Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1014, I call up the bill (H.R. 7147) making further consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act.

This bill marks the final measure of our FY26 agenda. Our work here is about one of the most important duties, which is keeping the American people and our homeland safe.

This legislation delivers just that and upholds the America First agenda through supporting border patrol enforcement agents, detention and deportation efforts, cutting-edge technology to detect illicit activity, and Coast Guard investments to counter Communist China's aggression in the maritime sphere.

We enhance resources to combat fentanyl and other deadly drugs, while safeguarding children through expanded investigation into human trafficking and forced labor.

From our borders and ports to aviation and cyberspace, this legislation delivers the personnel, training, and technology needed to reinforce our defenses and confront those who wish us harm.

It also prioritizes strong and resilient communities by bolstering disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. Subcommittee Chairman Mark Amodei prioritized safety at every level. Even in the face of political challenge, he and the ranking member, Mr. Cuellar of Texas, worked together to produce a serious and responsible bill.

H.R. 7147 is focused on outcomes, not partisan rhetoric. It equips frontline personnel, strengthens enforcement, and provides the certainty DHS needs to carry out its mission effectively.

I thank our Members and staff for their work, and I urge support for this bipartisan legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Amodei), my very good friend and distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse), my very good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Washington.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford), my very good friend and a former law enforcement official and sheriff.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford), my very good friend and distinguished gentleman who is also the vice-chair of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Dakota (Mrs. Fedorchak), my very good friend.

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

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

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

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

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

I want to begin by thanking two outstanding appropriators: Mr. Amodei, the chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee of Appropriations, and his working partner and colleague, the ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar). They have done an extraordinary job on this bill.

We have heard a lot of rhetoric today. Not much of it has anything to do with what is in the bill. The bill itself is a good, strong bill. It is a bill for, frankly, the two Members who worked well together. It is not a perfect bill, as my friend Mr. Cuellar said, certainly not from his perspective, but it is a solid bill. There are no poison pills in this bill.

It focuses on making the American people more secure. It does so economically and efficiently, and it does so in a way that, honestly, should make every member of the committee proud.

This is a difficult bill to bring forward, no doubt about that. Each side has struggled with it over the years. I am very proud that the ranking member and the chairman worked together to bring a bill to the floor. That has not happened in a long, long time. Usually, it just sort of gets muddled in. It says a great deal about their professionalism and their cooperation.

If you listened to the debate, you would think we have law enforcement in chaos and that somehow our country is not secure. Quite the opposite is true. Quite frankly, President Trump

should be commended for what he and his administration have accomplished in a matter of weeks and months that most of us thought would take years.

Our borders are secure. They are more secure now than they have ever been. It wasn't that long ago that I was on this floor talking about 15,000 a day, 10,000 a day coming in illegally. That has stopped.

As a consequence of that, crime has gone down, not up. That is a great success for the American people. Drug trafficking is down, not up. That is a great success for the American people. The scourge of human trafficking, the exploitation of usually young women and young men, has been dramatically lowered. That is thanks to President Trump, the people who he has put in charge of our border security and our internal security, and the hard work of our Coast Guard.

There is a lot in this bill that has nothing to do with ICE. We fund the Border Patrol here. Are we supposed to not pay those men and women who have kept us secure? We fund the Coast Guard, which, as my friends point out and the distinguished chair of this committee pointed out, has been refocused on some of the maritime security issues, particularly relating to foreign adversaries as far away as China.

This bill deals with FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If you are voting against this bill, you are voting against funding the people who will help you in a hurricane and a tornado or a disaster of some sort. Why in the world should they be penalized?

I think we should look at the bill in its totality. We should look at the difficulty of the task that we asked the chairman and the ranking member to do. We should thank them for the hard work and wisdom that they both exhibited in bringing this product to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I do worry about the rhetoric around this bill. I personally believe it is not intentional, but it is reckless encouraging people to believe that we have masses of bad actors in a particular agency. Some of the rhetoric--mostly not on this floor, let me say that--that I have heard in the country about comparing law enforcement officers to the gestapo or the Nazis, that is terrible. That is not true. That is not who they are. That is not what they do. That kind of rhetoric, when we hear it and wherever we hear it from, is dangerous and reckless and wrong.

We have had a good debate here today on a variety of bills, and I will end on a little more positive note.

Mr. Speaker, I, again, thank my friend, the ranking member, for her work. We don't always agree on everything. This bill is probably an example of that, but we work together well and professionally. One of the reasons we can consider this bill separately is my friend made that request and made it very convincingly to me. I know she is a person of good faith, and I will work with her wherever I can.

Again, I thank her for her friendship and leadership. We will not agree on this matter today, on this particular item, but there is much, much more that we agree on than we disagree on. We would not have gotten to this point without working together.

Having said that, I do think this is pretty clear, Mr. Speaker. The right thing to do here is to fund the people that protect America, that defend our borders, that help us in times of disaster, and, yes, who find criminals who have come into the country illegally, committed crimes, and make sure they are expelled. That makes America safer and better and more secure.

I thank the President and his administration for doing that. I think we should rally around them and show our support for what they have done by passing this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 7006, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 7006, the Financial Services- General Government bill, which institutes fiscal year 2026 funding for the Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs appropriations measures.

This Congress has a fundamental responsibility to fund the government, and this two-bill package is our next step toward completing the full 12 bills.

When done the right way, funding the government is not a single vote. It is a process that requires steady, deliberative progress. I am proud to say we are doing just that.

Today marks the second time this month that we are bringing bipartisan, bicameral bills to the floor. We promised the American people a responsible Member-driven process, and that is precisely what we are delivering.

This two-bill package reflects Member input, the America-first agenda, and the collaboration across political aisles and Chambers that serves the Nation.

