonight, I speak to the American people and to my colleagues. We have a very simple task--a task of mercy and grace, a task of adulthood and recognition of our responsibility to keep this government open.

I'd like to shun the party of Marie Antoinette and let them eat cake, or those who would say let's work and play while Rome is burning, or maybe even the former Republican Presidential candidate Bachmann, who says: We're smiling; we got just what we want, a shutdown of the government. I would like to shun that kind of attitude and ask my colleagues to join together in a simple task--to support the clean continuing resolution that would fund this government as we are obligated to do under the Constitution.

We have the purse strings in the House, to make sure that the government works, to make sure that our women and children are served and our veterans are served, to make sure that our parks are open. So all we have to do is a simple task--to stop going over the top and be able to respond as Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the Continuing Resolution to fund the Federal. The Senate sent over a Continuing Resolution that would fund the government and included an agreement that the men and women of the armed services should receive their pay.

Unfortunately, the House Rules Committee, which must review and establish a rule for all bills brought before the House has once again changed the Senate bill to require a 1 year delay in the personal mandate for the Affordable Care Act, but added another change that would remove a subsidy for members of Congress and their staff.

What they fail to say is that Congress and Congressional staff are the only group in the nation that is required by the law to only get its healthcare through the Affordable Care Act Health Exchange Marketplace.

Ecclesiastics says that ``To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: There is a purpose or reason for everything that happens, be it called good or be it called bad, by whomever perceives it as such. No matter, there is a time and place for everything.''

The men and women of this Congress know that the time and season for making decisions regarding the budget of our Nation ends at midnight tonight--Monday, September 30, 2013.

The season for making decisions about funding the government began in January of this year, stretched on through the Spring, and was with us during the Summer now the end is upon us.

The majority of this body has not been able to organize themselves to do--or consider anything during the season for budget drafting and appropriations' legislation except to attempt to end the Affordable Care Act.

The members of the United States House of Representatives know the rules for the legislative budgetary process very well, but for the benefit of the millions of people who are watching this debate or listening to it--you might find it helpful to understand why there is so much dissention.

I would like to give you a brief outline of the work we are supposed to do on your behalf regarding funding the government: The Congress is to:

Pass a budget that is agreed to by both the House and the Senate;

Pass 12 appropriations bills that do not exceed the agreed upon budget to fund the entire Federal Government for the next fiscal year;

Complete the appropriations bills with both the House and the Senate agreeing to the language of each before and agreed to by both the House and the Senate and sent to the President's desk for signature; and rarely use Continuing Resolutions when Congress fails to complete all 12 bills before the fiscal year ends to ensure that the business of the Federal Government continues uninterrupted.

For most Americans this may mean very little because it is a Congressional administrative function that often used to help fund a few appropriations measures that may not be completed before the end of calendar year, which is midnight, Monday, September 30, 2013.

This year the use of the Continuing Resolution is different because we have not completed work on a budget bill nor have we completed work on any appropriations bill--not even the Defense Department's Appropriations legislation.

The House and the Senate have found agreement that a Continuing Resolution for the next Fiscal Year that will begin at 12:01 Tuesday, October 1, 2013 should provide that the Armed Forces who risk their lives to protect our freedoms deserve the support and resources needed to perform their duties, and that includes being paid in full and on time so they can provide for their families and loved ones.

Mr. Speaker, it would not be necessary to have to devote the considerable amount of time needed to debate and pass this legislation in the House and Senate and present it to the President if the House would simply pass the clean continuing resolution passed yesterday by the Senate.

The CR approved by the Senate funds the government and avoids a shutdown. President Obama has stated that he will sign it into law.

The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of the federal government are paid for the valuable and important service they provide to our nation.

Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on avoiding a shutdown, which helps no one and hurts our economy.

Those of who were serving in this body 17 years ago remember the harm caused when the Republicans shut down the government on two different occasions, which directly cost taxpayers $1.4 billion. That is $2.1 billion in today's dollars.

The last time Republicans engineered a shut down of the government:

368 national park sites were closed.

200,000 applications for passports went unprocessed.

$3.7 billion of $18 billion in local contracts went unpaid.

My state of Texas would be hit very hard and suffer unnecessarily if a government shut down is not prevented.

Within days Texas would begin experiencing the impact of cutbacks in the $64.7 billion in federal spending that it receives annually, including the loss of:

$518 million in federal highway funds,

$411 million for interstate highway maintenance,

$130 million in home energy assistance for the poor,

$71 million in Homeland Security grants,

$55 million in coordinated border infrastructure and

$97 million in federal adoption assistance.

As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am particularly concerned over the impact of a government shutdown on operations and activities that protect and secure the homeland Impacts of shutdown in Texas on homeland security.

For example, a shutdown would adversely affect the following:

Law Enforcement and Other Training: Law enforcement training would cease, including those conducted through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Secret Service's J. Rowley Training Center. This would impact CBP, ICE, Secret Service, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and would delay their ability to bring new hires into operational service. TSA would also not be able to conduct training for screeners, Behavior Detection Officers or canine units.

Frontline Personnel Hardships: The majority of the workforces in Custom and Border Protection's (CBP) Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE) enforcement efforts, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) aviation passenger screening, and the Coast Guard, who are heavily reliant upon receiving biweekly paychecks, would not be paid biweekly during a federal funding hiatus

Grant Programs for State and Local Preparedness: All DHS and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel working on grants programs would be furloughed, ceasing any further activity intended to help build state and local resiliency. Should a federal funding hiatus be prolonged, state and local communities may have to eliminate jobs that are dependent upon grants funding. Further activity under the Securing the Cities program would be suspended.

In addition, a government shutdown will hurt children, seniors, working families, and the economically vulnerable:

Military Readiness: In Texas, approximately 52,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $274.8 million in total.

Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and Prosecution: Funding will be halted to Texas on an annualized portion of the $1,103,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness initiatives.

Vaccines for Children: In Texas around 9,730 fewer children will not receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, and Hepatitis B due to reduced funding for personnel who administer programs that provide funding for vaccinations.

Nutrition Assistance for Seniors: Texas would lose approximately $3,557,000 in funds that make it possible to provide meals for seniors.

For these reasons, we should be working to pass H.J. Res. 59 as amended by the Senate. That is the best way to keep faith with all persons who serve the American people as employees of the Federal Government, and those who depend upon the services they provide.

I thank the gentlelady.

Mr. Speaker, let me disabuse my friends of any myth. Right now, the Republicans have shut the government down.

SOS message from Texas: we are a diverse State with different opinions. One that says, with so many people that need health insurance, we like ObamaCare.

But another SOS message: Ellington Field right now is shut down. The towers in Ellington Field in Texas are shut down. Why? Because the Republicans are on the floor of the House with a phony procedural vote that is not going anywhere, and the government is shut down.

Hundreds of thousands of Federal employees, shut down. The SBA with no loans, shut down. Projects to improve our transportation, shut down. Federal economic reports and businesses, shut down. Workers in region 6 offices in the State of Texas, shut down. They will not be able to go to work tomorrow.

I only hope that we will have a moment of reconciliation and common sense to speak on behalf of the American people. Please know that Texas recognizes that the American people are important. I don't want a government shutdown. I want a vote on a clean continuing resolution now. Texas believes in the best for America, not special interests.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the family of a very, very dear friend who lost her life a week ago, Dr. Cecile Harrison, a professor at Texas Southern University with a Ph.D. in sociology and a heart as large as the world can imagine. She was a professor's professor; a teacher's teacher; she was a mentor to students; and, yes, she loved politics and the process of government.

What I was so grateful for, because it is often not done, is she taught young people the value of this great Nation, the three branches of government, the constitutional interaction given by the Constitution of the United States, and the respect for the three branches of government. She taught students to love the idea of political participation without personal gain.

I was delighted to see her involve herself in campaigns all over the State and in our community, but most importantly, a friend to the Honorable Barbara Jordan and an initial campaign manager for her. A Wheatley graduate.

Dear Cecile, thank you for your sincerity. You are a great American. May God bless you and your family, and may you rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, we're here on a Saturday, and we're probably in the I-don't-believe-it crowd. It's not because we're here on a Saturday, but because the people's business must be done.

I hope that the backdrop of the U.N. resolution that dealt with 15 countries that stood together to bind themselves against Syria's holding of chemical weapons may be an example for the coming together of this body. Something historic happened because people listened to each other. I hope that as we move towards some mode of peace, as we work to reconcile the terrible violence in Syria, the killing of Syrians, we first ensure that those chemical weapons do no harm to anyone in this world.

I hope the Republicans can listen and understand that it is always the other person's interests that should be promoted and put first. That is to say, this Nation must fund itself and we must pay our bills. A good lesson, for once, from the United Nations. We all would do well to understand that we can work together.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding and for his leadership.

We do live in a constitutional Republic. That constitutional Republic requires for this Nation not to be held hostage by self-centered special interests.

We come to the floor today to stand in opposition to the minority of the majority holding the vast numbers of Americans who want a rational approach, to continue the operation of this government, and to be able to make a difference.

So I rise today and say that martial law--even the concept of it--is one that finds itself with a very difficult premise. Whatever we want to throw down today, the American people have to take it. And so if someone rises and says there are Medicare cuts, we have to take it and believe that it happens. The Affordable Care Act did not do that. In fact, the Affordable Care Act rescued seniors from the abyss of the doughnut hole. When you threw them over the doughnut hole, when they were drowning in the doughnut hole because of Medicare part D, we've helped them cut their prescription costs.

And so this misrepresentation about the Affordable Care Act and the urgency to defund it is a misnomer, it's incorrect, and it's just plain wrong.

This proposed CR, or continuing resolution, that now wants to delay the individual mandate, Mr. Speaker, I don't think my colleagues remember the hours and days and weeks of hearings that we had in this place. Maybe they don't remember the little girl who was suffering from leukemia that went into an insurance company with her family in California and died because the insurance company would not cover her because she had a preexisting disease. I wonder what it feels like to see your child die in your arms because there is no insurance.

I will not vote for anything that will delay the individual mandate while young women over the age of 26 who are susceptible to early cancer will not be able to find affordable, reasonable health insurance. Not on my watch.

I will not vote for this rule. And I ask you not to vote for it. It is interesting that we can cut $40 billion out of food subsistence for 46 million Americans--

75 percent are children, 23 percent are disabled, 11 percent are elderly, and some of them are the families of soldiers--but we can vote today to give fat cats subsidies.

You will divide us like that if you want to make sure that you take care of your district and not take care of America. Well, I came today to rise on the floor of the House to say that the Founding Fathers stuck together in the Thirteen Colonies when they declared their independence. There's something about unity for the greater good. And I refuse to let this House fall on the spear for individual selfish perspectives--because I got mine, you get yours. America deserves better. We will vote in the best interest of America. It is to continue this government and provide for ObamaCare and make sure that there's health care for a better America.

I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for the great work on an issue that so many of us have noted and advocated for over the years.

As a former member of this committee during the time of the Democratic majority, I still continue to have a great sense of the importance of the work. Having traveled to a number of countries and engaged with our diplomatic staff and the State Department, let me put on the record the crucial work that our diplomatic corps--our diplomat staff, the staff at the State Department, the Secretary of State--does and is engaged in for the safety and security of the American people. Their work is vital. They are partners with the defense; but more importantly, they are partners for reconciliation and coming together. It is evident by their great work of where we are in Syria, along with the President, and of course, most recently, some of the outreach that has gone on with Iran.

