Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, it is day 10 of the unnecessary and harmful government shutdown and a week away from when we reach the debt ceiling and risk an economic shutdown. It is time to end this dysfunction.

Across this country, people are out of work and wondering, When will this shutdown end? Will the United States default on its debt? And, importantly, Why can't our elected Representatives resolve this?

We can resolve this, and we can do it today. A majority of the House and Senate and our President support compromise legislation to reopen the government. The Speaker should schedule a vote now. And the majority of Americans--our constituents--are opposed to letting a debate about the Affordable Care Act excuse Congress from fulfilling its basic obligation to pay the Nation's bills.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, let's get the government open, make sure we don't cause the Nation to default, and sit down and face the challenges together. We have work to do to build the economy and to begin to rebuild and restore our Nation's confidence in this United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, today is day 7 of an unnecessary and harmful government shutdown that is hurting millions of Americans. Speaker Boehner called it an ``epic battle.''

Hundreds of thousands are out of work, Federal contractors aren't getting paid, small businesses aren't getting loans, home purchases are on hold, nutrition programs are at risk, and Speaker Boehner has said, ``It is time for us to stand and fight.''

With all due respect, Mr. Speaker, this is the U.S. House of Representatives; it is not a battlefield. It is not time for us to fight; it is time for us to vote. Our constituents sent us here to get things done, to work together.

It is not time to fight; it is time to reopen the Federal Government. It is not time to fight; it is time to raise the debt ceiling and pay our bills. It is not time to fight; it is time to get the budget conference committee to work, something we have been asking for for months.

We can do it today, Mr. Speaker. It is not time to fight; it is time to vote. It

is not a surrender; it is a solution. It is not time to fight; it is time to vote.

Mr. Speaker, it is day four and I am just amazed that this government shutdown has been allowed to continue even though we have the votes to end it right now. A bipartisan majority of this House supports the Senate-passed so-called ``clean continuing resolution,'' but for some reason Speaker Boehner won't allow a vote. People back home in Oregon and across the United States don't understand this. The majority of the House, a majority of the Senate, and the President agree on a deal that would reopen the government, but it is not going to happen because the Speaker won't allow a vote.

This is hurting our constituents. One of mine wrote about her family's effort to save enough money for a house, but she is on indefinite furlough, unpaid time that she didn't ask for, didn't deserve and can't afford. Another had planned a trip to visit the Grand Canyon; but after making reservations and buying tickets, the park won't be open and her family's trip will be ruined. Someone else wrote about her pregnant daughter who relies on WIC and won't receive the nutrition assistance she needs.

Yesterday, a volunteer at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge said that years of conservation and restoration work could be set back because there will be no staff on duty to manage the water levels. Researchers at our State's universities, like Oregon State University, had to put projects on hold. They have been unable to collaborate with Federal agencies, important deadlines are being missed, new grant applications aren't being processed.

These are just a few of the stories I am hearing. The shutdown hasn't just affected one agency or one constituency. It has affected everyone who relies on a functioning Federal Government. And, Mr. Speaker, it is chipping away at what is left of the respect for this institution. We can't afford to use any more precious time on piecemeal bills that we know won't go anywhere. It is time to set aside the politics and put the needs of our constituents first.

Mr. Speaker, I understand, as does America, that you and some of your Members do not support the Affordable Care Act. We understand that. We got that message. But it passed both Chambers, was signed into law, and was upheld by the Supreme Court.

Well, Mr. Speaker, I don't like the across-the-board cuts caused by sequestration. They are harming my district and this country, and I will continue to fight them. Yet I am ready now to vote for the clean continuing resolution that contains those cuts. Why? Because it is critical to get the government open now. And every indication is that a majority of this Chamber will do the same.

Mr. Speaker, let us reopen the Federal Government. We can do it today. Mr. Speaker, please let us vote.

Mr. Speaker, this is day three of a completely unnecessary government shutdown. About 800,000 people don't know if they'll have a paycheck at the end of the week. Basic government services are being denied, hundreds of millions of dollars wasted. Moms who count on WIC to feed their kids are being hurt. Head Start providers are closing. Families trying to buy a home are turned away. Small businesses needing loans are told to wait.

This could all end in about 20 minutes if we could just vote on the compromise that already passed the Senate. Is it perfect? No. It funds the government at levels below the budget passed by Democrats in the Senate and proposed by Democrats in the House. It keeps in place the across-the-board cuts triggered by sequestration, which I didn't vote for and do not support. But I am willing to support this bill, this compromise, this so-called clean continuing resolution because we are damaging the country by this shutdown, and we need to reopen the government.

