Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the President was right last week when he said that nobody won after last week's political spectacle--instead, it was America that lost--but I am glad that we finally came together and reopened the government.

If we had followed the Republican plan, we would only have funded 17 percent of the entire Federal Government. Such haphazard funding is really a recipe for a long-term, manmade disaster--a colossal failure to invest adequately in our Nation's future.

So, in the next few weeks, we will have an opportunity to come together and, once and for all, put these funding battles behind us. We all understand that agreeing on a budget will not be easy, but that doesn't mean we should wait until the last minute to start talking to one another. Let's get back to work now and start the process of figuring out how we can agree on a balanced and reasonable fiscal plan that puts middle class American families first and the American Dream back in reach.

Madam Speaker, throughout my political career, I have always tried to work with my colleagues--no matter the party--to get things done for my constituents in San Diego.

This week, however, it is hard to point to anything we did to help the American people.

As we move past this episode, commentators will inevitably try to decide who looked strong, and who looked weak, who is up in the polls and who is down, who blinked and who stood firm. But Mr. Speaker we need to move past such talk.

Because make no mistake, there were no winners this week. Only losers.

Thousands of hard working American families who rely on government aid programs, federal employees who were furloughed, and kids just hoping to visit a national park all were hurt this week for no real reason at all.

In fact, in my city of San Diego alone, it is estimated we lost $7 million a week during the shutdown. $7 million. Imagine the investments in our schools, roads, and small businesses that we could have made with that money.

Madam Speaker we can't keep hurting ourselves. We have many important things to do to put Americans back to work and strengthen the middle class to be playing these sorts of games.

The American economy is on the road to recovery, but we keep getting in its way, as we barely avert one manmade disaster after another. For once, let's bring stability to the markets, rather than continually manufacturing uncertainty.

In the next few weeks we will have an opportunity to come together and once and for all, put these battles behind us. We understand that agreeing on a budget will not be easy. But that doesn't mean we should stop talking and wait until the last minute to figure out what to do.

Instead, let's start working today on finding a balanced approach to solving our budget problems. We can do this, but only if we stop playing games and get to work as soon as possible.

Madam Speaker, Americans are sick and tired of watching the show we put on this week, and I am sick and tired of being a part of it. Most of all, I am sick and tired that people here in the Majority think they can routinely use my friends and neighbors back home in San Diego as pawns in some larger political game.

Let's agree to never again embrace such a reckless approach to governing that does nothing but cause needless pain to the American people. Let's agree to never again make up problems, when we have actual ones to solve. Let's agree to discuss our differences rather than resent each other for them.

That's what American democracy is all about, that's what it has always been about.

Mr. Speaker, it pains me to see the shutdown's impact on everyday lives. While ordering coffee the other day, I asked Diona, the hardworking woman behind the counter, how she was doing that day. She confided that she had been up all night taking care of her 3-year-old son, who was suffering from stomach pains. She was exhausted. She wanted to buy the Lactaid milk that settles her boy's stomach, but because of the shutdown, her WIC office was not open. Her WIC card was out of money, and she was a long way from payday.

There are probably tens of thousands of Dionas out there--women working hard and worried about their kids and not sure how they will make ends meet. The media may be focusing on the rancor, the talking points of politics, but this shutdown is really about a little boy with stomach pains and a mother who cannot afford to give him relief. The Women, Infants, and Children program helps low-income women buy formula and other healthy foods, and it is one of our most successful nutrition programs. It is just one of the shutdown's many casualties.

Let us end this shutdown right now. Let us vote on a clean bill to fund the whole government. Let us restore vital problems like WIC, and let us stop this lunacy and get back to work for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, to open the government and go to conference on a budget so that we end this Republican government shutdown.

Mr. Speaker, I have spent my career in San Diego, Sacramento, and DC working with all of my colleagues--no matter the party--to get things done for my constituents in San Diego.

But now sadly, I stand on this floor and watch what I consider to be the greatest show of political dysfunction I have seen during my time in public service.

I hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle speak of winning, of putting points on the board. Winning? Mr. Speaker, there is no winning to be had here.

But, I can tell you who is losing--hard working American families, my constituents in San Diego, and the great state of California.

Every day that this shutdown continues more of my friends and neighbors are harmed.

My city of San Diego loses $7 million a week every week that this continues. $7 million. Imagine the investments in our schools, roads, and small businesses that we could be making with that money.

Jobless claims are surging as the many San Diegan contracting businesses are forced to lay off their workers.

Small businesses in San Diego are finding it difficult to sustain their operations, as they lose thousands in stalled federal small business loans and grants.

The many veterans who live in San Diego are finding their hard-earned and well-deserved benefits delayed.

And now, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk of negotiating?

The Senate passed a budget in March--in March. For months and months, I have joined with my Democratic colleagues requesting that the House appoint conferees to negotiate a compromise. Nothing. No willingness to open up a dialogue, to negotiate. Nothing.