But my main point for speaking today is, having physically visited a number of the diplomatic sites in high-risk and high-threat posts, I am ecstatic about this legislation that provides a matrix, along with working groups for security measures and funding, along with the review of a diplomatic security, with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy, which, when I went to oversee the Algerian election, they were very much involved, as they are and as they were in Egypt, and as they were in many other places where there are difficult circumstances. And then of course to be able to enhance security for the diplomatic staff and security, to protect the civilian, but also the military. Our marines are very able, as those who are there at posts; they provide enhanced security for those particular posts.

One of the things that I am most excited about--and I thank the author of the amendment--and that is the issue of best value for security. That is a crucial bipartisan agreement that makes common sense; that on the security of our men and women who leave these shores to be instruments of peace, diplomatic engagement, and be the face of the American people in very difficult posts--whether it's Iraq, Afghanistan, or whether it may be Egypt, whether it may be Pakistan, and other places beyond--that it is our duty to ensure that the posts that they are in have the highest level of security quality, both from technology and also from the physical bricks and mortar.

So I rise today because I wanted to first acknowledge the valiant service of all of those who have served. I also want to make note of those who we have lost, who have served in the diplomatic corps in places far beyond our borders, and to thank them and thank those who serve in the State Department and who are serving as we speak; and the United States Marines, who across the world secure these very valiant public servants.

I support the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, many of us promised our constituents that we would come back here to Washington and fight for them. I imagine that there are some families in America right now holding an 8- year-old or a 10-year-old, maybe a teenager, with a preexisting disease. Maybe like the little girl that I heard about when we were debating the Affordable Care Act that had leukemia, and time after time after time she was rejected by insurance companies until she died.

And so I asked the question earlier tonight: What is the morally right thing to do? And I want to announce what is going to happen tonight.

Let us be very clear. Let us not be full of smoke and mirrors. Tonight, the Republican majority will vote to shut the government down. I'll say it again: they will vote to shut the government down. They will look that family in the eye, and they will say that they are delaying the Affordable Care Act--long approved. But they are actually destroying it and eliminating it. A delay is eliminating it.

They will stop the American people on October 1 from getting premiums between $100 and $130. They will stop seniors from being able to have help with their prescription part D, their prescription drugs, choosing dog food over their prescription. They will stop preventative care. They will stop research for cancer and leukemia and heart disease and stroke. They will stop the preventative care nonpayments. And they will also stop those young families from being able to have insurance.

Remember what I said: What is the morally right thing to do? Is it morally right to be able to provide for the American people health care that they've never had? Is it the morally right thing to shut down the government so that seniors trying to get

Medicare benefits will not have anybody to process them, or Social Security, or the disabled, or downpayment for homes for young families?

I came here to stand for the American people. Tonight you will witness the shutdown of the government. That is what the vote will be, a shutdown of this government.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule and the underlying resolution.

I oppose this rule because it conditions the funding needed to avoid a government shutdown on a one-year delay in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and a repeal of the excise tax on certain medical device that helps defray the cost of the affordable, quality healthcare made available for the first time to millions of Americans by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

I oppose this rule because the two amendments it makes in order to the ``clean'' continuing resolution passed yesterday by the Senate will, if approved, result in a shutdown of the government.

Both President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Reid have it crystal clear that they will not accept any continuing resolution containing any provision to delay, defund, or weaken the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, was passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by the President three years ago. It has been upheld by the Supreme Court. It is here to stay.

Mr. Speaker, you would think our friends across the aisle would have gotten this message by now because they have tried to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act more than 40 times without success.

As former President Clinton would say: ``Here's another Obamacare score for you: `Obamacare--42, House Republicans--zero'.''

Since it is clear that anti-Obamacare amendments made in order by this rule are not going to become law, the only purpose to be served by this latest kamikaze mission by our friends across the aisle is to shut down the government and harm the economic recovery and disrupt the lives of millions of Americans who provide and depend upon the services provide by the federal government.

Mr. Speaker, it is well and good that House majority has finally realized the importance of ensuring that our troops are paid so they can provide for their families.

However, this piecemeal approach of singling out worthy beneficiaries on an ad hoc basis is inadequate as it denies many other critical services that Americans depend so heavily on.

That is why it is grossly irresponsible for House Republicans to be wasting time on a resolution like the one before us that will lead to a government shutdown.

Mr. Speaker, we need to pass the clean CR approved by the Senate so we can keep our promises to our veterans, as well as the doctors, nurses, and hospital workers who take care of our wounded and healthy warriors.

We need to pass the clean CR approved by the Senate so we can fund our engineers and technicians who maintain all of our critical military equipment to keep our troops safe and take care of national security infrastructure.

We need to pass the clean CR approved by the Senate so we can fund our IT security folks who protect us from cyber-attacks, and our astronauts who risk their lives to push the technical boundaries of knowledge for all mankind.

These exceptional Americans, and the people who depend on them and benefit from their work, do not deserve to be locked out of their workplaces on Tuesday.

These exceptional Americans deserve a Congress that does its job and keeps America open for business.

Mr. Speaker, make no mistake about it, given the lateness of the hour and the irresponsibility of the House majority in wasting time trying to defund or impede the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, any vote other than one to concur in the clean continuing resolution passed yesterday by the Senate is a vote to shut down the government.

For these reasons and more, I oppose this rule and the underlying amendments it makes in order and urge my colleagues to join me in urging the passage of H.J. Res. 59 as amended by the Senate so that Americans can rest assured that their government will be open for business and to serve them on Tuesday morning.

I thank the gentlelady from New York.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to announce breaking news. Texas happens to be a very diverse State, and my good friend from Texas just stood up and made an absurd proclamation--absolutely absurd.

