Volume 159, No. 133 covering the 1st Session of the 113th Congress (2013 - 2014) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“VETERANS BENEFITS CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS RESOLUTION, 2014” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H6082-H6089 on Oct. 1, 2013.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
VETERANS BENEFITS CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS RESOLUTION, 2014
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 72) making continuing appropriations for veterans benefits for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
The text of the joint resolution is as follows:
H.J. Res. 72
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, for veterans benefits for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes, namely:
Sec. 101. (a) Amounts are provided for entitlements and other mandatory payments whose budget authority was provided in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division E of Public Law 113-6), to continue activities at the rate to maintain program levels under current law, under the authority and conditions provided in the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2013, to be continued through the date specified in section 103(3).
(b) Notwithstanding section 103, obligations for mandatory payments due on or about the first day of any month that begins after October 2013 but not later than 30 days after the date specified in section 103(3) may continue to be made, and funds shall be available for such payments.
Sec. 102. Amounts are provided for ``Department of Veterans Affairs--Departmental Administration--General Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration'' at a rate for operations of $2,455,490,000: Provided, That such amount shall be made available subject to the authority and conditions as provided under the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division E of Public Law 113-6) and shall be available to the extent and in the manner that would be provided by such Act.
Sec. 103. Unless otherwise provided for in this joint resolution or in the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2014, appropriations and funds made available and authority granted pursuant to this joint resolution shall be available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) the enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this joint resolution; (2) the enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2014 without any provision for such project or activity; or (3) December 15, 2013.
Sec. 104. It is the sense of Congress that this joint resolution may also be referred to as the ``Honoring Our Promise to America's Veterans Act''.
This joint resolution may be cited as the ``Veterans Benefits Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on House Joint Resolution 72, and that I may include tabular material on the same.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Throughout human history, whenever there has been disagreement in ages, ages past, that has been settled with armed conflict. But in a civilized world, we settle those disputes in an amicable way under the law.
In this remarkable House Chamber, we are surrounded by images of great lawmakers from throughout human history. It is, I think, incumbent upon us as lawmakers, as civilized human beings, to use a little common courtesy and common sense to find areas of agreement and set those aside, get those behind us, and then move on to those areas where it is more difficult to find agreement.
In the House of Representatives, the constitutional conservative majority in the House has attempted to do so many times here over the last several weeks. When it comes to funding the government, the House of Representatives has sought to do so and, in fact, has done our job.
In the first week of June, the House of Representatives passed legislation to fully fund the Department of Defense. In the first week of June, the House of Representatives passed legislation to fully fund our Department of Veterans Affairs and Military Construction requirements of our men and women in uniform around the world.
We also made sure in the first month of the summer that the House of Representatives passed legislation to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security and sent that to the Senate as well. We have even passed an appropriations bill to fund the departments of the government that are responsible for the Department of Energy and the Department of Water. That legislation was also passed out of the House this summer and sent to the Senate.
It is common courtesy and just common sense that where you have a disagreement, you sit down and you work it out. If you've got serious disagreements, you, again, find those areas where both sides can agree there is common ground and put those behind us.
What better place to start, Mr. Speaker, than with the veterans who have served our Nation in defense of our freedom who make it possible for us to enjoy the prosperity, the liberty passed on to us by our ancestors. It is a real privilege for me to serve with my good friend from Georgia (Mr. Bishop) and my colleagues on this subcommittee for appropriating funds for the operation of the Veterans Affairs and Military Construction to be sure that our veterans receive everything that they have earned for the sacrifices they have made on behalf of this Nation.
So we have brought the bill to the floor today as an obvious area of agreement in support of our veterans to ensure that not only are their health benefits taken care of, which under current law they are a year in advance, but we are here today to ensure, to absolutely guarantee, that there is no interruption to the veterans who are applying for disability compensation.
We have had a terrible backlog in disability claims that the committee has worked together arm in arm in a bipartisan way to ensure that it is fully funded. We included in our bill, which was sent to the Senate in the first week of June, language that would ensure that the Veterans Administration lives up to their own deadlines on handling those disability claims.
But the legislation before us today would also ensure that veterans receive on-time compensation for their pensions, for their post-9/11 education training, and employment assistance. Again, common courtesy and common sense compels us to do what is right by our veterans to find those areas of agreement.
We bring this bill to the floor today, Mr. Speaker, in order to ensure that these veterans are fully protected, that they have a transition into civilian life that is as easy as humanly possible, and that they don't encounter any delays as they move into civilian life.
This bill, as the other does, provides funding through December 15 for VA disability claims, education, and employment benefits and provides $2.5 billion for claims processing to make sure that we are getting at the claims backlog.
I look forward to hearing from my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), and reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
This, I believe, is really a fraud. This is just a part of the simple game that has been played to justify keeping this government shut. The proposed rate of $2.5 billion is the same amount provided in the House-
passed MilCon-VA bill earlier this summer, which passed 421-4. It is the same funding request level by the administration.
This CR does not touch or do anything for the remaining VA discretionary accounts. In fact, the CR fails to include $155 million for the Veterans Benefits Management System. It fails to include $136 million for the Veterans Claims Intake Program. These two programs are vital to speeding up the claims process; yet they are not included.
The medical research account, not included; construction, major and minor, not included; Office of the Secretary, including the Board of Veterans Appeals, $438 million, not included; the VA Office of Inspector General, $116 million, not included; the VA IT, $13.68 billion, not included; grants to State veterans homes, to State cemeteries, the National Cemetery Administration, not included.
On June 4, we passed a full bill, a complete bill, a bipartisan bill 421-4. Mr. Speaker, if this measure goes on to become law, which I doubt that it will, a majority of the Federal Government will still be shut down.
