Tom Cole

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Fry), my good friend.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I do.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds), my very good friend.

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

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

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

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

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close, and I urge all my colleagues to support the resolution. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot today, heard a lot about Donald Trump. We have had ad infinitum insults to the majority. We have had pejorative language. We have had pounding on the table. Why? Simply because we want to empower three committees in Congress to do what the White House asked us to do; that is, to have a formal vote on the floor before they fully cooperate. That is all we are doing. If my friends are so confident--again, as one of my colleagues mentioned from the Rules Committee--what are you worried about? It is an investigation. It is open. We hardly talked about what the resolution is about, which is how we are going to proceed. How are we going to proceed? Almost exactly as my friends proceeded in 2019. Their playbook, their play, their approach. There is nothing unfair that we are asking to be done. Since September, the House has been engaged in an impeachment inquiry, examining whether sufficient grounds exist for the House to exercise its constitutional power to impeach the President of the United States. Today's resolution simply formalizes that inquiry and grants the House full authority to enforce its subpoenas--subpoenas that have been denied as recently as today. My friends have some pretty experienced lawyers on their side. Most of them will tell you it is better to have a deposition before you have a hearing, let alone a trial. All we are trying to do is get the needed people who have been blocked or refused to cooperate to come in and testify under oath before Congress. The resolution follows closely, again, as I said, the procedures established in 2019. It empowers the three committees to continue their existing inquiries. At the end of the inquiry, it provides for the Committee on the Judiciary, the traditional impeachment committee, to report to the House resolutions, Articles of Impeachment, or other recommendations. It is deeply unfortunate that we are here, Mr. Speaker, but today's resolution will ensure that the House can fulfill its obligations under the Constitution. So it is with respect for the Constitution, for this institution, and for this great Nation that we proceed. That is all we are trying to do today. We had very little discussion of that, but we ought to entertain that. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to remind everybody of a few facts. We have millions of dollars from foreign entities that have flowed towards shell companies that we didn't even know existed until the investigations uncovered them. We have whistleblowers, public servants of long standing that have come in and told us their efforts to investigate either Hunter Biden or the wider schemes that have been obstructed. We have lots of things to be concerned about. Our committees need to be empowered with the tools that are required to pursue the truth and then come back and tell us what they found and have a recommendation as to how we should proceed. That is all today is about.

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

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

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

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Armstrong), my very good friend and the sponsor of the resolution.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today out of extreme gratitude for my previous Defense Fellow, Major Arthur Miller, or Art as he is well known, and want to congratulate him on his retirement from the United States Army. Major Miller, a commissioned field artillery officer, served as my Defense Fellow during the second session of the 117th Congress. He consistently demonstrated exceptional and effective leadership, dedicated service, and commitment to the legislative relationship between our branches of government. As a Defense Fellow, Major Miller positively and directly influenced the Army, Department of Defense policy, program recommendations, and the Fourth District of Oklahoma. His carefully communicated advice reflected the depth and breadth of his considerable experience and affected future programs appropriations and policies that will carry the Army through the end of the decade. Selected for this assignment from hundreds of applicants, Major Miller represented the Army and Department of Defense with distinction. His professional conduct with Members of Congress, and senior government leaders while assigned to Capitol Hill is to be commended. Major Miller is no stranger to a history of honorable service. As a field artillery officer, he served proudly in the 18th Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Liberty, NC, where he performed duties above his grade multiple times, including as the acting Brigade S4 during multiple brigade-level exercises and several functions in garrison, and as a Battalion S3 during 3-27th Field Artillery Regiments Cumulative Training Exercise for deployment to Operation Spartan Shield in 2019. As a Captain, Major Miller planned, synchronized, and executed over 20 training fire plans in the brigade's first externally evaluated Large Scale Combat Operations Exercise in support of FOCUSED READINESS. Major Miller commanded Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3-27th Field Artillery Regiment while deployed to Operation Spartan Shield and Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 18th Field Artillery Brigade. Major Miller commanded the battery through COVID-19, meanwhile, his battery was recognized by GEN Michael Garrett, the commander of Army Forces Command, for having the best tactically emplaced area of operations of all units at the rotation. As a junior officer, Major Miller excelled at every level in the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 2d Infantry Division from 2012 to 2015. Major Miller served with distinction as an executive officer in two formations and was then selected above all lieutenants in the brigade to serve as the adjutant for the 210th Field Artillery Brigade before being selected to attend the Maneuver Captains Career Course, a unique and noteworthy honor given to only the most talented of young officers in our Army. Major Miller is a proud member of the Military Officers Association of America, the Association of the United States Army, the United States Army Field Artillery Association, and is a recipient of the Honorary Order of Saint Barbara. His continued commitment to our Soldiers and their families will never go unnoticed and signifies the important degree of character in which he holds. Mr. Speaker, in recognition of his distinguished service to our country, I wish him, his wife Cassie, children Emma and Arthur, and their shell-protected friends, Donatella and Leonardo, all the best in his retirement. It is well deserved, and our country owes him a wealth of gratitude for his service. God bless my good friend.