In coming from a State where there are 6 million-plus uninsured individuals, he knows full well that tonight, when we vote to shut down the government, he will, in fact, also eliminate the Affordable Care Act, not delay it. What he will do is he will then tell those who have a preexisting disease that the law is delayed. He will tell children who need preventative care that the law is delayed. Further, he will tell our creditors that we are irresponsible as a country, and he will tell the American people, whose jobs depend upon the government operating, that you don't count.

I don't want to live in a Nation where someone can say to the Nation and say to the people that you don't count.

I have said it before, and I am saying it again: When we vote tonight, we will be voting to shut down the government. You will be voting to ignore the States and the responsibilities of this country in paying its debt.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment, which is another attempt to veer away from the responsibilities of running the country and into the ditch of selfishness and bitterness which is truly the realm of the un-Patriotic!

I oppose this amendment because it puts an anchor on a clean continuing resolution which unnecessarily and perniciously weighs down the hopes and dreams of my constituents in Houston and the American people. It conditions the funding needed to avoid a government shutdown on a repeal of the excise tax on certain medical devices that helps defray the cost of the affordable, quality healthcare made available for the first time to millions of Americans by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

I oppose this rule because the amendment it makes ``in order'' to the ``clean'' continuing resolution passed yesterday by the Senate will, if approved, result in a shutdown of the government. Both President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Reid have it crystal clear that they will not accept any continuing resolution containing any provision to delay, defund, or weaken the Affordable Care Act.

The ACA was carefully crafted so that it will not add to the budget deficit. To help pay for the expansion of health coverage to 27 million uninsured Americans, the ACA either reduces Medicare payments or increases taxes for a wide range of industries that will benefit from health reform, including hospitals, home health agencies, clinical laboratories, health insurance providers, drug companies, and manufacturers of medical devices.

The concept of ``shared sacrifice'' is something that every American should embrace; and the medical device tax is part of that sacrifice in which we all share--a true embodiment of this sacred notion.

A 2.3-percent excise tax is imposed on the sale of any taxable medical device by the

manufacturer or importer of the device starting in 2013. Eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, or any other medical device that the public generally buys at retail for individual use are exempted. Sales for further manufacture or for export are also tax-exempt.

Last year the House passed H.R. 436, which would have repealed the tax, and bills to repeal the tax have been introduced in both the House and Senate this year. Nobody likes higher taxes but--this tax was thoroughly debated--and let us be clear--it is not as if the medical device industry did not have its voice heard--and it is clear that they still have some influence since bills have been introduced to repeal.

As the end of the fiscal year quickly approaches, the sad truth remains unchanged: the Speaker has surrendered the gavel to the tea party's desperate attempts to force a Republican government shutdown to put insurance companies back in charge of Americans' health care.

Democrats have an alternative, introduced by my colleague, Mr. Van Hollen, to fund the government and end the devastating, across-the- board cuts of the sequester with a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases in order to reduce the deficit in a responsible way.

I agree with President Obama that the full faith and credit of the United States is non-negotiable. The United States has been the worldwide standard bearer for many years and many other nations have been comfortable holding our paper, but now our preeminent financial status is in jeopardy.

Mr. Speaker, you may recall that two years ago the Nation's credit rating was downgraded for the first time ever because of politicized negotiations and the initial failure to reach an agreement--and now we risk that and more because an odd lot of Members in this body and one, perhaps two in our bicameral twin, wish ill on the American people out of some misguided principle.

Refusing to raise the debt ceiling poses a cataclysmic danger to the stability of our markets and the economic security of our middle class and complete devastation for the poor.

As Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated last week: ``A government shutdown, and perhaps even more so a failure to raise the debt limit, could have very serious consequences for the financial markets and for the economy . . .''

Here are some of those consequences:

Higher interest rates for mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and credit cards. Higher interest rates and less access to business loans needed to finance payrolls, build inventories, or invest in equipment & construction.

Families' retirement savings in 401(k)s dropping as the stock market plummets.

3.4 million veterans not receiving disability benefits.

10 million Americans not receiving their Social Security check on time in just the first week.

Drug reimbursements under Medicare stopping, and doctors and hospitals not getting paid.

Mr. Speaker, let's get to work on behalf of the American people and pass a clean CR and raise the debt limit--now! The people expect nothing less, and time is of the essence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Blackburn Amendment, which delays for one year any provision of the ACA that takes effect between October 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014.

I oppose this amendment for several reasons. First, the amendment will lead to a government shutdown because it imposes a condition that House Republicans know the Senate and the President will not accept.

Second, I oppose the amendment because it is bad for America and Americans. The proponents of the Blackburn Amendment claim the amendment only delays the imposition of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate for one year. They are wrong.

In fact, the amendment delays the effectiveness of any provision that takes effect between October 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014. Thus, the amendment operates directly on the following benefits of the Affordable Care Act:

1. The ban on pre-existing condition discrimination for adults;

2. The ban on gender rating (charging women more than men for the same policy);

3. The 3:1 age rating, which limits the amount charged to older people for insurance;

4. The elimination of annual limits on healthcare costs; and

5. The availability of health insurance premium tax credits and other provisions that would save millions of middle class families hundreds of billions of dollars.

Mr. Speaker, this marks the the 43rd time House Republicans have tried to repeal, defund, or delay the Affordable Care Act. To date the record is: ObamaCare--42, House Republicans--zero.

Mr. Speaker, the Blackburn Amendment is misguided, ill-considered, and harmful to America, and especially my constituents in the 18th Congressional District of Texas. Specifically, the Blackburn Amendment would allow insurers to continue denying coverage to those with pre- existing conditions. Were this amendment to become law, up to 17 million children nationally, and 46,000 in my congressional district, could again be denied coverage by insurers due to a pre-existing conditions and it would allow insurers to continue discriminating against women and those with medical conditions in setting premiums.