For example, the Department of Defense will not have the materiel support needed to conduct training to ensure their readiness for the forces at home. Regular training exercises, including large-scale training rotations, depend on equipment that is in proper working order, facilities that have been properly maintained, and supplies needed to support the soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen in their training efforts.
Under this bill, pay would still be denied to more than 42,500 fellow law enforcement agencies and correctional workers at the Department of Justice, 4,000 weather forecasters and other National Weather Service employees. On extreme weather events, we won't have employees to protect us.
{time} 1830
Mr. Speaker, as Members of Congress, we don't have the luxury to pick and choose which parts of the Federal Government we want to fund. It is our responsibility under the Constitution to fund the entire Federal Government. Let me repeat: the entire Federal Government. So, instead of playing games, let the House of Representatives vote on a clean Senate CR and end this shutdown very quickly.
I am disappointed. I am downright disgusted. I truly resent the way that those on the other side of the aisle are trying to use veterans as pawns in this cynical game of government shutdown. All we have to do is pass a clean CR. This CR--this budget--should not be a Democrat CR, and it should not be a Republican CR. It should be an American CR for all of us. I urge that we defeat this cynical effort and that we adopt a full, clean CR.
With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, at this time, it is my privilege to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), the chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation and in support of continuing to provide our Nation's veterans with the important benefits they have earned for their service and their sacrifices. I am shocked to hear our friends on the other side of the aisle who are unwilling to help our veterans receive the benefits that they have earned in the defense of our Nation. For their unwavering commitment to this Nation, our veterans deserve to receive consistent, quality service and disability benefits. Any lapse in these services for our heroes is a failure on our part to do our jobs as Members of Congress.
I would like to remind the House that the language in this bill was essentially included in the clean continuing resolution I initially offered several weeks ago. For that reason, as well as my dedication to our veterans, I am happy to endorse this bill today.
The legislation before us continues funding to process and deliver disability claims and services at the Department of Veterans Affairs for those who have served in our Armed Forces, at the current annual rate of approximately $82 billion. The funding will last until December 15 or until we enact full-year appropriations.
In addition to providing for our former servicemen and -women, this bill will continue to move the ball down the field, closer to our ultimate goal of funding the entire government. Conversations must continue on how we as an entire Congress can come to an agreement that funds every agency and department, that ends this shutdown and reopens the government.
That's why I was so disappointed this morning when the U.S. Senate declared that they didn't want to meet with us to talk about how to end this shutdown. We offered to sit down and talk in a conference committee. The Senate at 9:30 brusquely says, No way. We don't want to talk to you. I thought that's what Congress was all about, was working out differences from this body across to the Senate, but, apparently, I am wrong.
I urge my colleagues to support our veterans and to take the next step toward ending this unnecessary government shutdown. Pass this bill today.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Lowey), the distinguished ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Republican shutdown.
Of course we support the funding for our veterans. The proper way to do that, as our distinguished chairman knows, is to fulfill our constitutional responsibility--make the hard decisions and pass regular appropriations bills.
Mr. Speaker, as the chairman knows, the House already passed in June a full-year funding bill for veterans by a vote of 421-4. As our distinguished chairman knows, that bill is $6.2 billion more than today's bill. So our veterans, as a result of this shutdown process, are going to have their funds cut by $6.2 billion. We need to pass a bill that helps them and that funds other critical initiatives. As our distinguished chairman knows, we could do this. We could pass these bills by regular order and prevent children from being part of clinical trials.
I just got an email from Francis Collins of the National Institutes of Health. Nearly three-quarters of the staff were furloughed. About 200 patients who otherwise would be admitted to the NIH clinical trials each week will be turned away. This includes about 30 children, most of them cancer patients. We know this is not the only place. It's Head Start, and it's funds for transportation. We've heard that. We can go on and on.
We could do this because there is a process in place. We don't need to shut down the government and invent new ways to pass these appropriations bills. Funding one budget item at a time while hundreds of thousands of Americans are on furlough and are losing pay is no way to fulfill our constitutional responsibility.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I yield the gentlelady an additional 30 seconds.
Mrs. LOWEY. The bill we are considering today is nothing more than a Republican ploy. It would not be necessary if Republicans had not been so reckless throughout the budgetary process, forcing us into a shutdown. We could end the Republican shutdown today if the majority would only allow a vote on the Senate-passed bill to keep the government running, which includes the funding levels that the Republicans support and that would be signed by the President. The House majority, apparently, can't take the heat from the fire they lit, so now they've put forward this reckless political attempt to shift blame for their shutdown.
Mr. CULBERSON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I think it's important to point out that, as I said earlier, with any disagreement, you find those areas in which you are in agreement. You come to an agreement and make sure you get the most important things done first and set them aside. The House and the Senate have actually done that.
We note that our military has been paid. Legislation to fully pay for our military was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate, and it was passed out of this House. I would also reiterate that the House has done its job in funding our veterans in passing this legislation in the first week of June and in funding our Department of Defense in the first week of June. We have done our part.
This shutdown that we face today is a deliberate result of the Senate's refusal to take action on the legislation that we sent them over 90 days ago, and that's why we are bringing this bill to the floor today, because this is one area in which we can all agree. Our veterans have earned our help, and they deserve our help. It is our duty to pass this bill as quickly as possible to ensure no interruption in the services that they have earned by their service to this Nation.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Nunnelee).
Mr. NUNNELEE. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding time, but I also thank him for his leadership on behalf of veterans.
Mr. Speaker, the House and the Senate have already passed a measure that would pay for our troops in the middle of this government shutdown, and it's proper that we do this.