And why is the government shut down? People don't understand this. Well, because some of my colleagues want to defund, delay, and deny the Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, we took an oath here. When we were sworn into the office, we took an oath to support the Constitution. And according to the Constitution, when a bill passes both Chambers and is signed into law by the President, it becomes a law. We learned that in basic civics. The Affordable Care Act is a duly-passed, signed by the President, and upheld by the Supreme Court law.

So if you don't like a law, how do you change it? Again, think back to civics. Through the legislative process. Draft legislation, have hearings, mark it up, put it up for a vote. That's how this body ought to function.

How not to change laws? By shutting down the Federal Government. Who on Earth could be proud of what we are doing here? Who could look at this and be proud? I tell you, the American people, in fact people around the world, are watching. They have seen bitterness and rancor, they have heard oversimplification, and a lot of misinformation.

It is time to stop governing by cynicism and crisis. It's time to realize that what is happening here is beneath the dignity of this Chamber and this body. It's time to restore democracy.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, the American people do not deserve this shutdown. There are enough Members of the Republican and Democratic caucuses to open this government right now.

Mr. Speaker, let us vote. Let's pass the Senate amendment to the continuing resolution, let's reopen the government of this United States of America, and let's do it now.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR that would end this unnecessary government shutdown.

Mr. Speaker, today I am glad to lend my support to legislation that will provide for a one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools program. The Secure Rural Schools program provides needed funding to counties nationwide, and these payments are critical to Oregon's rural timber counties. The funding supports vital public services, including emergency personnel, schools, and infrastructure, and it represents our commitment that Federal forest policy shouldn't drive rural counties into bankruptcy.

But this is only a one-year extension, and Oregon's rural timber counties need long term certainty. Congress must help these counties develop a long term solution to their revenue problems, one that strikes a balance between increasing timber yields on Federal forest land and environmental conservation. This is a difficult process, and although we are making progress, counties need relief right away. For this reason, I strongly support this one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools program, and will continue to work on a lasting solution with my colleagues in the House of Representatives.

I am also pleased to support the main purpose of this legislation, which is to allow for the continued functioning of the Federal Helium Reserve. This program supports important work across a broad spectrum of industries, from chemistry research in our public universities to semiconductor manufacturing done by high-tech firms in Oregon's First Congressional District. The House and Senate have reached a noble, bipartisan solution to guarantee the uninterrupted supply of this critical resource. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

Mr. Chair, I rise in reluctant opposition to H.R. 1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act. Counties in my district in Oregon and across the state have long faced revenue shortfalls because of declining timber receipts, and the extended economic downturn of the last few years dealt another blow. Sequestration has further reduced the availability of federal funds, and for many counties their financial problems are even more acute.

There is no question that federal policy governing the management of the O&C lands must change. Current policy results in consistently low revenue from timber receipts, harming already cash-strapped counties. The failure to allow for fuel reduction that can prevent wildfires is threatening other forestland and the safety of our constituents and their families.

As I have said many times, we need a legislative solution that will help our counties put their finances in order, protect vital natural resources and wildlife habitat, and mitigate the danger posed by wildfire. That solution, however, must be one that can pass both chambers and be signed into law; otherwise our efforts here in D.C. will not make a difference back at home.

H.R. 1526 does extend vitally important county payments through the Secure Rural Schools program by one year. It would lead to more active management of federal forestland in Oregon and it does include some vital environmental conservation provisions. But the overall proposal does not adequately balance economic and environmental priorities and has no chance of becoming law.

Some of my colleagues from Oregon have already put in long hours searching for a solution to this issue that our counties face, and I applaud Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Walden, and Mr. Schrader for their efforts to resolve this issue.

I look forward to continuing to work with my House and Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support a bill that will help our counties and, importantly, will become law. I hope that we can work together with haste to draft and enact broadly-supported legislation that will help our local and county officials back home.

Mr. Speaker, millions of Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to put food on the table. But H.R. 3102, which we'll consider later today, will let families in our districts go hungry. The cuts contained in the bill could leave behind about 120,000 Oregonians who are still struggling to recover from the recession. That's a huge number and will reverberate throughout our communities. Some might say that

charitable institutions can make up the difference, but that's just not so. They're already struggling to meet demands. Without SNAP, millions of Americans will go hungry, plain and simple.

We shouldn't be trying to balance the budget on the backs of hungry families. The bill that will be up today outright abandons them. If we're really concerned about the cost of SNAP, we should focus on addressing the root causes of hunger. Let's cut poverty, not nutrition assistance.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, the men and women of our National Guard serve their dual Federal and State missions bravely. It is essential that we appropriately equip them to succeed in both of those missions.