Advancing full-year appropriations matters because it gives the country certainty and direction. It allows vital agencies to plan, make decisions, and do their jobs based on today's realities and not policies from the past. That is how we move from promises to action and carry out the America-first agenda mandated by the people.

Mr. Chair, those priorities are reflected throughout the measure before us. Through the Financial Services-General Government portion of the bill, Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee Chairman David Joyce advanced important provisions that drive economic growth, uphold consumer freedom, and support entrepreneurship and small businesses, reinforcing the foundations of the American Dream for people and job creators nationwide.

It also advances needed government efficiencies by cutting waste, modernizing technology and cybersecurity, and addressing unused Federal space and buildings. Crucially, it also protects Americans from a supercharged IRS by cutting enforcement and redirecting resources to customer service. This is especially important as we approach tax- filing season and implement the working families tax cut, allowing families to keep more of what they earn.

Just as this package strengthens economic security and accountability, it also reinforces America's security and leadership at home and abroad. The National Security-Department of State measures champion an America-first policy agenda. We replaced the weakness of prior administrations by restoring President Trump's Peace Through Strength agenda. National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart took decisive action to reprioritize funding in support of our Nation's security. This allowed us to eliminate $9.3 billion in spending while reasserting deterrence and leadership.

To protect the safety, freedom, and prosperity of the American people, we showed that focused strategy, not endless spending, is what delivers results. We make critical investments in high-impact initiatives that combat narcotics and human trafficking, confront the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party, and counter terrorism.

We reinforce democracy and human rights efforts, and we defend religious liberty. As both a moral duty and vital American interest, we will not tolerate religious persecution and attacks on faith. Upholding those values strengthens American leadership and advances freedom around the world.

We also eliminate wasteful initiatives, implement the necessary accountability at the United Nations, and prohibit any funds for things like UNRWA or the Taliban. The bottom line: We counter our foes, stand with our friends, and ensure investments are focused on security, keeping Americans safe, and enhancing our global edge.

Taken in its entirety, the package serves a clear purpose: safety, strength, and freedom. That is certainly something that we can all support.

I commend the detailed work of our chairmen, Representatives Joyce and

Diaz-Balart. Their leadership and careful stewardship of this package ensured that the substance of the bill matched the responsibility of the task.

I thank their accompanying ranking members, Representative Steny Hoyer and Lois Frankel, for their professionalism and engagement in the process. This work demonstrates what we can accomplish through collaboration and respect.

I also particularly thank my good friend and working partner, the distinguished ranking member of the full committee, Ms. DeLauro, and I also thank the superb staff on both sides of the aisle who worked tirelessly to present us with the product before us today.

As I look ahead, Mr. Chairman, to today's vote, I am grateful for the future that I see, one where President Trump keeps his pen ready because full-year appropriations are advancing and certainty is being restored.

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleagues for their time. I urge all Members to support this bipartisan package, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart), my very good friend and the vice chair of the full committee and chair of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce), my very good friend and the distinguished chair of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards), my very good friend who is the distinguished vice chairman of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Subcommittee.

Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota), who is the distinguished vice chairman of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford), my very good friend and valued member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Missouri.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill), my very good friend, the distinguished chairman of the Financial Services Committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner), my very good friend and classmate.

Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I begin by, number one, thanking my very good friend, the ranking member of the full committee. As I said in my opening statement, this is a process, and we are a long way into the process now, thanks, in large part, to her efforts and certainly the efforts of the ranking members and chairs of the two committees whose legislative work we are considering today.

It is important to recognize that these bills together reduce funding. They actually reduce funding. A CR would actually cost us more. They also update, refine, and change language in some cases that is 2 and 3 years old and is simply out of date with the current circumstances.

If we were to fail to pass these bills in these respective areas, then that language would remain intact. I think it is important to recognize that we were able to come to agreements in this way simply because we have a common commitment to a set of principles and a process that really isn't partisan in nature.

I know my friend, Ms. DeLauro, and I know her colleagues believe very much in the Article I power of Congress. We assert that power by passing appropriations bills. I commend my friends for working with us to do that.

I know my friends also believe very deeply in the importance and the power of the Appropriations Committee. So do I. The fact is, we know that to get our job done, at the end of the day, it is going to have to be bipartisan and bicameral. A lot of people are going to have to move or give up some things that they feel very strongly about for the greater good of making sure that the Government of the United States is appropriately funded. We do it in a way that, again, as my good friend Mr. Hoyer said, it is not the bill any of us would have written individually, but the point is, it is a collaborative effort of give and take that has produced something that the vast majority of us can and will vote for today.

This is eight bills into this process. We have a big job in the few days ahead of us till the end of the month, but I share my friend the ranking member's confidence that we can get that job done and that we can be back here and find a way to put all these bills in front of this Chamber for their consideration and also pass them and make sure the Government of the United States is funded on a bipartisan, bicameral basis through the balance of this fiscal year.

Mr. Chair, I share my friend's pride in the product in front of us. I know if she got to write it all by herself, it would look a little bit different. She knows if I got to write it all by myself, it would look different. The point is, this is one we got to write together with give and take, and I am very proud that this committee got every one of its bills out of committee, sat down and worked with our colleagues in the other Chamber on both sides of the aisle, and has produced a product that we know we have broad consensus on.

Mr. Chair, I will end by commending all those involved. My friend, Ms. DeLauro, always makes a point of how important the staff is in this process, and that is absolutely true. While a lot of people were celebrating the holidays, and appropriately so, that wasn't true if you worked on the Appropriations staff, unless you were one of the lucky three that got their bills done last year. They had a merry Christmas.

Everybody else was working through the Christmas holidays to produce these products. It is enormously complex. There is a lot of work involved, an extraordinary amount of work for the staff. I share my friend's pride in their efforts and gratitude for their success.

