John Carter

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. CARTER. Madam 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 for further consideration on H.R. 2217.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. today.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I accept this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CARTER. Reclaiming my time, let me say that I listened to what you said before, and you don't need to be repetitive. I understand your concerns. And quite honestly, they're valid concerns; and I will, as chairman of this committee, with the assistance of Mr. Price, look into these arguments that you have made. But at this time I cannot accept your amendment. And I don't need to hear the arguments a second time to accept your amendment. So I'm opposed to this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Madam Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Virginia and assure him that we will continue to work together on this issue. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CARTER. Madam Chair, I appreciate the gentleman's question. The committee has long expressed concerns with the operation of the National Capital Region Coordination Office, and numerous GAO audits have confirmed our concerns that the office has been underperforming its potential to improve regional preparedness coordination. I share the gentleman's desire to improve collaboration across the National Capital Region with the Federal Government, and I know Administrator Fugate is committed to doing just that. I am confident that the coordination responsibility outlined in section 882 can be fulfilled within this reorganization under the Office of the Administrator. Ranking Member Price and I are committed to making sure FEMA acts on the recommendations of the GAO to better meet with the requirements, and we will work to include you and other members of the National Capital Region delegation in that effort.

Mr. CARTER. I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CARTER. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. CARTER. I thank the gentlewoman from California for engaging me in this colloquy. As she had just stated, wait times at our ports of entry, both vehicle and pedestrian, have increased in recent years. I would have supported the gentlewoman's amendment, but will vow to work with her in ensuring that the proper funds are given to the pedestrians to reduce wait times at land ports of entry. I'll be glad to work with you on this issue.

Mr. CARTER. The authorizers have indicated that they oppose this amendment that's being proposed by my friend from New Jersey. I'm reluctant to oppose it. So I just wanted to make the statement that the authorizing committee is opposed to this. We've had a debate almost ad nauseam on the State of Louisiana, with exactly the same amendment. I think everything that's been said about this flood program has been said, so I'm not going to continue that debate. I just wanted to make a note that although I'm not going to officially oppose it, I will state that the authorizers were supposed to be here to oppose. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to say that I will be happy to work with you, Mr. Barton, as we move forward in the appropriations process.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CARTER. Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CARTER. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I share the gentleman from North Carolina's concern on that. The House Appropriations Committee included report language asking for final action on this rule. It is well past time to finalize this rule, whose delay has impeded manufacturers in growing critical markets for aviation exports.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CARTER. I accept the amendment and yield back the balance of my time.