This morning, I had the privilege of meeting with 91 veterans from all over the State of Mississippi, who were in our Nation's Capital as part of an Honor Flight. When we arrived at the World War II Memorial, we found the entrance was blocked because of the government shutdown. Now, for these heroes of the Greatest Generation--those men who stormed the beaches of Normandy while facing German machine gun nests, those men who saw their friends die on Iwo Jima--even though these heroes may now be confined to wheelchairs, a few Park Service barricades were no obstacle.
It was my privilege to meet with them at the memorial that has been built in their honor. But the real way that our Nation pays tribute and thanks them for their service is for us to keep our commitment to them, our commitment in the form of VA benefits, of health care benefits, of disability benefits. Let us not fail those who have sacrificed so much for our Nation by failing to ensure that our veterans are provided the benefits and the services that they have earned. That's why I rise in support of this bill.
Our obligation to our troops does not end when a war is over, and we must ensure that our military men and women are provided with the care and the benefits they deserve both during and after their service. We have all agreed to unanimously fund this generation's military. Let us also agree to fund that of the previous generation's.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), the assistant Democratic leader.
Mr. CLYBURN. I thank my friend for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill we are about to vote on is as unnecessary as it is disingenuous. My congressional district is highly populated by veterans whose service and sacrifices are greatly appreciated. That is why I came to this floor on June 4 and enthusiastically joined with 420 other Members of this auspicious body to keep our obligations to them at higher levels than are included in this legislation.
Last night, the Tea Party Republicans shut down the government because they refuse to accept the verdict of the American people in last year's election. They shut down our government over the implementation of settled law--a position that polling shows that 72 percent of the American people oppose. Now they are using our patriotic heroes as pawns in their petty, partisan, political game.
Veterans should not have to choose between having their claims processed and their grandchildren educated. Their family members should be able to receive their medical treatments and enjoy our national treasures.
This piecemeal approach is the Tea Party's plan. They want to pick and choose winners and losers and only fund the priorities that they like. That's not how our government works.
As one of my favorite Republicans stated back in 1860, President Abraham Lincoln:
Your purpose, plainly stated, is that you will destroy the government unless you be allowed to construe and enforce the Constitution as you please on all points in dispute. You will rule or ruin in all events.
We should end this reckless stunt tonight. Let's reject this partisan gamesmanship and reopen our government like honorable men and women.
Mr. CULBERSON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I would point out that the only people who would be holding our veterans hostage would be those who would vote ``no'' against this legislation which we have brought to the floor today in an earnest, honest, commonsense, courteous way to ensure that our veterans are given everything they need for the service they have given this country.
It is my privilege at this time to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller), who is the chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. I thank the chairman for yielding.
I rise in support of the Honoring Our Promise to America's Veterans Act. Let me explain why this bill is necessary.
Last weekend, the administration revised an initial shutdown contingency plan with the following statement relating specifically to the effect that a prolonged shutdown would have on the VA:
VA has accepted VBA claims processors so that it can continue to process claims. Beneficiaries will continue to receive their payments. However, those benefits are provided through appropriated mandatory funding, and that funding will run out by the end of October. At that point, VA will be unable to make any payments.
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What this means is that absent a deal on a CR--and we have anxiously awaited the Senate to do something over there, negotiate with the House--payments to veterans and their survivors that are due in November for a variety of benefits that have been earned by that veteran through honorable service may, in fact, be in jeopardy. That would mean a suspension of over a billion dollars per month in GI Bill tuition payments to nearly 1 million veterans or their dependents. It would end the subsistence allowance to over 66,000 disabled veterans in vocational rehabilitation programs. It would cease payments to low-
income wartime veterans with incomes that are just above the poverty level. It would end dependency and indemnity compensation to the surviving loved ones of servicemembers and veterans who died as a result of their service.
Mr. Speaker, this must never, ever be allowed to happen. Even more veterans and their loved ones should not even have to worry about something like this occurring. This bill would immediately remove any doubt from their minds that the dysfunction that's here in Washington would, in fact, jeopardize their earned benefits. These are America's heroes who have already gone above and beyond the call of duty. The last thing they deserve is for the country they courageously defended to abandon them in their time of need.
This bill will avoid all the calamitous events that I've mentioned, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I'm delighted to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee of Homeland Security.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, the American people have had enough of this cynical attempt to shift blame for the Tea Party shutdown.
Of course we want the American people to have access to our national parks, and I wish our Republican colleagues had thought a little bit more about that World War II Memorial before doing what they did last night.
Of course we want the D.C. government to continue to function. Why weren't Ms. Norton's compelling arguments given more attention before what our Republican colleagues did last night?
Of course we want the Veterans Administrations to resume their operations for those who have worn this country's uniform, although we do not like seeing our veterans used to score political points.
What about the thousands of Department of Defense civilians who were told not to come into work today, including those in my district who serve Fort Bragg? What about those EPA scientists in the research triangle who spent today on a community service project instead of conducting important research on air quality or the firefighters across the Nation who depend on FEMA grants to keep their communities safe? What about those Agriculture Department-funded researchers at NC State whose paychecks are running out? What about the NIH researchers at Duke and UNC whose grants are under threat, or those desperately ill people who will now be cut out of NIH clinical trials?
The American people deserve a government that works for everybody. The Senate has passed a responsible, bipartisan funding bill that would pass this House easily if the Republican leadership would simply allow it to receive a vote.
Let's dispense with this political theater. Let's get back to the basics: keeping the government open, paying the country's bills, and negotiating a comprehensive budget plan that lifts sequestration, that revives our economy and reduces our deficit. The first step is to pass a clean continuing resolution.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, can you tell me how much time I have remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 7\1/4\ minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Georgia has 10 minutes remaining.
Mr. CULBERSON. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Salmon).