Mr. Chair, I urge the passage of H.R. 7006. I will also remind everyone that it is not quite done. We have a lot to do in the next few days ahead of us, but this helps set the precedent, helps move the process along, and gives us a much better chance of success as we deal with these final, critical bills. It will make sure that we both avoid a shutdown and give the American people assurance that the government will be functional, operational, and working in a bipartisan, bicameral process between now and September 30 of this year.

Mr. Chair, I urge the passage of the legislation before us, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the question of retaining a portion of the bill on H.R. 6938 may be subject to postponement as though under clause 8 of rule XX.

Madam Speaker, Pursuant to House Resolution 977, I call up the bill (H.R. 6938) making consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6938, a three-bill package covering the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment appropriations measures for fiscal year 2026.

These bills are the product of bipartisan, bicameral consensus and are grounded in a Member-driven process.

As I stand here today, I think of the genius of our Founding Fathers. They designed Congress to be an engine of thoughtful and deliberative policymaking. It wasn't meant to be easy. In fact, difficulty is what separates serious legislating from political performance.

In her 250 years, America has never shied away from hard work, nor does the Appropriations Committee in carrying out our constitutional responsibilities for fiscal year 2026. Even after the longest government shutdown in history, political obstruction, and tough deadlines, we remained resolute and took responsible steps forward to restore regular order.

I am proud to say we have ended the cycle of pork-filled omnibuses decided at the last minute. Just as importantly, we have been turning America First priorities into action. President Trump set a critical foundation by signing three appropriations bills into law in November, and we are carrying that momentum forward today. The measure before us keeps us on track to complete all 12 appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026.

With passage of these three bills, we will provide full-year funding for many of our most critical programs.

We prioritize public safety by supporting law enforcement and stopping the flow of fentanyl into our communities. We advance American strength by unleashing energy dominance, securing critical minerals, and investing in nuclear power. We uphold stewardship by protecting public lands, supporting wildland firefighters, ensuring responsible resource management, and fulfilling our obligations to our Tribal nations.

All of this is achieved while cutting waste and keeping total fiscal year `26 spending below the current continuing resolution.

These results are not accidental. They are by design, and they are the result of the hard work of our subcommittee chairmen, Hal Rogers, Mike Simpson, and Chuck Fleischmann. Thanks to their leadership, good will, attention to detail, and strong relationships with their negotiating partners, the power of the purse is, once again, being exercised by lawmakers through the committee process, as Article I intended.

To their accompanying ranking members, Grace Meng, Chellie Pingree, and Marcy Kaptur, I thank them for their partnership and collaboration, which was instrumental to this effort.

As I look ahead to today's action, Republicans are strongest when they are focused; Democrats are more effective when they negotiate in good faith; and the country is better off when Republicans and Democrats work together.

In its Statement of Administrative Policy on this package, the White House said, in part: ``The administration urges every Member of Congress to support this fiscally responsible bill, which is a win for the American taxpayer.'' Not surprisingly, I completely agree. I look forward to enacting these full-year appropriations and taking every action to complete our work.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), who is the distinguished chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, the chairman emeritus of the full committee, and the dean of the House.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), chairman of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee and my very good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Idaho.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann), my very good friend and distinguished chairman of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee of Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud), my very good friend and the distinguished vice chairman of the Energy and Water and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Franklin).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford), my very good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Strong), my very good friend and distinguished vice chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will begin by recognizing the hard work of my distinguished ranking member and my very good friend, Ms. DeLauro from Connecticut. We have had the opportunity to work together for a long time in a variety of capacities, and I particularly appreciate the cooperation, the bipartisanship, and the professionalism that she and her whole staff always show when we sit down. To paraphrase my friend, if they would just leave us alone, we will get this job done. I could not have a better working partner than my good friend from Connecticut.

I am very proud that this bill is, as my friend said, bipartisan. This has been in negotiation at every level, and the ranking member and I have worked hard to push the decisionmaking down to the subcommittee levels as much as we possibly can. I know we have both told our respective chairmen and ranking members: ``Hey, if you don't send us anything up, you are making us happy. We want you to make the decisions.'' The members of the subcommittees know the subject matter better than anybody else. They have done the hearings. They have done the work. They work well. The higher up the food chain it goes, frankly, the more political the decisions become and the less informed. Let the people who have actually done the work write the bills. In this case, in these three and the three preceding bills, that is exactly what happened, and I couldn't be more pleased with that result.

I would be remiss not to build on a remark my friend, Ms. McCollum, made in her speech. I am very proud of

this bill on Native-American issues, which have been a bipartisan priority over the years. I am proud of all of my cardinals and all of my ranking members, but particularly the relationship between Mr. Simpson and Ms. Pingree, which we have seen on this committee before, and my friend, Ms. McCollum, who also has chaired this subcommittee earlier in her career. As a matter of fact, we worked together on the matter that she mentioned in terms of forward-funding for Indian healthcare. It has just been a pleasure in these areas where we have so much in common and a common commitment to fulfill our trust obligations.

I, for one, am very proud of the community projects in this bill. It allows the Members, not just on our committee, but across the entire Congress, to do things that they think are important for their constituents. They are the best people to make that judgment because they represent them in the House.

My friend, again, Ms. DeLauro, has worked over the years to build a system that will make sure that these things are used appropriately, honestly, and openly. We continue to work together on that matter. Again, I am very proud of her.

Mr. Speaker, I want to join every other speaker today, which is unusual in a very partisan-polarized era, to urge the passage of this bill. We have worked together. We have worked in good faith. We have worked effectively. We have actually cut spending in these bills collectively. I think we have a common commitment to get the most out of our tax dollars.