Now, the government is shut down, and my friends and neighbors in San Diego are suffering. We can fix that right now. We can take a vote to reopen the government right now.

Then we can get together and talk like adults about our differences on the budget--and not use my friends and neighbors as leverage to score points in a game that no one will win. This isn't a game, this is lunacy.

Mr. Speaker, this shutdown has affected more than just the government. We all need to understand that.

Yesterday, I learned that a veteran-owned small business in my district that contracts with the Navy has had to furlough its workers; but because they are not Federal employees, they won't be receiving backpay when the government resumes full operations. The lost pay will have a terrible impact on these employees and their families, but their absence is also seriously affecting the financial well-being of the small business that employs them.

Let's think about this: How often is this happening throughout the country? And you begin to see how San Diego, alone, is losing $7 million a week during the shutdown. How much longer are we going to play political games when everyone is guaranteed to lose?

For our communities, for our economy, and, most of all, for those who are out of work, even one more day is too long. Let's fund the whole government and end this shutdown.

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, I visited the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego. As I spoke with SPAWAR employees, I was proud, but not surprised, to learn that the majority of them were veterans.

In fact, this happens almost every time I speak to a group of Federal workers.

Veterans represent more than 25 percent of the entire Federal Government workforce--so many of whom sacrificed for our country in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After making the difficult transition to civilian life, none of them expected to be told that they cannot come to work.

Let our veterans and the rest of the Federal workforce do their jobs. The best way to serve veterans and honor our promise to them is to reopen the entire government without delay.

Mr. Speaker, not only has the majority chosen to shut down vital government functions that all Americans depend on, but they have specifically and unabashedly targeted women.

Some of my colleagues are willing to gamble with the livelihoods of millions of public servants simply to ensure that women do not have access to affordable contraception and preventative health care. They are willing to sabotage our government to prevent prenatal checkups and cancer screenings. They would risk our economic recovery to make sure that women will pay more for health care than men.

The government shutdown has already taken a toll on women and children by slashing funding for vital nutritional and clinical services. We cannot allow this shutdown to be used to strip away all of the gains the ACA made for women's health. Do they really want pregnancy to be a preexisting condition again? And are they willing to shut the place down to stop women from being able to pay for health care?

Enough, Mr. Speaker. Bring on a clean funding bill, open the government, and let it pass for all of our sakes.

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, September 28, I missed the following votes:

H. Res. 361--Waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules, and relating to consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 2642, to provide for the reform of agricultural programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2018.

On agreeing to the resolution had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall No. 493.

H. Res. 366--Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 59) making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes, and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3210) making continuing appropriations for military pay in the event of a Government shutdown

On ordering the previous question had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall No. 494.

H. Res. 366--Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 59) making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2014 . . .

On agreeing to the resolution had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall No. 495.

H.R. 2251--To designate the United States courthouse located at 118 South Mill Street, in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, as the ``Edward J. Devitt United States Courthouse.''

On motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall No. 496.

H.J. Res. 59--Making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes.

On concurring in the Senate amendment with amendment #1 (permanently repeal medical device tax) had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall No. 497.

H.J. Res. 59--Making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes.

On concurring in the Senate amendment with amendment #2 (delay implementation of the ACA by one year) had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall No. 498.

H.R. 3210--Making continuing appropriations for military pay in the event of a Government shutdown.

On passage had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall No. 499.

H.R. 2848--Department of State Operations and Embassy Security Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2014.

On motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall No. 500.

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, September 25, 2013, I missed the following votes: H.R. 1961--To amend title 46, United States Code, to extend the exemption from the fire-retardant materials construction requirement for vessels operating within the Boundary Line. H. Res. 354--Providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate amendment to H.R. 527, with an amendment. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``no'' on rollcall No. 484, ``yes'' on rollcall No. 485.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sorrow that I mourn the passing of one of San Diego's greatest advocates for women's and LGBT equality, Gloria Johnson.

Gloria Johnson has moved on but her legacy as a San Diego champion of limitless equality will not be forgotten. Gloria has participated and organized civil rights and peace movements for more than 50 years. She has received many awards and honors that make evident her commitment to equality for all.

Gloria's commitment to humanity was not only apparent in her volunteerism, but also through her professional career as a social worker. While working for the County of San Diego, Gloria was one of the first in San Diego County to work with people diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS in the AIDS Case Management Program.

After Gloria retired from her 30 years as a social worker with San Diego County, she was just getting started. Not only was Gloria committed to equality for women and LGBT issues, she was committed to working closely with elected officials on all levels to create the progress she so deeply sought.

Gloria was even more in life than the impressive list of her accomplishments on paper. Having worked closely with her for decades, I remember her energy and her unforgettable smile. She was just so vibrant. Gloria was always there at big events in San Diego and small ones wearing stickers and buttons proclaiming loud and clear what she thought needed to happen. I can remember so many times pulling up in the parking lot for an event and seeing her tiny car covered in clever bumper stickers already there and knowing that Gloria would be there as always, early and enthusiastic. Gloria's positive vibe and commitment to justice year in and year out were simply contagious.