Mr. SALMON. Mr. Speaker, it's with great emotion that I rise today.
First of all, we're right in the midst of a government shutdown, and this is a terrible time. Second of all, this is my greatest hero's birthday; it was my father's birthday, October 1.
My dad passed away about 5 years ago. He was part of the Greatest Generation, as denoted by Tom Brokaw. He fought bravely in New Guinea during World War II, and he represented his country proudly.
My son-in-law is a captain in the Army. He's the father of my four grandchildren in Stuttgart, Germany. My nephew is an Army Ranger who has fought proudly in Afghanistan. It is for them that I rise today.
Make no mistake, the other side today says that they want to support these things, but they don't. Why? Because it's political posturing. They don't want to mitigate the pain because that might somehow hurt their ability to try to extract whatever they can politically.
Our constituents don't live in political rhetoric land. They live in the land where the rubber meets the road.
Let's be really clear: You have an opportunity on the other side of the aisle to fund the veteran programs, and you're going to be held accountable for that. If you vote ``no,'' that's where the rubber meets the road. You'll be responsible for denying them these benefits.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I'm pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished Democratic whip.
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, there is not a Member of this House who does not respect and support the veterans of this country.
The gentleman who just spoke talked about preventing pain. What we want to do is prevent pain not only to veterans, but to children, to families, to teachers, to medical professionals, to farmers, to all those who every day rely on the Federal Government to be in operation--
not piecemeal, not choosing between this and that, between the winners and the losers.
Why are we at this place? Why, as the gentlelady, the ranking member of this committee said, are we at a place where we're presenting a bill that cuts $6 billion from the bill you talked about, that I voted for and you voted for? I speak, of course, of the chairman.
Mr. Speaker, we are here because of the pain that has been visited not by the Senate. The Senate passed the only CR that didn't have a poison pill, the CR--we talk in this jargon--keeping government operating for the American people, the only body that's passed a bill that will do that that didn't include a poison pill that you knew the other side could not take and would not take and the President said he would not sign. You continue to not come to grips with the loss of the election.
You need a compromise. You would not go to conference. You talked about going to conference at 5 minutes of 12 a.m. last night. You've had 6 months to go to conference. For 6 months, Mr. Speaker, the Republicans have had the opportunity of going to conference. Mr. Van Hollen, I'm sure, will talk about that.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
Mr. HOYER. It's been 6 months and no action. That's why we have had this gridlock, because you have refused to go, as you talk about the regular order, to work out an agreement between the Senate and the House. So we find ourselves where we need more time.
We have tried to provide for 6 weeks, between now and November 15, to try to work together to get to compromise and pass appropriation bills--and not in piecemeal. I don't know that I've seen an appropriation bill on a suspension before.
Mr. Speaker, this is the wrong process, it's the wrong time, and we ought to pass a CR and keep government operating for the American people.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, there's only one question before the House tonight: Will we unify in support of our veterans and ensure their peace of mind for themselves, their families, and their survivors, that they don't miss a moment of the benefits that they've so rightly earned?
At this time, it's my privilege to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Benishek).
Mr. BENISHEK. I thank the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. Speaker, today veterans in northern Michigan and across the country woke up to the news that the United States Government had shut down. The government that they served, risked their lives for, could possibly further delay the disability claims process. This simply isn't fair.
As the House has offered four times, I might add, plans to keep the government open, the Senate continues to reject our offers and insists on shutting down the government. Last night they refused to even sit down and have a reasonable discussion with us.
As we work toward a solution, it is vital that those who have risked it all be able to continue to receive the services that they need.
Mr. Speaker, I've been a doctor for over 30 years. I've treated veterans at the VA hospital at Iron Mountain on a regular basis. I don't know how any Member in this body could think for even 1 minute that we should turn away our servicemembers.
I urge my colleagues to support the Honoring Our Promise to Veterans Act.
Parliamentary Inquiries
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. As the Speaker knows, a number of Members of Congress have asked unanimous consent to proceed to the Senate and pass the so-
called ``clean CR.'' I want to understand the rule.
My understanding is that if the Democratic leader and the Republican leader both give their consent to that, then that bill would come before the body now; is that correct?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The request for consideration of certain measures must receive clearance from both sides.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. So to further clarify, if both Democrats and Republicans were to agree to bring the Senate-passed CR before this House, it would come up for a vote now; is that correct?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would entertain a request only if prior appropriate clearance had been given.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Further parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, when you say prior appropriate approval, do you mean approval from the Republican leader and the Democratic leader?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Leadership from both sides of the aisle must provide clearance.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, further parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, with respect to the current status of H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR, if this body were to take it up and pass that bill, would that bill go back to the Senate or would that bill now go directly to the President?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. That measure is not currently pending, so the gentleman's inquiry is not appropriate at this time.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, further parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, if the Democratic leader and the Republican leader were to give their consent, as you indicated, to bring that bill before this body and this body then adopted that bill, voted for it, would that bill then go to the President?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's request does not relate to the measure that is before the House at this time. The Chair will not give an advisory opinion.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, further parliamentary inquiry with respect to the current bill before us, H.J. Res. 72.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, if this bill were to pass the House, would this bill go directly to the President, or would this bill go to the Senate, H.J. Res. 72?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All House-passed bills would be messaged to the Senate.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. So this bill that we're currently discussing would go to the Senate?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. If it passes the House, yes.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, is it the Chair's ruling that you cannot rule whether or not a resolution that's agreed to by the House and the Senate does not go to the President? Is that the Chair's parliamentary ruling, that you cannot give us an answer to that basic parliamentary question?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will only respond to inquiries that relate directly to the current proceedings.