I think this is a three-bill package, as the previous three-bill package was, that Members of this body can be proud of, should point to, and should celebrate. When we have bipartisan, bicameral cooperation and work together, we can get the job done and do a great job for the American people. I share my good friend Ms. DeLauro's opinion in this case, that is exactly what we did.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the bill and urge its passage. I urge my colleagues to support this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, obviously like all of us here, I am here to pay tribute to our dear departed friend, Doug LaMalfa.

I first got to know Doug before I ever met him because I had so many Indian

Tribes from California calling me, saying that we have got this great guy running for the House of Representatives who we know from the State legislature in California. He cares about who we are, represents our interests, and understands the trust responsibility. American Indians, Native Americans, had no better friend in the House of Representatives than Doug LaMalfa. Then as I got to know him as a person in addition to a political figure, I understood why people were so attracted to him: the sheer decency of the man, the sheer authenticity of the man, and, frankly, the happy warrior style that he approached every single issue with.

I don't think I have ever been so shocked in my life when I learned that we had lost him because I knew he was coming back to fight the good fight for the things in which he believed, the State which he loved, and the institution which he cherished.

I will add my voice to the many voices tonight that remind America that we lost a great American, we lost a great Californian, and we lost a great human being.

My prayers are with Jill and the family. My thoughts are with his constituents because they lost somebody who each and every day came to this floor determined to advance their interest, to protect their values, and to make this country stronger and better.

Mr. Speaker, I will miss Doug LaMalfa, but I will miss what he stands for and what he fought for and how he represented those things more than anything else.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 873, I call up the bill (H.R. 5371) making continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal year 2026, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026.

History reminds us, Mr. Speaker, that shutdowns never change the outcome. The only cost is paid by the American people.

Over the last 43 days, the facts did not shift, the votes required did not shift, and the path forward did not change. The only thing that did move was the level of pain Democrats inflicted on the Nation.

For 6 long weeks, Americans have paid the price for a shutdown they neither caused nor deserved. The pain has been all too real for far too many Americans, including families struggling without paychecks, seniors on the brink of hunger with food assistance lapsed, airports in chaos, and communities bracing as programs that they rely on were stalled or stopped altogether.

With yesterday being Veterans Day, we especially reflect on the impact of this shutdown on those who served our Nation past and present. Our military families were left wondering if they would be paid. Thanks to President Trump, they were.

Yet, this is not how the greatest Nation in the world should function. Today that changes.

The legislation before us reopens the government, restores critical services, and puts an end to the needless hardship Democrats have inflicted on the country.

This bill supports our troops. It pays Federal workers. It fully funds SNAP benefits until September 30 of next year. It compensates our air traffic controllers right before a busy holiday season. In fact, it takes a holistic approach in ensuring Federal services and programs are operational. In the simplest terms, we are putting the government back to work for our people.

The bill is fundamentally the same responsible approach House Republicans offered on September 19, but with an important addition: three full-year appropriations bills for FY26. These bipartisan, bicameral, full-year appropriations bills cover the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Legislative Branch; Agriculture, Rural Development; and Food and Drug Administration divisions.

Once passed, we will have full-year funding in place for many of our most crucial programs. Military construction needs will be met for a full year, as will medical programs for our Nation's veterans. The legislative branch

will be properly resourced, including critical funding enhancements for the Capitol Police and for Member security. Agriculture, food and nutrition programs like WIC and SNAP will be fully funded to help vulnerable people in need.

Importantly, this legislation delivers Member-driven community project funding in both the military construction and agriculture divisions, which will direct resources back into the hands of the communities we represent. This was a top priority for the Appropriations Committee, and we achieved it while holding overall spending levels in check.

It is a responsible appropriations progress like this that causes me to reflect on an important message to our friends in the Democratic leadership. My sincere apologies to Minority Leaders Jeffries and Schumer, but after today they will no longer get to hold the government hostage, and they will not get to force a rushed, pork-filled Christmas omnibus at the end of the year.

Republicans have actively restored a responsible, line-by-line process. Over the next few months, we will continue this work and efforts through regular order. This Article I advancement is an accomplishment that every Member of this Chamber can be proud of regardless of party. Yet some still need to decide what they stand for today.

To my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, do they want the leverage or do they want to legislate? Do they treat Americans as collateral damage or as constituents, and do they answer to their caucus or their country?

For Republicans, the answer has been clear for the last 43 days. We have and we will continue to put Americans first. Democrats can join us. They have an opportunity to make the responsible choice to reopen our government and pass three official full-year appropriations bills. Mr. Speaker, eight Senate Democrats saw reason and did exactly that. I hope House Democrats do the same.

True courage is taking responsible action for the Nation even when politics makes it inconvenient. Let's reopen the government and get back to work.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), our distinguished majority leader.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), who is the distinguished chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Harris), my good friend and

the distinguished chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. McClain), my very good friend and the chair of the House Republican Conference.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Michigan.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Moore), my very good friend and distinguished member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse), my very good friend and distinguished member of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford), my very good friend and member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), my very good friend and chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Guam (Mr. Moylan), my very good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser), my very good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gooden), my very good friend.

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

Mr. Speaker, it has been an interesting debate.

Frankly, as a couple of my colleagues have suggested, a lot of the rhetoric on the other side hasn't had much to do with the legislation in front of us. My friends chose all on their own to shut the government down 43 days ago.

During that time, soldiers have had to worry about getting paid. The only reason they were paid is because the President of the United States managed to pull a rabbit out of a hat twice or we would have military families completely unpaid.

We have our air traffic controllers. Most of us flew here today, yesterday, or in recent days. They are keeping the skies as safe as they can, but they haven't gotten paid.

We are in this Capitol Building. We are under the protection of the Capitol Police. They do a splendid job. They keep doing their job. They haven't been paid.

We have people who are in desperate need of some of the services this government has promised to give them, SNAP and WIC, at risk unless we pass this legislation tonight.