Were the Blackburn Amendment to become law, employers would be permitted to refuse to offer insurance that covers preventive services, including contraception for 50,000 women in my district, that they object to on any religious or moral grounds.

Were the Blackburn Amendment to become law, it would take away tax credits and subsidies to help Americans purchase insurance which would adversely affect 446,800 persons in Harris County and more than 2.5 million persons in my home State of Texas.

Were the Blackburn Amendment to become law, it would take away tax credits and subsidies to help Americans purchase insurance. This would adversely affect 153,000 persons in my district and 105 million Americans nationally.

Were the Blackburn Amendment to become law, it would delay an increase in tax credits to help small businesses buy insurance for their employees. This provision has already helped 360,000 small businesses provide insurance to more than 2 million persons.

Mr. Speaker, instead of debating amendments that have no chance of becoming law and will hurt Americans and our economy, let us work together on behalf of the American people and pass a clean CR and keep the government open to do the people's business.

I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting against the Blackburn Amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 3210, the so-called ``Pay Our Troops Act,'' which is intended to ensure that our troops are paid in the event House Republicans succeed in shutting down the government.

The men and women of the Armed Forces who risk their lives to protect our freedoms surely are deserving of the support and resources needed to perform their duties, and that includes being paid in full and on time so they can provide for their families and loved ones.

Mr. Speaker, it would not be necessary to have to devote the considerable amount of time needed to debate and pass this legislation in the House and Senate and present it to the President if the House would simply pass the clean continuing resolution passed yesterday by the Senate.

The CR approved by the Senate funds the government and avoids a shutdown. President Obama has stated that he will sign it into law.

The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of the Federal Government are paid for the valuable and important service they provide to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on avoiding a shutdown, which helps no one and hurts our economy.

Those of who were serving in this body 17 years ago remember the harm caused when the Republicans shut down the government on two different occasions, which directly cost taxpayers $1.4 billion. That is $2.1 billion in today's dollars.

The last time Republicans engineered a shutdown of the government: 368 national park sites were closed; 200,000 applications for passports went unprocessed; $3.7 billion of $18 billion in local contracts went unpaid.

My state of Texas would be hit very hard and suffer unnecessarily if a government shutdown is not prevented.

Within days Texas would begin experiencing the impact of cutbacks in the $64.7 billion in Federal spending that it receives annually, including the loss of:

$518 million in Federal highway funds, $411 million for interstate highway maintenance, $130 million in home energy assistance for the poor, $71 million in Homeland Security grants, $55 million in coordinated border infrastructure, and $97 million in Federal adoption assistance.

As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am particularly concerned over the impact of a government shutdown on operations and activities that protect and secure the homeland Impacts of shutdown in Texas on homeland security.

For example, a shutdown would adversely affect the following:

Law Enforcement and Other Training: Law enforcement training would cease, including those conducted through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Secret Service's J. Rowley Training Center. This would impact CBP, ICE, Secret Service, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and would delay their ability to bring new hires into operational service. TSA would also not be able to conduct training for screeners, Behavior Detection Officers or canine units.

Frontline Personnel Hardships: The majority of the workforces in Custom and Border Protection's (CBP) Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE) enforcement efforts, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) aviation passenger screening, and the Coast Guard, who are heavily reliant upon receiving biweekly paychecks, would not be paid biweekly during a Federal funding hiatus.

Grant Programs for State and Local Preparedness: All DHS and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel working on grants programs would be furloughed, ceasing any further activity intended to help build state and local resiliency. Should a Federal funding hiatus be prolonged, state and local communities may have to eliminate jobs

that are dependent upon grants funding. Further activity under the Securing the Cities program would be suspended.

In addition, a government shutdown will hurt children, seniors, working families, and the economically vulnerable:

Military Readiness: In Texas, approximately 52,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $274.8 million in total.

Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and Prosecution: Funding will be halted to Texas on an annualized portion of the $1,103,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness initiatives.

Vaccines for Children: In Texas around 9,730 fewer children will not receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, and Hepatitis B due to reduced funding for personnel who administer programs that provide funding for vaccinations.

Nutrition Assistance for Seniors: Texas would lose approximately $3,557,000 in funds that make it possible to provide meals for seniors.

For these reasons, we should be working to pass H.J. Res. 59 as amended by the Senate. That is the best way to keep faith with all persons who serve the American people as employees of the Federal Government, and those who depend upon the services they provide.

Mr. Speaker, I think the real message should be that the President should not negotiate against the civil rights of Americans. Sometimes it's important for those of us who have had life experiences to reflect on them.

I remember as a younger girl riding in a segregated railcar, isolated from others because of the color of my skin. Civil rights have expanded, but there are many who stood against them--the 1957 bill, the 1964 and 1965 bills. Americans will find out that health care is a civil right and that this is one of the most historic and life-changing bills ever passed--the Affordable Care Act.

Rather than stand in the way to defund ObamaCare, I want to stand with the young cancer victim who will now be able to get insurance. I want to stand with the young child who had leukemia and who was denied insurance and died. I want to stand with small businesses that will now be able to provide health insurance for their workers.

I want to stand with understanding that, in fact, this bill is going to work. That's the fear on the other side. They are willing to defund the government because they don't want America to know that one of their civil rights--good health care--is coming and going to work.

I ask everybody to go to HealthCare.gov because your civil rights are coming on October 1.

I was in my office, Congresswoman, and I could not help but both agree and hear you.

I wanted to come just to applaud you for, first of all, restoring and educating this House on the issues of federalism, local control, and also of reintroducing them to Washington, D.C., which gained local control and gained the right to elect its local officials. Also--maybe most people don't know--it has an operational budget that is balanced and that, in actuality, could continue to run its services for its people, as the Congresswoman has indicated, but for

the pass-through that is required here in the House of Representatives.