The Guard plays a critical role in supporting emergency disaster relief. And I applaud their purchase of 500 Humvee ambulances for use in every State, but these ambulances are severely lacking. They contain only the minimal and most basic medical equipment sets. Alarmingly, they lack modern life-saving equipment like cardiac defibrillators and vital signs monitors.

The Guard's ambulances must be properly equipped to deal with emergencies. This is especially important in a State like Oregon, which faces the threat of wildfires and the prospect of a massive earthquake and resulting tidal wave.

As the ambulances are outfitted now, personnel will be extremely limited in the available treatment they can provide to the injured people they seek to protect. State Guard associations and the National Guard Association agree. They have ranked their procurement of medical equipment sets as a priority for the last 2 years. Clearly, there is a need, and we need to meet it.

Chairman Young and Ranking Member Visclosky, it's my understanding that you are opposed to the amendment, as drafted, but support the underlying policy. And Chairman Young,

I appreciate your support of an assessment on this issue on the floor last year. I ask if both of you will be willing to work with me to address this issue as the appropriations process moves forward. And if so, I would withdraw my amendment.

I yield to the ranking member, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky).

I thank the ranking member.

I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

Reclaiming my time, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and ranking member, for your leadership on this bill, and also for your efforts to support the Guard.

I withdraw my amendment in light of the comments made on the floor this afternoon.

Amendment No. 27 Offered by Mr. Walberg

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this amendment to provide our National Guard with the aircraft it needs to perform its missions effectively and efficiently.

The National Guard relies on C-23 Sherpa aircraft for a variety of uses, and they're especially important for missions stateside. These small cargo aircraft transported relief supplies and personnel after Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina. They support special operations missions and training, and they aid the Guard in fighting wildfires.

These planes are flexible, they can be put into use quickly and--this is important, Mr. Chairman--they're less expensive to operate than other options.

Despite opposition from the National Guard Association of the United States and from Governors around this country, the Army now wants to eliminate use of the Sherpa. The C-130 planes they propose using instead are almost two times as expensive to operate. Plus, eliminating the Sherpa would require that the Guard rely on the Air Force for the use of planes. This would add up to a week to access planes, cutting off the Guard's ability to be responsive and flexible. Additionally, the Sherpa is extremely popular with the Special Operations community.

Last year, the House voted to prohibit the Sherpa's retirement. My amendment would uphold current law and prevent the retirement, divestment, or transfer of C-23 aircraft. It would also ensure their continued viable operation, preventing the Army from getting around the law by mothballing the Sherpa into ``flyable storage.''

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment. Let's listen to the men and women of the National Guard and support their success to the fullest extent possible.

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

Mr. Chairman, I do appreciate the comments of the chair. However, if we are talking about limited resources, it makes so much more sense to use planes that are less expensive. Give the men and the women of the National Guard the flexibility and the aircraft that they need.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5, a bill that would take our education system backward instead of into the future.

K-12 education is my passion, and it has been for a long time. In fact, public education issues are what first led me to run for public office. Education is key to rebuilding our economy, to sustaining and improving the quality of life in our communities, and to the functioning of our government and democracy. We are in dire need of long-term thinking about how we can strengthen our public schools.

The policies in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, especially those put into law by No Child Left Behind, need a serious overhaul. The intent of NCLB was laudable: make sure that all students in America's public schools are getting a good education and aren't falling through the cracks. Unfortunately, the law has resulted in an overemphasis on high stakes testing, drastic penalties for low- performing schools, and an imbalanced focus on subjects that are tested at the expense of a well-rounded curriculum. Additionally, the NCLB provisions that prescribe a ``one size fits all'' approach with mandates and restrictions have undermined the teaching profession.

I am extremely disappointed that this reauthorization is moving forward in a rushed manner after only one perfunctory hearing. One of the main reasons I came to Congress was to work with all my colleagues from both sides of the aisle on finding the best policies to ensure that public schools provide all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, with a well-rounded education that prepares them for whatever their future may hold. But this reauthorization has not been given full and fair consideration by the Education and Workforce Committee, and the result is a bill that has little, if any, chance of becoming law. That's not only disappointing; it's detrimental to students across this great country. They deserve better.

H.R. 5 is alarming for a number of reasons. Its massive block grant approach would impede educational equity and make it more likely that students will receive educational opportunities based on where they live and the income of their parents. This, combined with the removal of Maintenance of Effort provisions and cuts to McKinney-Vento funding for homeless students, will result in thousands, if not millions, of fewer students having access to quality education.

I am also extremely concerned about H.R. 5's woefully inadequate funding. A strong system of education is critical to the success of our country and funding it should be a priority. Instead of taking money away from schools, especially those serving the lowest-income students, we should be investing in their improvement.