We can have all of these debates about all of these other issues. As a matter of fact, my friend, the Speaker, his counterpart in the United States Senate, the majority leader, and the President have said when you open the government, we will be happy to talk to you about some of these issues, but you are not going to shut down the government, punish the American people, put people's lives at risk, and think we are going to sit down and negotiate with you under those circumstances. That is not going to happen.

We told you 43 days ago, from bitter experience, government shutdowns don't work. They never achieve the objective that you announce. Guess what. You haven't achieved that objective yet, and you are not going to. We did the same thing twice, so I am not saying that we have clean hands over here. You guys did it on DACA. It didn't work there. It is not going to work here.

The only people who have suffered have been the American people, the people whom we are all here to serve.

Let's keep the focus on getting the government back open.

I would also add--and I appreciate this very much--there have been robust discussions back and forth, and we

have three appropriations bills attached to this. They are appropriations bills that do important things.

The Agriculture bill will make sure that people who rely on WIC and SNAP don't have to worry about another government shutdown between now and September 30 of next year.

The Legislative Branch bill will make sure that the Capitol Police and everybody else who is staff who allows this Chamber to function don't have to worry about getting paid until September 30 of next year.

Obviously, military construction and, more importantly, veterans rely on benefit commitments we have made. Passage of this bill makes sure that we fulfill those commitments between now and September 30 of next year, and we buy the time to sit down to rationally and responsibly negotiate other appropriations bills that we can bring, I hope, on a bipartisan basis to this floor to keep the government open.

I would just ask my friends to reflect on that. I hope some of you feel the weight of that decision. I know you do. I hope you can vote to keep the government open. There is no excuse to shut it down. The United States Senate operated to keep it open in a bipartisan fashion. Now, it took them a long time to do it, but they got there. Let's not follow that example.

When they finally got the job done, they sent us a product. It is not a perfect product. It has some things in it I don't like, but frankly, if we had kept the government open, we would never have been in this situation in the first place.

I would just ask my friends to remember their constituents. I know they think about them. I know they are serious about the points they make. Reopen the government and raise your issues. Let's see if we can come to a negotiated settlement, but let's not punish the American people.

A ``no'' vote on this, again, means soldiers and military families don't get paid. A ``no'' vote means that people in need of SNAP and WIC might not get it. A ``no'' vote means the people who allow us to come here to debate and work won't get paid either.

I can go down the list of horrors. It is pretty simple. This is a vote about two things: opening the Government of the United States, which you willfully tried to shut down. Fortunately, you did not succeed in that in this Chamber, but some of your colleagues, using arcane Senate rules, did manage to do it but finally came to their senses. You ought to pay attention to those people. They said enough is enough. Let's reopen the government.

I urge my colleagues to do that today. I hope it is done in a bipartisan way.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson), the

Speaker of the House. He is my very good friend and a person I admire greatly.

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 722, I call up the bill (H.R. 5371) making continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal year 2026, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5371, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026.

This Congress has a fundamental responsibility to fund the government and keep it open and serving the American people. It is a duty I take seriously and one that I have worked diligently to lead on.

Over the past year, the House Committee on Appropriations has acted to fulfill our fiscal year 2026 responsibilities. Constraints and challenges didn't stop us from doing the hard work, line by line, to uphold fiscal discipline and effective governance.

I am proud to say our markup process delivered all 12 regular appropriations bills out of committee. We have also passed three of these bills across the floor, representing more than 60 percent of overall discretionary spending.

That momentum has continued with our move to conference on the three- bill package covering Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and the Legislative Branch bills. This marks the first conference on major appropriations legislation in close to a decade, and it is a critical step for this institution and for restoring regular order.

We are certainly moving forward productively, and a bipartisan, bicameral agreement is firmly within our grasp. We just need more time to sustain negotiations and complete our work.

That is why we are here today, Mr. Speaker. The continuing resolution before us is simple. It extends funding until November 21. It is a clean, short-term stopgap that protects the fiscal year 2026 progress we have made and allows the appropriations process to advance toward full-year bills. It allows us to return the appropriations process to regular order, where it should be.

This is the responsible path. I want to remind my friends on the other side of the aisle what this measure is. It is a clean CR that keeps the lights on for the American people while we finish our work. It contains no poison pills or partisan riders. It provides essential security measures for all three branches of government. It is a short extension of just 7 weeks.

By keeping our government funded, it protects our military and defense needs, supports our veterans, and sustains critical services for our constituents, from roads, parks, and water projects to infrastructure, research, and job training.

This tailored, straightforward approach is exactly what Democrats previously asked for. Now, they are rejecting it to manufacture a partisan fight over provisions totally unrelated to appropriations.

Let me be very clear: A shutdown would do nothing to help our work on full-year bills or to support the American people. If Members want stability for the American people, time for negotiations in good faith, and regular order, they will support this CR. Any other vote would be reckless, not just for both parties but for the entire Nation.

I have said this previously, but it remains relevant today: Republicans and Democrats are more effective when they negotiate rather than provoke partisan confrontations, and the country is better off when Republicans and Democrats actually work together.

Let's do that now. We must act today for our country, for our national security, and for our constituents. I hope that all will join me in keeping the government open and serving the American people.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford), my very good friend and a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), my very good friend, the chairman of the Budget Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Moore), my very good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, that was quite an unconventional closing. Normally when someone closes, they are the last speaker. I regret that, but I am happy to always hear from my good friend and distinguished minority leader. That is an unusual move.

The gentleman has the right to speak. The 1 minute is 1 minute. I respect that. I would just ask my friend in the future to just please be here in time to do it before we close.

Mr. Speaker, I won't take the 18 minutes that I have. I don't think I need it. The facts here are pretty clear. At the beginning of this process, I was asked to produce a clean bill for a limited period of time by my colleagues on the other side. They asked for that so that we could continue negotiations on a package of three bills. Those are going quite well now and are happening.