I simply wanted to come and applaud you and say a government shutdown is for naught. It is not good for anyone, and it is shameful that it is tied to the defunding of ObamaCare when the millions of Washingtonians, who are here, who dutifully provide for this House and this Senate and all of those who come in and out of Washington, D.C., the millions of tourists, the international guests, that we would dare tell them, without a vote, without a voice, in terms of the voting voice, to say not only are we shutting down the government that is going to hurt all of America, we're going to shut you down and you're in local control with your own monies, ready to run, ready to help, ready to provide for the safety and security of the comings and goings of those who work in the Federal Government in the House of Representatives.

So I could not miss the opportunity to again reinforce my commitment to the legitimacy of Washington, its right to a voting representative in both the House and the Senate, and, as well, the fact that you make a very potent argument, because in many of our jurisdictions, city government may still be operating. Of course, many people will be hurt--Social Security, the military, veterans, the soldiers' families who don't get a paycheck. What the Congresswoman is saying, and I want to add to that, insult to injury coming from this shutdown is the fact that a whole city would not be able to operate the Nation's Capital where people are now heading to by airplane for whatever visits they may have--tourists, international guests.

I just met with an international leader today. They will all be coming to a city that will literally be shut down because my Republican friends want to defund ObamaCare and don't have the respect to give you the waiver, the position that you have asked for to make sure that Washington, D.C., runs.

I thank you for alarming us. I hope that as we enter into our discussions tomorrow that we will raise this issue and that those of good common sense will come to their senses not only for the people of the District of Columbia in hearing your plea, but they'll come to their senses for the American people and keep this government running.

Mr. Speaker, for the last 21 hours we have heard a discourse on ``Green Eggs and Ham'' and a multitude of other commentary that spoke to the will of one person, but I believe America wants this body and the other body to stand on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.

I rise to call upon this body to cast a vote for America. The soldiers that have left our soil and those who are still here, as well as their families,

need compensation. Medicare and Medicaid recipients need to have their benefits processed. We need clean air and clean water.

The Government of the United States is not frivolous or wasteful. The government is a rainy-day umbrella for those who suffer from all manner of devastation and disaster. I don't know about the thoughts of 21 hours, but I do know that I'm going to stand against a clouded and crowded continuing resolution.

Vote to keep the government open and let's start using ObamaCare on October 1. That's the American way. That's the vote for all of America, and that's the vote for the vulnerable who cannot speak for themselves.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 59, which makes continuing appropriations for Fiscal Year 2014, because it continues the devastating cuts to education set in motion by the sequester and permanently defunds the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

H.J. Res. 59 locks in the damaging sequester cuts through December 15 and even sets funding slightly below the current, post-sequestration level.

It is long past time for Congress to reverse course from the austerity approach that included slashing education across-the-board by 5 percent this year--the equivalent of cutting nearly all education programs and Head Start by roughly $3 billion.

We need to end the sequester now by passing H.R. 900, the ``End Sequestration Now Act,'' of which I am an original co-sponsor.

Madam Speaker, the level of cuts imposed by sequestration have already taken federal funding back to pre-2004 levels while our nation's schools are serving nearly 6 million more students since that time.

Madam Speaker, to ensure equity for all students, Congress must reverse this course.

To date, a disproportionate share of sequester cuts have impacted higher-poverty communities and therefore, students most in need--57,000 children have already lost critical seats in Head Start classes, schools served by Impact Aid have already seen drastic reductions in funding, and additional harmful impacts are beginning to be felt in classrooms as the school year begins.

Many of these school districts and their students rely heavily on federal resources for education funding; some even up to 50 percent of their total revenue.

Madam Speaker, Americans have suffered long enough from the adverse impact of sequestration that House Republicans to seek to continue with resolution. The damage has been great and continues to get worse with each passing day the Republicans refuse to work across the aisle to reach agreement on a budget plan that is balanced and sensible.

Consider the damage inflicted or to be inflicted on the American people by sequestration:

Education

Teachers and staff for the 23 million students in high-poverty schools would be reduced by up to 47,000.

Education services for 6 million students with disabilities would be curtailed.

National and Local Security

Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program would be eliminated, resulting in 1,400 fewer police officers on the street.

Our national security is being weakened as Army training rotations are being canceled; earlier this year nearly one-third of Air Force squadrons were grounded; and maintenance on equipment and facilities is being deferred.

More than 600,000 civilian Defense employees (85 percent) were furloughed this summer for more than one week, meaning a pay cut of more than $1 billion.

$37 billion in cuts to defense this fiscal year is harming economic growth and our military readiness.

Health

Cutting $1.5 billion from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) means less research into preventing, treating, and curing diseases that affect millions of Americans, like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

A $285 million cut for the Centers for Disease Control is limiting their ability to detect and combat disease outbreaks like pandemic influenza; plan for public health emergencies; and facilitate immunizations that keep you and your family healthy.

Cutting NIH by $6.7 billion will hold back life-saving research.

Seniors

More than 5 million fewer meals are available for low-income seniors through Meals on Wheels and related programs.

Infrastructure and Job-Creating Investments

Community Development Block Grants to ensure decent affordable housing, provide services to the most vulnerable, and create jobs by expanding and retaining businesses cut to lowest level in its history.

Clean energy and efficiency research are cut by nearly one-half and breakthrough cutting edge advanced energy research cut 81 percent from 2013 enacted level.

Major job-creating investments in highways, transit, railways, bridges and ports through the TIGER program would be eliminated, while putting modernization of the air traffic control system at risk.

EPA cut by more than \1/3\ and grants to local communities for clean water and drinking water slashed.