Mr. RANGEL. The current proceeding, if I am not correct, involves a concurrent resolution. The whole world knows what is before this House. Is the Chair saying, from a parliamentary point of view, that we can't deal with the issue of an agreement between the House and the Senate? Is that the ruling?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The pending question relates to House Joint Resolution 72.
Mr. RANGEL. I yield back because I know my friend knows a better answer than that. We've been around a long time.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), who is on the Defense Subcommittee of Appropriations.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the House of Representatives as the daughter of a World War II veteran, a veteran who was disabled, a veteran who watched very carefully what his government, what this august body and the Senate and the President signed into law that would affect his benefits, our family's benefits.
And I rise today to oppose this new Republican scheme. Selecting random government agencies, programs, and museums to fund while the rest of the Federal Government languishes in a shutdown is simply irresponsible. The majority is making a desperate attempt to create distractions so that they're not held accountable for their actions. Congress needs to fund the entire Federal Government with a clean continuing resolution and end this reckless and unnecessary GOP--or, should I say, ``Grand Old Party''--shutdown.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, the only question before the House tonight is whether we will unite and fund the veterans who have served this Nation. That is the only question before us.
And at this time, it's my privilege to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bentivolio), a veteran of Vietnam and Iraq.
Mr. BENTIVOLIO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman.
Today I was reminded just how our Nation is made up of the people, not the government.
Just a few hours ago, dozens of World War II veterans, in an act of civil disobedience, defied the President's closure of the World War II Memorial on the Washington Mall and celebrated their historic defense against tyranny so many decades ago.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that this shutdown could be a learning experience for both everyone in this Chamber and the people of the country. It allows us to determine what is essential and what isn't, what government should do and what it shouldn't.
When I first arrived here in Washington, I wrote an op-ed in my local newspaper, laying out some obvious budgetary reforms. One of them was to make every department justify its spending on the floor of the House. The Department of Veterans Affairs could easily do that. Currently, the VA is not shut down completely. But the time is soon coming where our former servicemembers will not be able to receive the benefits they earned fighting to defend our freedom.
Because of the Democratic Senate's inability to compromise, services to our veterans will be impacted if we don't do the right thing. In the military, we don't leave people behind on the battlefield. We shouldn't do that at home either. Surely my friends on the other side of the aisle do not believe that the Democratic Senate should hold our veterans hostage as we negotiate the CR. The people helped by the VA are American heroes. Let's not leave them behind.
I urge my colleagues to pass this important legislation.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. At this time, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen), the ranking member of the Budget Committee.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Georgia.
If you want to help our veterans tonight, we should take up the Senate-passed clean CR bill which keeps the government open for our veterans and funds programs that help their children and grandchildren, like education, like scientific research at the National Institutes of Health. And as we heard from the Speaker, if we take that bill up and pass it, it will be on the President's desk tonight, and he can sign it, whereas this bill just goes back to the Senate.
So why aren't we doing that? Well, it was reported in The Washington Post, since the Republicans want to shut down the government, now they're going for the Cruz idea for plan B. ``House GOP will go with Cruz's idea for plan B.'' That's Senator Cruz. So again, Senator Cruz is calling the shots here in the House of Representatives.
But here's what's particularly strange and cynical: our veterans are being used as props here. I don't think the American people understand that if we were to pass the CR tonight for veterans, it is actually a higher level of funding for the veterans by billions of dollars than what is in your bill before us today. So how can you say you want to help veterans by sending the Senate a bill with less money for veterans instead of sending immediately the President a bill with billions of dollars for veterans?
This cuts the amount that this House voted for for veterans in June. It cuts billions of dollars. Every Member of this House who voted in June on that Veterans appropriations bill who votes on this is voting for a cut from what this House provided for veterans earlier this year, and it represents a cut compared to the continuing resolution that we could send tonight to the President's desk and have him sign.
So, yes. If you really want to help veterans, Mr. Speaker, you should take up the Senate bill. Send it to the President. It will be done tonight at a level billions of dollars higher than this Republican bill.
Let's help our veterans, and let's help tonight.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton).
Mr. BARTON. I thank the gentleman from Houston.
Mr. Speaker, last night we voted to go to conference with the other body. Our friends on the minority side opposed that. And the leadership in the other body refused to appoint conferees.
This afternoon we brought three bills to the floor on the suspension calendar to open our national parks, to give the District of Columbia the local funds that it rightly deserves, and to fund our veterans. These bills are under suspension, which means they need to come to the floor and get a two-thirds vote. We can't pass these bills if my friends on the minority side don't vote for them.
And I would point out, on the District of Columbia, the last time the voters of the District of Columbia voted for a Republican for President, his name was Abraham Lincoln in 1864. We need to pass these bills. We're just trying to help.
I would point out that being in the minority party does not mean you have to be automatically the opposition party. Let's do what makes sense, what's the right thing to do. Vote for the veterans bill, and vote for the other two bills on suspension. We cannot pass them if our friends on the minority side, some of them don't vote for these bills.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, if I could inquire how much time remains.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 1 minute remaining. The gentleman from Georgia has 4\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. CULBERSON. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. At this time, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gallego).
Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, Ronald Reagan told a story many years ago about a little boy who encountered a pile of manure and was very excited because he thought there might be a pony in there somewhere. And the truth is that a lot of people across the country are looking for a pony.
So many people understand across the board that this isn't really about veterans or parks or the Washington, D.C., budget. It's a fight over ObamaCare and whether ObamaCare gets funded or not, a subject that has had some 40-something votes in the U.S. House of Representatives.