All of a sudden, we have extraneous demands for things unrelated to the day-to-day operation of the government. With all due respect, I think additional negotiations on those topics could happen. I think the majority leader in the United States Senate actually signaled they could happen but not attached to this particular bill.

This is what my friends on the other side asked for. They asked for a clean bill with no partisan riders and no tricks. Give it to us for a short period.

I was told by my distinguished friend in the United States Senate, Senator Murray: Oh no, we don't want to go all the way to January like the Trump administration does. We want to go into November.

I said: Great. I actually agree with you. I think we should keep this thing moving.

The thing to keep moving is the appropriations bills that fund the government. If my friends want to shut the government down, they have every right to do so. They might do it today. They certainly have the power of the United States Senate to do that.

Rest assured, my Democratic colleagues are doing exactly what Republicans did in 2013. It did not work for them. Republicans tied something unrelated to spending, ObamaCare, and shut down the government. That was the wrong thing to do then. I said it was the wrong thing to do. It was. My Democratic colleagues are doing the same thing now. There is nothing else.

If they want to have important negotiations on these other topics, they are important topics, and they ought to be negotiated. What is happening is not some cut that is in this bill. We are not cutting anything. A measure that was passed on a bipartisan basis, as I recall, ran out. It is running out. We should probably talk about that. We don't do it on a CR.

This is a manufactured crisis. My Democratic friends got exactly what they asked for. They asked for a clean CR. They got a clean CR. They asked for a limited amount of time. They got

a limited amount of time. They asked for negotiations on the remaining three bills. Those negotiations are underway. That is what this committee should be focused on.

That is all we are doing today, Mr. Speaker. We are buying the time that we all need to finish a process that we are all trying to restore and we think is broken. We now have people dropping things out of the blue that were never intended to be in the CR. They are trying to create a sense of crisis and drama. If they think that moves us in the right direction, I disagree.

I think that moves us in the wrong direction. I think keeping the government open for the American people and negotiating in good faith on bills that we are close to getting done and moving it through regular order is the right thing to do. I think provoking a government shutdown is the wrong thing to do. If you disagree, then vote ``no.'' Take your privilege and shut down the Government of the United States, something you have repeatedly condemned Republicans for when they did it, and rightly condemned, but you are doing the same thing, and you know it. You absolutely know it.

If you want to shut down the government today, fine.

We will give the United States Senate the same opportunity if we vote to keep it open, and if they want to shut it down, that is up to them.

However, we are at the table ready to negotiate. We are negotiating on the three bills we agreed to negotiate on right now.

That is the work of the Appropriations Committee, not this, and that is what the CR would deal with.

My friends, when I give you what you asked for, and you decide that is not acceptable, you change it afterwards, and you drop unrelated items in, that is up to you. But let's not have any pretense about what is going on here. It is political theater. That is all it is. But you are doing it at the risk of shutting the Government of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to vote for this CR. I am proud to work with my friends on the bills we were supposed to work with. I hope we can reach agreement and bring those bills to the floor in short order.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' on the bill in front of us, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1 of rule XXII, and by direction of the Committee on Appropriations, I offer a motion.

Mr. Speaker, I support this return to regular order in the appropriations process.

I support the motion. I yield back the balance of my time, and move the previous question.

The previous question was ordered.

Mr. Chair, I thank my good friend, Judge Carter, for yielding me time.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of this important piece of legislation. Prioritizing veterans and troops says everything about our values, and that is exactly what this first fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill does.

The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026, is a testament to caring for those who have selflessly worn America's uniform, their families, and the defenders who follow their path of service. We meet this mission not only in words of gratitude but in policies that support them.

This legislation provides full funding for healthcare and benefits for our Nation's veterans and implements an advance for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund. This marks enhanced investment under President Trump, which is also reflected in critical mental health initiatives and work to fight homelessness.

It devotes funding to improve quality of life, including childcare and housing resources for military families who help carry the weight of their loved one's service.

It reaffirms our commitment to peace through strength by providing for military base infrastructure and key deterrence efforts in the Indo-Pacific.

It also honors our heroes, ensuring the preservation of national military cemeteries and memorials.

With this legislation, our obligations to our Armed Forces, past and present, and our security are upheld. A vote ``yes'' is a vote to put our veterans, military families, base readiness, and America first.

I thank Chairman Carter for his hard work on this measure, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting it on final passage.

Mr. Speaker, this is a little bit unusual. I have comments on my friend Wes Watkins, as well.

I want to talk a little bit off the cuff about the man that my good friend and colleague Frank Lucas was talking about a few minutes ago.

Wes Watkins liked to think of himself as an ordinary man and a typical Oklahoman. I can assure everybody here he was neither ordinary nor typical. He was extraordinary.

Wes Watkins was born, as my friend Mr. Lucas said, in very humble circumstances, yet he succeeded in every single thing he did over the course of his lifetime. He succeeded in college. He succeeded as a businessman. He was a family man, and he was extraordinarily successful at that. He was in the National Guard. Finally, he began a political career, first in the State senate and then in the Halls of this distinguished institution.

Wes Watkins served two different stints in Congress, but what my friend Mr. Lucas didn't say was that he served the first seven terms as a Democrat. Then he went home to run for Governor. He is the only person I know of in Oklahoma history, maybe in American history, that ever carried his congressional district first as a Democrat, then as a Democrat running for Governor, and then as an independent seeking the governorship, and, finally, later as a Republican.

He was so impressive on the campaign trail in his second term that the person who won the election, former Governor Frank Keating of Oklahoma--who was actually my friend, my mentor, and my client at the time--was so impressed that he would come back from the campaign trail and say: I love Wes Watkins. He is for everything I am for. He is such a great guy.