Mr. COLE

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

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend for the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the fact that the safety of individuals who sleep in single-gender shelters is of the utmost importance. It doesn't mean provisions cannot be provided elsewhere for other individuals, but in this case, we need to ensure that people are both comfortable in their surroundings and are protected as they are coming out of difficult situations. The proposal also puts burdens on religious organizations who might feel differently about gender identity than the current administration. Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, while I recognize the concerns of my good friend, the ranking member of the full committee, I think you need to put some of them in a little bit of context, particularly the subject of the Amtrak Northeast corridor. While I recognize there is always a desire for greater support for the Northeast Corridor, I believe our bill strikes a necessary balance given the allocation we have for the year. I would also note that we are having just as many Members who believe we are spending too much as those who think we are spending too little. Our $99.2 million appropriation supports the contingencies and legally mandated improvements to the Northeast Corridor. I recognize that while this level is certainly lower than last year, we must make three major points and take them into account. First, prior to the passage of the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, the Northeast Corridor normally received about $650 million to $700 million for capital improvements on an annual basis. This was at a time when Amtrak was nearly profitable. Today's ridership levels are still not back to where they were then, and the changing work patterns indicate that they may never return to those same levels. The IIJA provides $1.2 billion, in addition to what we appropriate in this bill, annually in advanced appropriations to the Northeast Corridor for capital improvements. When you combine our appropriation with the advance, the total support for the Northeast Corridor is still double what it was prior to November 2021. Further, Mr. Chairman, two-thirds of the Federal Railroad Administration's Federal-State partnership program advanced appropriations are set aside for projects in the Northeast Corridor, and we are also beginning to see these dollars flow. This week, the FRA announced $16.4 billion in funding for projects along the Northeast Corridor, with $16.2 billion of those going to projects where Amtrak is the sponsor or one of the core beneficiaries of the project. Clearly, the IIJA advanced appropriations are providing an amount of funding higher than Amtrak has ever seen in the past, particularly given the fact that their ridership is at a lower level. The thing that my colleagues never address is that we are running a $2 trillion deficit. These programs are significantly above what Amtrak, particularly the Northeast Corridor, was receiving less than 2 years ago. We regret we have to make some adjustment, but we need to begin to bring this deficit down. This legislation responsibly does that. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My friend is certainly correct, I voted against the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act, and I did so for a very good reason. It didn't pay for itself. There have been three previous transportation bills in my time here, two under President Obama. I voted for those because they paid for themselves. My friends worry about rising costs. They should worry about rising costs. It is their reckless spending that sparked the worst inflation in 40 years and the highest interest rates in 20 years. When they are concerned about housing costs, just look in the mirror. That is not just me saying that. Go back and look at all the Democratic economists that criticized the passage of the so-called American Rescue Plan where my friends injected $1.9 trillion into the economy at a time when we were growing at over 6 percent and rapidly recovering. We do have problems with what it costs. Nobody in my son's lifetime-- he is 41 years old--ever paid 8 percent interest rates, but my friends got us there. It didn't take them long to do it, either. The record deficits we are running are why we are having to make some of these reductions. The income to the Federal Government is actually higher than it has been in quite some time. It is higher on a percentage basis, it is higher in actual totals, but you can't continue to spend at these rates. That is what caused inflation. That is what drove up housing prices. That is why we are passing this legislation, to try and begin to responsibly fund important programs as opposed to just throwing money at problems and leaving the American people to deal with the bill in terms of higher costs, higher inflation, and more expensive housing. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Chairman, I begin by reciprocating the very kind remarks of my working partner, Mr. Quigley. I find him to be a person of extraordinary ability, a wonderful working partner, and somebody that I look forward to continuing a dialogue with as we go through the process. As my friend knows, we are not at the end of that process. Our aim is to pass a vehicle and be able to go to conference, where I know my friend and I will continue to work on some of the concerns that, frankly, people on both sides of the aisle have. I think that is the way we ought to work, and I am very proud of the relationship that we have that will allow that to continue. I will, however, point out that we have several problems. The reality is our funding levels are actually essentially where we were in 2022. This is 2023. We have not gone a long way past that. Second, there is an enormous amount of money that has been interjected into the infrastructure bill by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and that money needs to be offset in some way to bring down this extraordinary deficit that we have. My friends are concerned, appropriately so, about the cost of things. Those costs have been raised mostly by excessive government spending. The worst thing that we have out there right now is simply what interest rates are compared to what they were, literally, when the President walked into office. They were 1.4 percent. They peaked at 9 percent. They are still running somewhere around 7 percent. If you don't think it makes a difference, go try to buy a home. You have to begin to responsibly restrain government spending. This bill does that. It takes us from $101 billion in total spending to $93 billion. That is a significant cut. That is exactly where we were in 2022, not very long ago. We will continue to work and try to find common ground with our friends because I recognize, as I know my friend does, at the end of the day, all appropriations bills have to be bipartisan, but they are usually not bipartisan at this stage in the process. I am not surprised that that is where we are right now. I think there are a lot of good features in this. I think, quite frankly, Tribal housing and Tribal roads have been underfunded for decades. It didn't matter who was in power. This bill begins to address that. I think we have critical needs at the FAA, where we need to train more air traffic controllers to modernize the system. This bill does that. It matches up pretty closely to what this Congress actually passed when it passed the FAA Reauthorization Act earlier this year. There is lots of infrastructure in this bill. Would we like more? Yes, we would. Maybe we will be able to get more, but right now we have to operate within the allocation that we have. I think we have more in common to work with here than probably the initial debate and the early rhetoric suggests, and I will just close by saying my friend has my commitment that I will continue to work with him. I share his admiration for the staff on both sides of the aisle. Sometimes I often like to say Members may not work together very well, but staff almost always does around here. At the end of the day, more problems are solved at that level sometimes than solved by the rhetoric on the floor. My friend and I, I hope we get to a deal. I know we have one thing above all in common. We both know what a continuing resolution would mean. We both know that is a bad outcome. If that happens, we will lose the improvements in this bill, particularly for FAA, but for other areas as well. My friend has my commitment that we will continue to work together. We may not get to the same place in the debate over this particular piece of legislation, but if we are going to have something that actually becomes law, he and I will have to come to an agreement. At some point, I am confident that we will. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. 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 materials on H.R. 4820, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to stand before you today as we consider the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies bill for fiscal year 2024. I am glad that we are back at work moving appropriations bills through the House floor under our new Speaker. We are continuing to fulfill our constitutional duties. I thank Chairman Granger, Ranking Member DeLauro, and my partner on this bill, Ranking Member Mike Quigley. This bill responsibly funds our most critical transportation and housing needs and will have a positive impact on every congressional district in the country. At the same time, the bill meets the challenge before us to reduce spending and get our debt under control. The bill reduces spending 25 percent below fiscal year 2023 levels, with a CBO score of $65 billion. We achieve these savings through a rescission of IRS funds and by reducing billions in excessive spending. To really compare this bill to last year, we need to be honest about what was in the fiscal year 2023 bill, what it actually contains. First, I will point out that last year, my Democratic friends labeled an extra $3.6 billion as emergency funding. We do not repeat that mistake this year. Second, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill uses receipts from HUD-backed mortgages and refinancing to offset spending. In fiscal year 2023, this provided $10 