And I will also tell you that today, I've spent my day talking to people on the phone. I spoke to a veteran employed with the Federal Government in San Antonio who is a single dad and is worried about how he will pay his bills. A retired sergeant in Fort Stockton with the same story. Two people who were very interesting, one who told me straight up that he was a Tea Party member in San Antonio, Texas. He said, If you have a fight about ObamaCare, that should be separate and apart from keeping the doors of government open. And a woman in Ozona, Texas, who told me the same thing.
But perhaps the best statement that I have had came from an airman who serves in the 23rd District who wrote me this:
While I and many others appreciate the gratitude expressed in times like these, we have also become weary of the same. Whenever the actions of our national leaders have a negative impact on us, as government employees--which seems to have become the norm over the last years--we hear the same rhetoric. We don't want to hear how grateful and appreciative our leaders are. We want them to show their gratitude through deeds. Passing a fiscally sound budget.
Mr. CULBERSON. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. At this time, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott), a strong advocate for veterans.
Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Ladies and gentlemen of America, don't be fooled. Don't be fooled by what the Republicans are doing tonight.
Just 19 hours ago, they closed down this government. They closed down the government on the veterans. They closed down the government on D.C. They closed down the government on those who serve our parks. Many of them, when they left here 19 hours ago, were high-fiving and celebrating. We closed 'er down. We closed 'er down. And now they're here. They're here today with this hypocritical and deceitful act that now they want to do something for the veterans.
And to use these veterans--ladies and gentlemen, this is nothing but a fig leaf, a fig leaf to hide the shame of what this Republican Party did last night. And to use the veterans and to send--we are talking about just a period of just 10 or 12 weeks--to be able to send them
$5.2 million and think you've done something? We have 21 veterans committing suicide every day. Where are you talking about that? Four in my district alone.
We need to treat our veterans with the respect that they deserve by making sure that we pass that full budget. Bring a clean CR. Lift up the American people, and treat them all with respect. Don't pick one or the other.
Let's vote down this fig leaf of shame that the Republican Party is presenting here today in this resolution.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time we have remaining on each side.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 1 minute remaining. The gentleman from Georgia has 1\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. CULBERSON. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. At this time, I am delighted to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California, Ms. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader who is a strong advocate for veterans and a strong advocate for this government.
Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for his great service to our country and for his leadership on behalf of our veterans. They are precious to us. They make us the home of the brave and the land of the free. We couldn't be who we are, as a Nation, without the service and sacrifice of our veterans and their families.
Mr. Ranking Member, I thank you for your participation in our meetings that we have on a regular basis with the Veterans Service Organizations, where so many of them come and give us their priorities of how we can help them. Whether it was the veterans' budget, the forward funding, or a long list of concurrent receipts, there are so many issues that we talk about there. And now, of course, the backlog and the rest.
And in those meetings, almost every time we meet, either at the beginning or the end, we always practically in a prayerful way quote what we say about our soldiers. The military says, On the battlefield, we leave no soldier behind. And we say, And when they come home, we leave no veteran behind.
{time} 1915
The gentleman has said that we have one purpose here today, and that is to unite and support our veterans.
Do we support our veterans when we leave their families behind?
Our veterans are willing to go to battle to fight for our country, for our values, for our families, for their well-being, for our freedoms. And those people are not just veterans. They're fathers, they're mothers, they're grandparents, they're aunts and uncles. They're members of families. They want the best for their children and their grandchildren.
It may surprise you: sadly, some of them receive food stamps. Some of them receive Meals on Wheels. All of them, again, want a better future for our country.
So we're not uniting to support our veterans when we do what we're doing here today, because they would want us to support what they were fighting to defend, the ability of our country to be great. And that greatness springs from the health and well-being of the American people, in addition to our military might.
That's how we would define our strength; and I think, from listening to them, they would too.
I listened with interest to how people identified with their families. Four of my brothers were in the Army. My uncle died at the Battle of the Bulge, and that has always been part of the great pride of our family, that great war of World War II, that my father's brother was killed there.
So this World War II Memorial means a lot to all of us. Even if we didn't know anyone, even if we didn't have someone in the family, it's really important to us. And so we have to think of the ramifications of our actions.
When we shut down government, we can't say, oh, we're not respecting our veterans because they can't go to the World War II Memorial. That's what shutting down government is, shutting down much of what they fought for, shutting down the tributes that we pay to them.
So let's not leave our veterans behind by leaving their children, their grandchildren, their families and what they need.
Just to go into it, this bill is billions of dollars less than what over 420 Members of this House passed in June.
We're all there for our veterans. There is no question about that, as our distinguished whip, Mr. Hoyer, said. There is no question. Nobody questions the commitment that we all have, the gratitude that we have, the appreciation, the pedestal that we have our veterans on.
But we leave them behind when we leave behind all that they fought for, and we leave them behind when we put a bill on the floor that's billions of dollars less than we all came together to support just a few months ago.
Don't exploit them. Don't use them. We owe them too much.
On the battlefield, we leave no soldier behind; and when they come home, we leave no veteran behind, and all that they know and love.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, we live in the greatest country on the face of the Earth. We enjoy freedoms that they enjoy no place else like in America, but freedom is not free. The freedoms we enjoy were bought with a price, and that was the price of the men and women who sacrificed.
I am very, very saddened tonight that our colleagues would use and would hide behind the garment of sacrifice of those veterans and put forth a CR that does not fund, as the Senate CR does, the discretionary budget fully, the mandatory budget fully. But theirs, this CR, will not.
I urge the defeat of it, and let's not allow them to hide behind the sacrifice of our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, at this time, it's my privilege to yield our remaining 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Cotton), a distinguished Army Ranger who served this Nation both in Iraq and Afghanistan, to close.
Mr. COTTON. Mr. Speaker, no country that forgets its veterans can long endure, and that's why America has always celebrated and cherished our veterans' service.