As soon as Frank became Governor Keating, he offered Wes Watkins a cabinet position in his own administration. Wes was the only person ever turned down who had been a State senator for a cabinet spot because Democrats were so mad at him at the time. Frankly, he got the last laugh because, the very next year, he ran for his old congressional seat and won.

Republicans thought so much of him. I remember calling Newt Gingrich, who was the Speaker of this institution at the time. I was Wes' campaign consultant and a good friend of Speaker Gingrich. I said: He really wants to go on the Ways and Means Committee. Speaker Gingrich said: If he runs, he has got it. I will absolutely put him there.

Wes was one of the best Members of Congress. He was a pretty extraordinary guy.

I will tell you, of all the different candidates I have worked with and for over the years, nobody ever worked harder and longer. As a matter of fact, on one occasion, I remember getting a call at 5:30 in the morning--actually, on more than one occasion. I would also get calls late at night. I called his beloved wife, Lou, once and said: Lou, I am getting calls at 5:30 in the morning and 10 at night. She said: Tom, he keeps a list of people he can call before 8 in the morning and after 8 at night, and somehow you have gotten yourself on both those lists.

That is how hard he worked. That is how relentless he was.

While he changed political parties over the course of his lifetime, I can tell you he never changed his political principles. Quite frankly, he symbolized and propelled the transformation of Oklahoma from a Democratic State to a Republican State. I never met Democrats who didn't like him or Republicans who didn't like him. He was simply a revered individual.

I remember Wes Watkins with a great deal of fondness.

In the course of his life, there were three things he loved the most.

First was his family. When you think of his family, you always think of his wife, Lou. They were inseparable.

Then, he loved the State of Oklahoma, and he served it proudly, as well.

Finally, and I say this as an OU alumnus and a fierce Sooner, he was the proudest, most ferocious Oklahoma State graduate I ever met. He absolutely revered that institution and spent a lifetime working for it.

I know the people of Oklahoma will miss Wes Watkins. He was, in many ways, a favorite son of the State. He certainly distinguished himself in public service and in his devotion to the interests of the State.

I am going to miss Wes even more than that. I will miss him as a friend. I will miss him as a mentor. I will miss him as a role model. I will miss him first, foremost, and always as a great Oklahoman.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 211, I call up the bill (H.R. 1968) making further continuing appropriations and other extensions for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1968, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act 2025.

Today's bill comes about at a critical time for this institution and this Nation. As Members are well aware, government funding all runs out at midnight on Friday. That means that Members are faced with a stark but clear choice: Will they vote in favor of this bill and thereby keep the government open and operating, or will they vote ``no'' thereby affirmatively choosing to shut down the government? This choice is the choice we face today.

We are now nearly 5\1/2\ months into the fiscal year 2025. Congress has previously passed two short-term continuing resolutions, both of which extended government funding and kept the status quo in place, ensuring the government can remain open.

Today's bill is really no different than the CR passed in December. Other than the most essential and critical anomalies, it simply maintains current conditions through the end of the fiscal year.

For those that supported the CR in December, you should have no qualms about voting the same way on today's bill. There are no policy differences, no poison pills, and no reason to vote against keeping the government open and operating.

A yearlong CR is not how I hoped the FY 2025 appropriations process would end. The Appropriations Committee and the House did their work. Indeed, the committee reported out all 12 appropriations bills by midsummer and the House passed five of those bills covering over 70 percent of discretionary spending across the floor by the end of July.

Sadly, despite our best efforts, we were unable to come to a final agreement on the full-year appropriations bills. Although we were very close on a final dollar figure, my colleagues in the minority made additional demands that would restrict the legitimate authority of the executive and the appropriations process. These are restrictions that the minority would never accept for a Democratic President, nor are they provisions that President Trump would or should sign into law.

It is deeply unfortunate and disappointing that the minority chose to make these unreasonable demands. Republicans never left the negotiating table and indeed worked diligently with Democrats to reach a bicameral, bipartisan deal.

Sadly, the minority allowed their opposition to the President to cloud their judgment, giving in to a political temper tantrum rather than voting to keep the government open.

That truly is the choice before us, Mr. Speaker. Today's bill is a simple, straightforward continuing resolution, funding the government and keeping it open through September 30. It maintains the status quo, providing flat funding for the government, and including only legitimate anomalies.

Importantly, this bill does not contain a single poison pill policy rider. It is a clean CR, fully funding our government. This includes our military and defense needs, and indeed we have accomplished this while also fully funding the Department of Defense, including the largest pay raise for junior enlisted personnel in over 40 years.

We are also maintaining funding for other critical functions of government, including border defense, roads, parks, childcare, water infrastructure projects, biomedical research, job training, and countless others.

I know Members have heard some fear-mongering about Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This bill

makes no changes to any of these programs, leaving them intact, as is, and with the funding they need to operate through the end of the fiscal year.

Let me say that again. There are no changes to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, period.

Mr. Speaker, the outcome of the fiscal year 2025 appropriations process is not what I wanted, but at the end of the day, it is significantly better than the alternative: a government shutdown.

The choice is clear: Either Members will vote for this bill and for keeping the government open, or they will vote to shut the government down. I know which option my constituents expect, and I know which I will choose.

I urge all my colleagues to do the same and vote for this bill. I urge all my colleagues to vote to keep the government open and operating.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford), my very good friend and a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have great respect for the Democratic leader and certainly great respect and personal friendship for the distinguished ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.

I don't know what bill the leader read, but it certainly wasn't this bill. We heard a lot about Social Security. There is not a single thing in this bill on Social Security. We heard a lot about Medicare. We don't deal with Medicare under the Appropriations Committee. It is not in here. We heard a lot about Medicaid. It is not in here either. If it will be dealt with, it will be dealt with in a reconciliation bill but not this bill.