billion to offset spending. For fiscal year 2024, that receipt number is down over 70 percent. Why? It is because few people want to refinance at an 8 percent interest rate. The real level of spending in the T-HUD bill was $101 billion in 2023 compared to $93 billion in the same bill before us today. This is a decrease of $8 billion, bringing the total slightly below the 2022 level. Every year across government we face unavoidable cost increases in some programs. I believe we need to be responsible when addressing these costs. This bill does just that by cutting excess, removing duplication, and even trimming some programs that are, quite frankly, popular on both sides of the aisle. Nevertheless, we also made sure to prioritize the core missions of DOT and HUD. We prioritize transportation safety on our railways, roads, and airways. I am proud that we provide resources for the Federal Aviation Administration to hire 1,800 new air traffic controllers to backfill the retiring workforce and deploy air traffic controllers to understaffed facilities. We also provide funding for the most critical air traffic control modernization programs. We all feel the impact of a strained air traffic control system. This bill will address some of those strains. These investments will generate economic growth and ensure uninterrupted air service, which is critical for rural and remote communities and metropolitan areas alike. This bill provides $60 billion for highways and bridges through the highway trust fund. These resources are directly allocated to our State departments of transportation, enabling State and local governments to collaborate on the highest priority road projects. The bill prioritizes safety programs at the Department of Transportation to ensure that our roads and railways are safe for freight haulers and the traveling public. The bill supports the DOT's maritime mission for full funding for national security programs. We ensure a responsible safety net with housing support for our most vulnerable citizens, especially the elderly, disabled veterans, and the working poor. These programs are run at the local level, through public housing authorities, private landlords, and faith-based organizations. The bill supports self-sufficiency programs so that families can move up and out of rental assistance. Our housing assistance programs should be a hand up and not a handout. I have heard from Members on both sides of the aisle about the importance of Community Development Block Grants, or CDBGs, so we provide the fiscal year '23 enacted level of $3.3 billion for this program. I am proud of the work that we have done in this bill to meet our trust and treaty responsibilities to Native Americans. For years, HUD Tribal programs languished, their buying power eroded by inflation. At the same time, much of the housing on Tribal lands has deteriorated to the point of being dangerous and uninhabitable. So we have increased the Indian Housing Block Grant Program to $1.1 billion, catching up to an inflation-adjusted 1998 level. While this does not make up for decades of underinvestment, it is at least a start. The bill also increases investments in historically underfunded Tribal road programs. The bill includes provisions that will scale back the Biden administration's regulatory overreach. For example, we prohibit funds such as to implement the affirmatively furthering fair housing rule at HUD. This does nothing to impair HUD's enforcement of the Fair Housing Act but cuts red tape for public housing authorities and other recipients of HUD funds. The bill also bars the DOT from imposing new carbon emission reduction targets for highway projects. This would be particularly burdensome for small and rural communities. In addition, the bill prohibits funds for drones subsidized by the Chinese Government. This will safeguard our national security and create a fair playing field for American manufacturers. These are just a few of the policy provisions in the bill that will scale back the Biden administration's overreach. I am pleased that we will consider several amendments that will do even more to keep a check on the excesses of this administration. I thank Members of the House for their input to this bill. We received roughly 9,000 requests, and we were able to meet over two- thirds of them, including community project funding for transportation infrastructure and bricks-and-mortar community development projects. The alternative to passing this and other appropriations bills is a continuing resolution. Let me remind all Members that a CR will serve no one well. This bill is an ideal example of why we must avoid putting the government on autopilot. Under a CR, our air traffic control system would suffer delays because of staffing shortages, housing assistance would be revoked from vulnerable Americans, and spending that is no longer needed from fiscal year 2023 would be carried forward for another year. We must avoid that outcome. In closing, Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased that we are moving forward. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Mr. COLE. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from California.