One important change that's needed to strengthen public education is to move away from high-stakes testing and allow states and school districts to use multiple measures in assessment, including adaptive testing and formative assessments. School performance should be measured in multiple ways, using multiple subjects and indicators. Additionally, teacher evaluations need to be improved and necessary support, including mentoring, given to teachers and school leaders. Though more work is always needed, Ranking Member Miller's substitute amendment to H.R. 5 makes these improvements and more. I am proud to support it.

The substitute amendment also takes an important step forward with its comprehensive program for STEM education. One of the most exciting provisions in this program is the recognition of the value of arts and design to STEM learning, adding an ``A'' to make STEAM. Enhancing STEM through the arts and design will engage more students in school while helping them develop into innovative critical thinkers. Employers aren't looking for good test-takers; they want people who can create, communicate, and collaborate. The provisions recognizing the importance of the arts and design in STEM will give our students the skills they need to be competitive in the workforce.

It's also important to recognize the benefits of a well-rounded, whole child approach to education. Students must be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged at school to reach their full potential. Subjects like civics, physical education, and second languages lead to the development of well-rounded students who become productive and innovative adults. A well-rounded education gives students a greater diversity of skills, increases their engagement with subject material, and helps keeps them in school. The Democratic substitute makes significant strides toward achieving these goals.

I am also pleased that Ranking Member Miller's substitute addresses many other shortcomings in our education system, including the flawed practice of seclusion and restraint, background checks for staff and contractors with access to children, standards for concussion safety, and meaningful funding levels for homeless students.

With that, I urge my colleagues to invest in our students, our teachers, and our schools, and to oppose H.R. 5 so we can return to a full and thorough consideration of our federal education policies.

I thank the ranking member for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5.

It's clear that we need long-term thinking and real changes to improve the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and give our students the schools worthy of their potential.

H.R. 5 does some things right, but too many things wrong. It underfunds title 1, cutting funding to the schools most in need of our support. It allows students with disabilities to be taught at lower standards, letting those who need more attention fall through the cracks. It eliminates provisions that assist homeless students, puts too much emphasis on the failed strategy of basing teacher evaluations on student test scores, and, Mr. Chairman, it perpetuates inequality.

This bill is a missed opportunity. We could--and should--be working on legislation that includes more support for STEM education, a bill that has provisions to ensure that every student receives a well- rounded education that includes civics and arts and music. We should be focusing on the whole child, ensuring that every student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

This bill doesn't address these important issues. I cannot support it, and I encourage my colleagues to oppose it as well.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the underlying bill because it will increase hunger in America.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the McGovern amendment, which I am proud to cosponsor, and I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for his leadership on this issue of vital importance to my constituents and to struggling families across the country.

It has been nearly six months since we voted on an eight month Farm Bill extension, and in that time I have spoken with people across Oregon's First Congressional District about their priorities. In those conversations, three central goals emerged for reauthorization. Provide certainty to the agriculture community through a five year extension, support specialty crop producers in Oregon, and fully fund the nutrition programs that provide a safety net for our friends and neighbors who are still trying to bounce back from the hard times of the latest economic recession.

The bill before us today accomplishes two of these goals, but on the third, it falls absolutely flat. To remove more than $20 billion from the SNAP program at a time when economic conditions mean that even more families are becoming eligible, is irresponsible and unfair.

Our economy continues to recover, but millions of American children and families remain in poverty. According to the Oregon Food Bank, the SNAP cuts in this year's farm bill will cause about 90,000 Oregonians to lose the assistance they rely on to put food on the table. If we're really concerned about the cost of this program, we should focus addressing the root cause. Let's cut poverty, not nutrition assistance.

For this reason I have joined the gentleman from Massachussetts, Mr. McGovern, in cosponsoring this amendment that will restore funding for the SNAP program in the bill. I urge compassion for those families who are still struggling and ask that my colleagues vote in favor of the amendment.

Today, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1797, legislation that would throw doctors in jail for providing constitutionally protected health care. Many of my colleagues talk about less government. Well, here's a place where I agree. This bill takes away the ability of women to make their own health care decisions and attempts to replace the informed judgment of doctors with the opinions of politicians.

Often, there are unexpected complications. Danielle Deaver's amniotic fluid ruptured at 22 weeks, leaving the pregnancy without adequate fluid to continue to develop. Jennifer Peterson was pregnant when she was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Danielle, Jennifer, and women like them should be able to face these difficult situations by consulting with their doctors. They should not have to worry about whether they're violating an unconstitutional law.

When abortion is made illegal, it does not go away; it becomes unsafe. Let's not play politics with women's health care. Let's focus on prevention and making sure that women have access to safe and legal abortions. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this unconstitutional bill.