This bill is about keeping the government open, something my friends pride themselves on and have often patted themselves on the back on. They have the opportunity to do it today because that is all this bill does. It also does a couple of other interesting things.

My friend said we cut funds for food support. It doesn't do that. It actually adds $500 million to WIC.

They said we cut support for housing. It doesn't do that. It actually adds money to the housing accounts.

If we actually go through the bill, the charges made simply don't have much to do with what is in this bill.

The simple reality is we are either going to keep the government open or we are going to shut it down. If we want to keep the government open and keep working on these problems, vote ``yes.'' If we want to shut the government down and throw the country into chaos, vote ``no.''

It is certainly the privilege of my friends on the other side to vote how they care to vote, but don't say there are things in this bill which simply are not there. That is just fear-mongering of the worst sort.

Mr. Speaker, again, I urge my friends to keep the government open. By the way, just for the record, neither the President nor the Speaker ever asked me to leave the negotiating table. It was quite the opposite. The Speaker said to keep going, to keep trying, and to keep at it.

We are 4 days away from the shutdown. My friends introduced a lot of things in the negotiations that aren't normally appropriations issues. They chose to do that. We couldn't come to a deal. We are pretty close on the top-line number. We were right there, but we are not going to have a Republican Senate and a Republican House restrict a Republican President from the legitimate exercise of executive authority and then, oh, by the way, ask him to sign the bill.

How do my colleagues think that is going to work out? That is not a very reasonable request. We resisted it. My friend, Senator Collins, who is my negotiating partner from the Senate, resisted it and will continue to resist it. That is not going to happen.

This bill is about none of those things. This bill is about keeping the government open. If they choose to shut it down, then that is their prerogative. They are allowed to do that, but I don't intend to do that. I don't think my colleagues on my side of the aisle intend to do that.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Democrats who actually read the bill to reflect on it and avoid shutting down the government as well and working with us in that regard.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the Republican majority leader and my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), my good friend and a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford), my very good friend and a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice), my very good friend and a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy), my good friend and a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), who is the chairman of the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.

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

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

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, in that case, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

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

Mr. Speaker, it has been an interesting debate. There have been a lot of things said that are exaggerations and a lot of things said, in my view, that are fabrications. I will talk about a few of those.

There is nothing in this bill about Social Security. There is nothing in this bill about Medicare. There is nothing in this bill about Medicaid.

There aren't cuts in nutrition for the poor. There is a $500 million increase in WIC, at the request of the President. There are no cuts in housing. There is an increase in housing to try to adjust for inflation.

We probably would have been better off if we had negotiated a deal, but that didn't happen. We did the proactive thing. There is more money in here to take care of junior enlisted personnel. I don't think that is probably an article of much dispute. It certainly shouldn't be.

Mr. Speaker, I can go charge by charge.

On the Toxic Exposures Fund, we are going to deal with that in the fiscal year 2026 bill. It is for 2026. Everything is funded for 2025. That is what this bill covered. It is an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025. That is what we are covering here.

We are going to deal with the fiscal year 2026 bill, and then we will deal with that issue. I voted for the Honoring our PACT Act. I believe in it. I voted for additional funding for it. I suspect we will find common ground there.

There are a lot of fireworks around this bill. Let's just talk about what it does.

Mr. Speaker, it is pretty simple. It is a CR. It is a continuing resolution. The Democratic leadership came out against it before they ever saw it. Maybe that is why we have all these fabrications and hallucinations about what is in it. It is pretty short. It is 99 pages. Read it.

Now, I am sorry that everybody didn't get their projects. I really am sorry about that. We don't do that in CRs.

The big cuts here mostly are an elimination of congressional projects. I think most of those are worthy projects. I support them. I actually support the reforms my good friend, the ranking member, put in there. I think she did a great job for that for this institution, but we can't do them in a CR. We just don't do them. People are upset about that. I am sorry about that.

At the end of the day, there is only one important thing that matters here. Members can vote ``yes'' and keep the government open. Whatever my Democratic colleagues' problem is and whatever the minority's concern is, it is going to be worse in a government shutdown, not better. It will be worse. Whatever my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are worried about, shutting down the government is not the answer to their concern. My colleagues are only going to make it worse.

Keeping the government open is the right thing to do. I wish we could have gotten a deal, but we are not going to sit here and concede the executive authority of a Republican President because it upsets the minority. It is not going to happen.

We made that crystal clear, and I think that was the biggest thing. It wasn't a top-line number. We basically got to a top-line number. We are here, and the government shutdown is 4 days away.

If Democratic Members want to vote ``no'' and succeed in shutting down the government in 4 days, that is their choice. I respect every Member's vote.

I have never voted for a government shutdown. I have always voted to reopen the government. I don't like government shutdowns. I don't think they work. I think the minority will find that if they succeed in shutting down the government it won't work very well for them either.

It never works. I think my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would be better advised to vote ``yes'' than to

have to defend a vote to shut down the government, personally.

Actually, this body will not have the final say. It is going to go to the United States Senate, and the minority has the power in the Senate to shut down the government if they choose because they have a filibuster over there. They have 60 votes. If Democratic Members are worried about it, just let it go over there. They have the power in that body to do it.

If my colleagues want to shut down the government, it is their choice.

Mr. Speaker, I think the choice is crystal clear. If we took a poll on it and the American people were asked: Do you want to shut down the government? The overwhelming answer would be: No.

Do you think we should keep the government open and keep working on our problems? That would be an overwhelming yes.

I choose to do what the American people want to do: keep the government open. That is what my constituents want. Maybe Democratic Members' constituents want to shut it down. Mine don't, and I suspect theirs don't, either.

Mr. Speaker, I suggest we set aside the rhetoric and the intense feelings and just do the right thing, and the right thing is to vote ``yes'' and keep the government open.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I urge them not to vote to shut down the government, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 60.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 49.