Steve Womack

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Cole, for giving me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 9770, the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2027, in hopes that it is not necessary. If we were to complete our work as the Framers had intended and outlined for us, we wouldn't be standing here today.

This is an insurance policy. This ensures that, assuming we don't finish our work by the end of September, by the end of this fiscal year, our government will be held harmless. Who could argue an insurance policy that holds a government harmless when we begin a new fiscal year?

Under the leadership of Mr. Cole, the House Appropriations Committee, as you just heard, has advanced all 12 bills out of committee. We have done our job well before the end of the fiscal year. Three of these full-year funding bills have already cleared the floor and are ready for action in the Senate.

That is sizeable progress toward our goal of restoring regular order in this appropriations process. I am exceedingly proud of the work my colleagues and I have done in crafting responsible bills that rightsize the discretionary side of our budget, but I am also pragmatic.

I am aware of the political realities that lie before us right now, and the very fact is that we have a job to do, and time is running out on us. Too often, Mr. Speaker, we wait until the eleventh hour to create some kind of a process by which we can avoid a real catastrophe, gambling with the functions of government that people depend on.

H.R. 9770 is a clean solution to extend government funding until December 4, ensuring zero disruptions to the operations of programs like SNAP, like WIC, the National Flood Insurance Program, disaster relief fund, and scores of other programs.

It is no secret that I am not a fan of CRs. No self-respecting appropriator would ever embrace a CR. My preference has always been to fulfill our Article I responsibility before the deadline, following through on the job that the American people sent us to Washington to do. Passing this CR is a much better alternative than to threaten the government shutdown at the expense of the American people.

This CR does not prevent us from continuing our work on full-year fiscal year 2027 appropriations. Instead, it provides a runway to work with our Senate counterparts and iron out a final agreement, all while preventing the abyss of uncertainty created by a lapse in appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, for 43 days, a stalemate in Congress caused an unnecessary and costly government shutdown as political games took priority over our constitutional responsibility. The shutdown impacted many services and programs that our constituents count on. It crippled biomedical research, upended infrastructure projects, and risked our national security.

As chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I can speak directly to the impact it had on agencies within our jurisdiction. Prior to the shutdown, the FAA was already falling short of its controller staffing targets. The shutdown exacerbated that problem.

Without the promise of a paycheck, many of these air traffic controllers opted to take other employment opportunities instead of doing the job that the American people needed them to do. The results were canceled or delayed flights and ground stops at airports across the Nation.

By the end of the shutdown, Mr. Speaker, 6 million people had been affected, not to mention the estimated costs incurred by the U.S. travel sector of $150 million a day.

This is just one of many examples of the catastrophic consequences of a government shutdown. What we are doing

today is offering this insurance policy to see that that doesn't happen again.

We have a binary choice later today on this bill. You are either going to vote for continuing the appropriations that fund the discretionary side of government till December 4, or you will be in the column voting to shut the government down. I think it is a pretty simple, no-brainer kind of vote.

I encourage my colleagues--including my friend, the ranking member, Ms. DeLauro from Connecticut--to vote ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 2026 men's outdoor track and field national champions, the Arkansas Razorbacks, led by their head coach, Doug Case.

The Hogs brought home the national title after 4 days of competition at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

From start to finish, these men exemplified what it means to be a Razorback. They brought grit, energy, and an unwavering determination to the competition. They fought until the very last event to secure that title.

Throughout the meet, Arkansas rose to the top, seizing key opportunities to

score points in field events, sprints, and middle-distance events.

In the field, Scottie Vines, a Colorado native, brought an impressive performance in the high jump. He cleared five consecutive bars, ending at 7 feet 4\1/2\ inches. Juriad Hughes put out a set of career-best marks in the long jump. Building on that momentum was Ernest Cheruiyot in the 10,000. Keeping the Hogs on the leaderboard were powerhouse performances by Tyrice Taylor and Rivaldo Marshall in the 800 and Jelani Watkins in the 100. Bringing the victory home was TJ Tomlyanovich, Devyn Wright, Zander Cruzan, and Jordan Pierre in the 4 by 400.

This type of elite performance doesn't happen by chance. It happens as a direct result of the dedication and discipline that are refined in long hours on the track and in the weight room. It is a product of excellence in every practice, down to every drill, every rep. It also happens because of exceptional leadership.

I want to extend my special congratulations to Doug Case, who in his first year, Mr. Speaker, as head coach, has led these men to four titles: two in the SEC and two national championships in indoor and outdoor track. This accomplishment is unprecedented and is a feat not achieved by any first-year head coach in over four decades.

Mr. Speaker, I can't forget Doug's wife, and his number one cheerleader, Chris Case, for her support of this championship program.

I should also recognize assistant coaches Rob Jarvis, Cale Wallace, Brandon Battle, Steven Strobis, and Danny Green. Their contributions should not go unnoticed.

This year's victory builds on the generational legacy of track-and- field dominance at the University of Arkansas. The 2026 title in outdoors was the 11th NCAA outdoor championship for our Hogs and the 53rd national championship for track and field programs overall.

Mr. Speaker, this win isn't just a trophy. It is a testament to the hard work of every athlete and every coach this season. I look forward to celebrating the team's future accomplishments and watching this momentum carried into the next school year.

Coach Case has set a very high bar in his first season as our head coach. I look forward to the future under his leadership.

Wooo. Pig. Sooie. Go Hogs.

Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, June 14, our Nation will celebrate Flag Day. It was on that date in 1777, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress, that our Nation adopted Old Glory as the flag of the United States. It was, and is, the single-most recognizable symbol of the great American experiment and has endured through our Nation's greatest triumphs and its greatest hardships.

From the Revolutionary War to the World Wars, from the age of space exploration to the fight for civil rights, the Stars and Stripes has stood as a symbol of American courage and resolve. It is worn by those who serve their country in uniform, and it has been draped over the coffins of those who sacrificed their lives for what it represents.

Yet, Congress, the constitutional body charged with making our Nation's laws, does not have the legal authority to decide how our most sacred symbol, the flag, should be protected.

We have seen folks burn and desecrate the flag, an act that shows deep contempt for those who know and understand what this flag symbolizes. But Congress can take the first step to restore its authority and the American people's First Amendment right to demand its protection.

That is why I have proposed a constitutional amendment returning to Congress that power to prohibit the physical desecration of the American flag. This issue was once debated, legislated, and settled through the democratic process, but it has been untouchable for nearly four decades following a decision by the Supreme Court.

That decision overturned laws in 48 out of 50 States that protected our flag from desecration. If the American people remain united in their commitment to protect our Nation's flag, Congress should do its part.

Mr. Speaker, this is a historic year. It is our Nation's 250th anniversary. I can't think of a better year for Congress to step up in the spirit of self-governance and make an effort to give our flag the protection it deserves.

On this Flag Day, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reflect on what the Stars and Stripes means to them and to join me in restoring Congress' constitutional authority to protect it in accordance with the will of the American people.