I'm glad she got to bear witness to so much progress in her lifetime. She was so proud of the women and gay and lesbian people in public office in San Diego and of all the milestones those two movements achieved in the past half century thanks to Gloria and those like her.

As we all remember Gloria's strong commitment to equality, let's commit to working hard for women and members of the LGBT community so we can ensure that Gloria's life work will not be in vain.

Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to have an opportunity to join with my colleague from Arizona, Congresswoman Sinema, to talk about the issue of veteran suicide today and to do it from a personal perspective here, as well.

Daniel Somers, as the Congresswoman noted, was a talented young man, a decorated war hero, and a proud soldier. He asked for help. He did. He reached out to the VA in hopes of being admitted to their suicide prevention unit, but he was informed at that time that there was no inpatient availability, no appointments that he could get right away. We now know that Daniel took his life just a few days later.

His case was brought home to me because his parents, Jean and Howard Somers, live in my former district and actually were friends of mine and friends of people that I knew. When I first heard the story, I was taken, as anybody would be, by their grief, by what had happened, and the fact that we just cannot let that happen again.

I think they asked the question that we all ask: How could a young man like that fall through the cracks? How was it that people did not respond to him? How can we make a promise to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan when we cannot guarantee placement in a suicide prevention treatment center?

One thing I think that we all learn from this is that we have to listen to our constituents. What I have found to be so rewarding is that parents with this kind of grief can work through that and use their son's words to become strong advocates for what is needed in the system.

Having served on the Personnel Committee, I know it was very important to me to work through this issue for a number years as we know of the many causes of suicide among those who have served in the military. We know that, in fact, the major reasons are not necessarily combat stress. Recent reports have shown us that financial hardship and relationship strife are major causes of suicide among the military. It points out to us how critically important this discussion of mental health is in our country.

Sometimes I feel like we've arrived a bit and we plan. I know agencies throughout our country and throughout the VA plan so hard so that these kinds of tragedies do not occur; but they do occur, no matter how hard the effort is. We have got to redouble those efforts, we have got to listen, and we have got to encourage our families to do what they can and what they think is right.

I actually think that one of the reasons that the Somers family has become such strong advocates is because people did respond to them. They didn't push them aside and say, Well, this is a terrible story, and we're sad that it happened. We're not sure we can do anything about it.

We can do something about it, and we will.

I thank my colleague for bringing this forward, and I thank the Somers family, as well.

Mr. Speaker, it's no secret that we, as a Nation, face tough choices on how to resolve our fiscal disagreements, but a government shutdown or a default is exactly the wrong answer.

Every day, people all across our country figure out how to get their jobs done, despite all sorts of disagreements. We must remember that compromise was the foundation of our Constitution and the cornerstone of our system of government. But for some reason, people here in Washington seem to have forgotten this most basic idea.

My constituents in San Diego have worked too hard and struggled too much to fight through this economic downturn. The last thing they need is a government shutdown because some in Congress can't get their act together.

Are we really going to let petty politics prevent us from doing the work to fund our government? Are we really going to stop processing of checks to our constituents, to our veterans, and to law enforcement?

Mr. Speaker, a shutdown or a default is not governance, it's lunacy.

Mr. Speaker, we all have extremely vivid memories of this day 12 years ago.

Personally, I remember seeing the clouds of smoke from the Pentagon through my office window and the panicked feeling I had as I searched all day for my children who live in New York City but couldn't reach.

I recently saw the emptiness that we all felt captured at Memorial Plaza. We can honor those we lost by remembering that, after the immense tragedy of that day, we rose as a Nation, united in the belief that there was no obstacle we could not overcome together.

Have we lost that spirit?

Many would say that this Congress has been stalled on the best way to lead this Nation, focusing too much on what divides us, losing sight of what brings us together.

It is my hope that we will put aside our differences and come together for the American people. Let us use the sad, traumatic reminder of today and remember that we are all Americans and we all want what is best for our families, our communities, and our country.

Mr. Speaker, last week I joined my colleagues in a bipartisan trip to New York City to celebrate America's immigrant heritage. Together, we sailed toward the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

We stared down those dark, cascading waterfalls at the 9/11 Memorial, and remembered our ancestors at the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the African burial grounds. All around us were reminders of how people came to America, by choice or not, sometimes not by choice, but then hoping for a better life.

Our country has been the better because of it. Whether it's the laborers who built our bridges or the scientists and leaders who made their mark in history, we couldn't be where we are today without immigrants.

I was reminded of that as I witnessed a naturalization ceremony; 82 people from 27 countries became new Americans that day, and you could see their beaming faces.

Immigration is at our core, the moral fiber that binds us together and makes us stronger. Congress now has a responsibility to pass an immigration bill that is worthy of our rich heritage.

Let's write the next chapter of American history, one that our children and our grandchildren can be proud of.