It is time for Congress to reject a continuation of these draconian cuts and replace the sequester with a balanced package that demands additional revenue, including closing corporate tax loopholes.

Instead of continuing sequestration levels of funding, and trying for the 42nd time to defund, delay, or impede the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we need to work together to develop a balanced and responsible plan that makes the necessary investments that will generate economic growth and create jobs that will enable Americans to live a middle class life.

We should reject this resolution and adopt the substitute resolution offered by my colleague, Congressman Van Hollen, the Ranking Member of the Budget Committee.

The Van Hollen Alternative is superior to the resolution before us because it eliminates the sequester's immediate, excessive, and irresponsible cuts to vital investments and replaces these with a roughly 50/50 combination of targeted spending cuts and limits on tax breaks to reduce the deficit in a balanced way.

Moreover, the proposal achieves over $75 billion more in deficit reduction than the sequester would have achieved.

I urge all members of the House to join me in voting to reject this irresponsible resolution that will not create jobs, places our economic recovery at risk, threatens the health security of millions of Americans, and jeopardizes the creditworthiness of our nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 59, which makes continuing appropriations for Fiscal Year 2014, because it continues the devastating cuts to education set in motion by the sequester and permanently defunds the Affordable Care Act (ACA), legislation that will help save the lives of millions of Americans.

H.J. Res. 59 locks in the damaging sequester cuts through December 15 and even sets funding slightly below the current, post- sequestration level.

It is long past time for Congress to reverse course from the austerity approach that included slashing education across-the-board by 5 percent this year--the equivalent of cutting nearly all education programs and Head Start by roughly $3 billion.

We need to end the sequester now by passing H.R. 900, the ``End Sequestration Now Act,'' of which I am an original co-sponsor.

Madam Speaker, the level of cuts imposed by sequestration have already taken federal funding back to pre-2004 levels while our nation's schools are serving nearly 6 million more students since that time.

Madam Speaker, to ensure equity for all students, Congress must reverse this course.

To date, a disproportionate share of sequester cuts have impacted higher-poverty communities and therefore, students most in need--57,00 children have already lost critical seats in Head Start classes, schools served by Impact Aid have already seen drastic reductions in funding, and additional harmful impacts are beginning to be felt in classrooms as the school year begins.

Many of these school districts and their students rely heavily on federal resources for education funding; some even up to 5 percent of their total revenue.

Madam Speaker, Americans have suffered long enough from the adverse impact of sequestration that House Republicans seek to continue with resolution. The damage has been great and continues to get worse with each passing day the Republicans refuse to work across the aisle to reach agreement on a budget plan that is balanced and sensible.

Consider the damage inflicted or to be inflicted on the American people by sequestration:

Education

Teachers and staff for the 23 million students in high-poverty schools would be reduced by up to 47,000.

Education services for 6 million students with disabilities would be curtailed.

National and Local Security

Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program would be eliminated, resulting in 1,400 fewer police officers on the street.

Our national security is being weakened as Army training rotations are being canceled; earlier this year nearly one-third of Air Force squadrons were grounded; and maintenance on equipment and facilities is being deferred.

More than 600,000 civilian Defense employees (85 percent) were furloughed this summer for more than one week, meaning a pay cut of more than $1 billion.

$37 billion in cuts to defense this fiscal year is harming economic growth and our military readiness.

Health

Cutting $1.5 billion from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) means less research into preventing, treating, and curing diseases that affect millions of Americans, like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

A $285 million cut for the Centers for Disease Control is limiting their ability to detect and combat disease outbreaks like pandemic influenza; plan for public health emergencies; and facilitate immunizations that keep you and your family healthy.

Cutting NIH by $6.7 billion will hold back life-saving research.

Seniors

More than 5 million fewer meals are available for low-income seniors through Meals on Wheels and related programs.

Infrastructure and Job-Creating Investments

Community Development Block Grants to ensure decent affordable housing, provide services to the most vulnerable, and create jobs by expanding and retaining businesses cut to lowest level in its history.

Clean energy and efficiency research are cut by nearly one-half and breakthrough cutting edge advanced energy research cut 81 percent from 2013 enacted level.

Major job-creating investments in highways, transit, railways, bridges and ports through the TIGER program would be eliminated, while putting modernization of the air traffic control system at risk.

EPA cut by more than \1/3\ and grants to local communities for clean water and drinking water slashed.

It is time for Congress to reject a continuation of these draconian cuts and replace the sequester with a balanced package that demands additional revenue, including closing corporate tax loopholes.

Instead of continuing sequestration levels of funding, and trying for the 42nd time to defund, delay, or impede the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we need to work together to develop a balanced and responsible plan that makes the necessary investments that will generate economic growth and create jobs that will enable Americans to live a middle class life.

We should reject this resolution and adopt the substitute resolution offered by my colleague, Congressman Van Hollen, the Ranking Member of the Budget Committee.

The Van Hollen alternative is vastly superior to the resolution before us because it eliminates the sequester's immediate, excessive, and irresponsible cuts to vital investments and replaces these with a roughly 50/50 combination of targeted spending cuts and limits on tax breaks to reduce the deficit in a balanced way.

Moreover, the proposal achieves over $75 billion more in deficit reduction than the sequester would have achieved by doing the following:

Targeted spending cuts--refocuses farm subsidies and makes targeted reductions to out-year defense spending consistent with both the President's budget request and the House Democratic budget.

Additional deficit reduction--reduces deficits by over $75 billion more than the sequester amount.

I urge all members of the House to join me in voting to reject this irresponsible resolution that will not create jobs, places our economic recovery at risk, threatens the health security of millions of Americans, and jeopardizes the creditworthiness of our nation.