George Washington, in his first days as President, demanded, in one of the most forceful requests he made to the Congress, that they honor our veterans.
Abraham Lincoln, who presided over our bloodiest war, dedicated two of his most beautiful speeches, the Gettysburg Address, and his second inaugural, in part or in full, to honoring our veterans.
This is something that has long united our parties on both sides of the aisle. The Democratic Party has many distinguished veterans, as does our party. That is why, today, we should continue this commitment.
We should ensure that the veterans who have been calling my office, who have been calling your offices, who've been calling all of our offices, don't have to face the kind of uncertainty and confusion that they do now because they aren't sure about what the Veterans Affairs Department can do for them.
We have our differences about ObamaCare, about funding levels, about many other matters. But let us, for our veterans, come together, as Abraham Lincoln said, and appeal to the better angels of our nature.
Uphold our veterans. Support and honor their service.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, the drama that has played out on the floor of the House would make for a great movie. I must remind my colleagues that we aren't in Hollywood, and their dangerous and thoughtless actions aren't without consequences.
We are elected representatives of the United States of America. We are not actors. We are here to legislate. So I ask my Republican colleagues to stop pontificating to the cameras and get to the work of reopening the federal government.
The Democratic Leader came to the Floor yesterday and pleaded with the majority to bring the Senate's amended CR to the Floor for a vote. Last night as midnight drew closer, my colleague from New Jersey Mr. Andrews asked the Chairman of the Rules Committee to do what is right and fair and bring the Senate's amended CR to the Floor for a vote. The Rules' Committee Chairman refused to acknowledge Mr. Andrews' plea.
Shame on House Republicans for not giving members an opportunity to cast an up or down vote on the Senate's clean CR. Their refusal to move beyond Obamacare--a law that was upheld by the United States Supreme Court as Constitutional--and continue their insistence on dismantling the law--is absolutely astounding.
Because for every time we vote on a bill to delay, defund, or dismantle Obamacare knowing what the ultimate outcome will be, is time that we could spend working on behalf of the American people to advance important policies. Instead my Republican colleagues insist on holding the American people hostage.
This is a sad day for America. This is a sad day for America because of House Republicans' complete inability to lead. This dysfunction has been allowed to continue for too long.
I remind my colleagues that House Democrats are willing to accept a clean CR at the levels that Republicans demanded. It's not what we want, but we compromised in an effort to do the business of the American people.
Now we are asking you to compromise. Your refusal to do so has shut down the most powerful government in the world. And for what? Political theater.
Republicans are harming the American people and they deserve better.
Colleagues, vote no on these senseless resolutions and demand--demand a vote on the Senate's clean Continuing Resolution.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the Continuing Resolutions to re-open our National Parks. Today, 368 national park sites were closed and we now see that the majority has noticed.
Mr. Speaker, Texas is graced with 20 Federal Parks that include Big Bend National Park, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Amistad National Recreation Area, Big Thicket National Preserve; Chamizal National Memorial; Fort Davis National Historic Site; Guadalupe Mountains National Park; Lake Meredith National Recreation Area; Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park; Padre Island National Seashore; Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site; Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River; and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park are all closed during the shutdown.
Texas also has national Forests and grasslands: Angelina National Forest; Davy Crockett National Forest; Sabine National Forest; Sam Houston National Forest; Caddo and Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) National Grasslands; Black Kettle and McClellan Creek Grasslands; Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands.
All of them are closed today because of the reckless behavior of the majority in the House of Representatives.
Perhaps this is the day that members of the majority of the House of Representatives received their first education directly from constituents about our nation's national parks and how much our parks are love and appreciated.
Federal parks also contribute to the local economies where they are found and create tens of thousands of tourist related jobs. Because they are closed today those jobs are at risk as well as the incomes of the Park Rangers who are stewards of our nation's most precious treasures.
The House should take up the clean Senate Continuing Resolution to fund the entire government.
If we only fund what the House majority wants then they will have no need to worry about funding the parts of the government that they do not like, which includes the Departments of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Labor, the Social Security Administration, the Internal Review Service, the Department of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency just to name a few.
Mr. Speaker, negotiations are a part of life. We negotiate agreements everyday--with our spouses, children, and friends. We negotiate for commercial exchanges, and for most people they negotiate over matters related to work.
From what we have learned from the majority is if they get what they want then they will leave everyone else behind. They do not see the nation at large, but as a small place with small minded people.
They are wrong. The United States is a very large place with great minded people with big hearts, who do not believe in leaving others behind.
We have seen the majority's attacks against the poor in the form of legislation that would undermine programs to feed the poor--the most recent was a bill to cut $40 billion from the nation's food safety net programs under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs.
SNAP benefits the working poor which include those who earn 130% of the federal poverty guideline, but the majority of households have income well below the maximum: 83% of SNAP households have gross income at or below 100% of the poverty guideline this translates into incomes of $19,530 for a family of 3 in 2013. These households receive about 91% of all benefits.
These are the people who we know the majority will leave behind if we allow a piece meal approach to managing the CR process.
The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of the federal government are paid and that important things like our parks are open and our children are feed.
Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on reopening the government as soon as possible.
Texas will soon begin experiencing the impact of cutbacks in the
$64.7 billion in federal spending that it receives annually, including the loss of:
$518 million in federal highway funds;
$411 million for interstate highway maintenance;
$130 million in home energy assistance for the poor;
$71 million, in Homeland Security grants;
$55 million in coordinated border infrastructtire and $97 million in federal doption assistance;
For these reasons, we cannot wait for the majority to discover all of the reasons why we have a federal government or the importance and purpose of each agency.