[From the Houston Chronicle, Feb. 25, 2013]

Sequestration Budget Cuts Would Be Across-the-Board in Houston, County

(By Mike Tolson)

Like a hurricane churning across the Gulf of Mexico, the

looming federal sequestration threatens everything in its

path. If the deep and automatic federal budget cuts actually

take place starting Friday, there will be damage somewhere,

perhaps a lot of somewheres.

In Houston and elsewhere, airport lines could grow and

flights canceled. Passport lines may stretch even longer out

the door. Criminal investigations could move at a slower

pace. And federal housing vouchers might not be issued,

leaving low-income residents and their landlords in a

frightening limbo.

The broad cuts designed under the umbrella of sequestration

were intended by Congress and President Barack Obama to

create such a severe alternative to bipartisan compromise

that it would force lawmakers to come up with a better budget

solution. So far, no such luck.

``We all agree that we need to cut unnecessary waste in the

federal budget and streamline operations, but sequestration

isn't the way to manage government spending,'' said Houston

Congressman Gene Green, a Democrat. ``It's like taking a

hatchet to surgery instead of a scalpel. I'm hoping

leadership resolves their differences before the eleventh

hour.''

Ted Cruz, the freshman GOP senator from Texas, said in

Houston last week that he saw little hope that a deal would

be reached.

``There is a very substantial likelihood that the sequester

will go into effect,'' said Cruz, who blamed Obama's

unwillingness to embrace other cuts. ``I am hopeful that if

it does . . . it will result in some compromises.''

A statement from the White House Sunday said: ``The

President is willing to compromise, but on behalf of the

middle class he cannot accept a deal that undercuts their

economic security.''

Obama has a plan to reduce the deficit by more than $4

trillion.

Because the cuts are across-the-board, there is little

order or sense to what will be affected. Most agencies and

programs would see cuts in the range of 8 to 10 percent,

though some things are exempted, such as food stamps, college

loan grants and the school lunch program.

`Devastating blow'

Experts say the effect will be gradual in many cases. A

quick political resolution would see minimal disruption.

Should the impasse continue, the cuts will be seen and felt

in scores of different places, from neighborhood Head Start

programs to the world-renowned Texas Medical Center, where

$652 million of federal National Institutes of Health grant

money comes in every year for medical research.

``We don't know how it's going to play out, but it could be

a devastating blow,'' said Dr. Robert Robbins, president and

CEO of the Texas Medical Center Corporation. ``We are talking

hundreds of grants a year. We are very concerned about this,

needless to say.''

Johnson Space Center already has suffered cutbacks from the

end of the space shuttle program and a hiatus in human

spaceflight. Now it could see an estimated 5,600 jobs

affected, with other space centers across the nation facing a

similar scenario.

``These damaging cuts would slash roughly 5 percent from

the agency's current annual budget during the remaining seven

months of the 2013 fiscal year, a loss of about $726 million

from the president's budget request,'' NASA said in a

statement.

In some instances, the effect of sequestration cuts could

be noticed right away. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray

LaHood warned that air travelers will encounter longer lines,

canceled flights and shuttered airports in some cases, if

Congress fails to act before the deadline. In preparing to

reduce its expenditures by $600 million, LaHood said he will

begin to furlough 47,000 employees for approximately one day

per pay period through September.

A report prepared by the Texas House in January found:

--Texas would be one of the most severely affected by job

losses, standing to lose almost 99,000 defense jobs and

60,500 non-defense jobs, putting the state third behind

California and Virginia with the top job losses per state.

--The Texas Education Agency's estimated reduction of

$517.6 million is the most significant agency cut. The

Houston Independent School District has estimated a possible

loss of $12 million, much of it aimed at low-income students.

--The University of Texas system predicts that cuts to

research could total from $114 million to $123 million

annually across all institutions.

--Texas Department of Transportation stands to lose up to

$50 million of the $3 billion it normally receives, based on

estimates. Road building and transit projects eventually will

face money woes, but sequestration's effects won't be

immediate, and the agency is awaiting clarity from federal

officials before making any changes to upcoming projects.

Major transit projects, meanwhile, are unlikely to suffer at

all.

Defense cuts were ``especially concerning'' to the House

committee that looked at the impact. Texas is home to 15

active-duty military installations. Sequestration cuts would

affect not just active duty military but also civilian

employees and thousands of contractors and suppliers in the

state as well as the Texas National Guard.

Eviction threat

Texas cities, likewise, face daunting cutbacks in numerous

areas. More than 900 families in the Houston Housing

Authority's rental voucher program, for example, could be at

risk of eviction if the cuts come down, said CEO Tory

Gunsolley, who noted that the city covers 70 percent or more

of their rent. Also slashed would be funding for homeless

families, emergency shelters and housing for those with AIDS.

``At this point you're cutting into bone,'' Gunsolley said.

Counties, too, will face tough decisions. Nonprofit and

community groups rely on Harris County's Community Services

Department for program funding, which is awarded in October.

Each funding letter reminds the recipient that if HUD funding

is cut, their funding will drop, too, said director David

Turkel.

Some possible cuts in Texas

According to White House estimates released Sunday, the

sequestration could include these cuts this year in Texas:

$274.8 million: in military pay to 52,000 civilian

Department of Defense employees who would be furloughed

$51 million: for about 620 teachers, aides and staff who

help children with disabilities

$8.5 million: for clean water and air quality efforts, as

well as pollution prevention from pesticides and hazardous

waste

$6.8 million: to help prevent and treat substance abuse,

resulting in around 2,800 fewer admissions to substance abuse

programs

$3.6 million: for meals for senior citizens

$2.3 million: for job search assistance, referral and

placement for 83,750 unemployed residents

$2.2 million: in grants for fish and wildlife protection

$1.1 million: in grants that support law enforcement,

prosecution and courts, crime prevention, corrections, drug

treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness

initiatives