We have to pass a clean CR as soon as possible.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) that the House suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution, H.J. Res. 72.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, this 15-
minute vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass House Joint Resolution 72 will be followed by 5-minute votes on the motions to suspend the rules and pass House Joint Resolution 71 and House Joint Resolution 70.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 264, nays 164, not voting 4, as follows:
YEAS--264
AderholtAmashAmodeiBachmannBachusBarberBarlettaBarrBarrow (GA)BartonBenishekBentivolioBera (CA)BilirakisBishop (NY)Bishop (UT)BlackBlackburnBoehnerBoustanyBrady (TX)Braley (IA)BridenstineBrooks (AL)Brooks (IN)Broun (GA)BuchananBucshonBurgessBustosCalvertCampCampbellCantorCapitoCarson (IN)CarterCassidyChabotChaffetzCobleCoffmanColeCollins (GA)Collins (NY)ConawayCookCooperCottonCramerCrawfordCrenshawCulbersonDainesDavis, RodneyDelBeneDenhamDentDeSantisDesJarlaisDiaz-BalartDuffyDuncan (SC)Duncan (TN)EllmersFarentholdFincherFitzpatrickFleischmannFlemingFloresForbesFortenberryFosterFoxxFranks (AZ)FrelinghuysenGallegoGarciaGardnerGarrettGerlachGibbsGibsonGingrey (GA)GohmertGoodlatteGosarGowdyGrangerGraves (GA)Graves (MO)Griffin (AR)Griffith (VA)GrimmGuthrieHallHannaHarperHarrisHartzlerHastings (WA)Heck (NV)Heck (WA)HensarlingHoldingHudsonHuelskampHuizenga (MI)HultgrenHunterHurtIssaJenkinsJohnson (OH)Johnson, SamJonesJordanJoyceKeatingKelly (PA)KilmerKing (IA)King (NY)KingstonKinzinger (IL)KlineLabradorLaMalfaLambornLanceLankfordLathamLattaLipinskiLoBiondoLoebsackLongLucasLuetkemeyerLummisLynchMaffeiMaloney, SeanMarchantMarinoMassieMathesonMcCarthy (CA)McCaulMcClintockMcHenryMcIntyreMcKeonMcKinleyMcMorris RodgersMeadowsMeehanMesserMicaMiller (FL)Miller (MI)Miller, GaryMullinMulvaneyMurphy (FL)Murphy (PA)NeugebauerNoemNugentNunesNunneleeOlsonOwensPalazzoPaulsenPearcePerryPeters (CA)Peters (MI)PetersonPetriPittengerPittsPoe (TX)PolisPompeoPoseyPrice (GA)RadelReedReichertRenacciRibbleRice (SC)RigellRobyRoe (TN)Rogers (AL)Rogers (KY)Rogers (MI)RohrabacherRokitaRooneyRos-LehtinenRoskamRossRothfusRoyceRuizRunyanRyan (WI)SalmonSanfordScaliseSchneiderSchockSchraderSchweikertScott, AustinSensenbrennerSessionsShimkusShusterSimpsonSinemaSmith (MO)Smith (NE)Smith (NJ)Smith (TX)SoutherlandStewartStiversStockmanStutzmanTerryThompson (PA)ThornberryTiberiTierneyTiptonTurnerUptonValadaoWagnerWalbergWaldenWalorskiWeber (TX)Webster (FL)WenstrupWestmorelandWhitfieldWilliamsWilson (SC)WittmanWolfWomackWoodallYoderYohoYoung (AK)Young (FL)Young (IN)
NAYS--164
AndrewsBassBeattyBecerraBishop (GA)BlumenauerBonamiciBrady (PA)Brown (FL)Brownley (CA)ButterfieldCappsCapuanoCardenasCarneyCartwrightCastor (FL)Castro (TX)ChuCicillineClarkeClayCleaverClyburnCohenConnollyConyersCostaCourtneyCrowleyCuellarCummingsDavis (CA)Davis, DannyDeFazioDeGetteDelaneyDeLauroDeutchDingellDoggettDoyleDuckworthEdwardsEllisonEngelEnyartEshooEstyFarrFattahFrankel (FL)FudgeGabbardGaramendiGraysonGreen, AlGreen, GeneGrijalvaGutierrezHahnHanabusaHastings (FL)HigginsHimesHoltHondaHorsfordHoyerHuffmanIsraelJackson LeeJeffriesJohnson (GA)Johnson, E. B.KapturKelly (IL)KennedyKildeeKindKirkpatrickKusterLangevinLarsen (WA)Larson (CT)Lee (CA)LevinLewisLofgrenLowenthalLoweyLujan Grisham (NM)Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)Maloney, CarolynMatsuiMcCollumMcDermottMcGovernMcNerneyMeeksMengMichaudMiller, GeorgeMooreMoranNadlerNapolitanoNealNegrete McLeodNolanO'RourkePallonePascrellPastor (AZ)PaynePelosiPerlmutterPingree (ME)PocanPrice (NC)QuigleyRahallRangelRichmondRoybal-AllardRuppersbergerRyan (OH)Sanchez, Linda T.Sanchez, LorettaSarbanesSchakowskySchiffSchwartzScott (VA)Scott, DavidSerranoSewell (AL)Shea-PorterShermanSiresSlaughterSmith (WA)SpeierSwalwell (CA)TakanoThompson (CA)Thompson (MS)TitusTonkoTsongasVan HollenVargasVeaseyVelaVelazquezViscloskyWalzWasserman SchultzWatersWattWaxmanWelchWilson (FL)Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--4
Herrera BeutlerHinojosaMcCarthy (NY)Rush
{time} 1944
Messrs. CARSON of Indiana and MAFFEI changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So (two-thirds not being in the affirmative) the motion was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
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