Tom Cole

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I really think that my good friends in the majority need more time to present a fair rules package. So I move to postpone consideration of H. Res. 8 until January 5, 2021. Motion to Table

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds to respond to my friend. I remind my friend that you accepted eight MTRs, or eight were approved, because Democrats decided the Republican proposals were good proposals and made the bill better. We couldn't have done it on our own. So, you are actually limiting the choices in front of your own Members. We might not feel so strongly about the MTR if we got more amendments approved anyway. We only get about 18 percent of the amendments. When we were in the majority, we gave you 45. We got 38. You now get 68. So, you are taking a tool away that is important to us. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), my very good friend and the distinguished ranking member on the House Administration Committee.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), my very good friend and the distinguished Republican whip.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to quickly respond to my friend. Ms. Scanlon said the eight MTRs that passed this House were poison pills. By definition, they weren't. They passed the House. Democrats voted for them. Things like fighting against anti-Semitism is hardly a poison pill. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko), my very good friend.

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to have the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies' bill included in this important appropriations package. As we have done every year since I have served on the subcommittee, we have been able to reach a compromise. I want to highlight a few of the many provisions in the Labor-HHS section of the bill. The agreement boosts funding for the National Institutes of Health by $1.25 billion. I am proud to say this increase represents the sixth straight year of sustained increases for the NIH, thanks to bipartisan and bicameral support. And funding resources, expertise, and investments we have made over the past 6 years in biomedical research, along with public health planning through mechanisms like the Infectious Disease Rapid Response Reserve Fund, are helping us come out of this pandemic faster than predicted. Make no mistake, this is not an accident. It is a result of years of quiet investment, planning, and scientific dedication. I am glad this conference agreement continues these investments in biomedical research. It will benefit the Nation. Finally, the bill also funds the President's childhood cancer initiative and continues support to end the HIV epidemic. This conference agreement before us today also increases funding for education and training programs, including $52 million for an increase in career and technical education, a $10 million increase for TRIO and GEAR UP. We have increased funds for Impact Aid and special education and provided funds for veterans to integrate back into the workforce. Finally, the bill continues existing funding restrictions, including those important to the pro-life community, and drops new controversial language. Mr. Speaker, I would like to conclude by thanking Ranking Member Kay Granger and Labor, Health and Human Services Chair Rosa DeLauro. Ms. Granger has been a valiant leader navigating our members through some difficult decisions to bring us here today. Mr. Speaker, I also want to acknowledge the negotiating skills of the chair of the Labor-HHS Subcommittee, Ms. DeLauro. I very much look forward to serving with her as both the chair of my subcommittee, as well as the chair of the full committee in the next Congress. Last, but certainly not least, I also want to thank our full committee chair, Mrs. Lowey, who has had an outstanding career and navigated us to this point.

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I begin by saying what a privilege it has been to serve with my good friend from Florida these last 2 years, not only in Congress, but most especially on the Rules Committee. And what a particular pleasure it is for me to have the opportunity to manage and work with her on her very last rule on the floor. In closing, Madam Speaker, I thank all my colleagues for their consideration of this bipartisan package. Though it has taken us a long time to get to this particular point, it is a real bipartisan compromise. And I think, at the end of the day, it will pass with a substantial bipartisan vote and it will benefit every American. The package today will fully fund the government through September 30th of 2021, and will ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent where they are needed most. I think that is an important point because, lost in all of this, the appropriations process has actually done what it was supposed to do. I compliment my friends on the Appropriations Committee; particularly our distinguished chair, Mrs. Lowey, and our distinguished ranking member, Ms. Granger. They brought all 12 bills through the committee. They got a full committee process. They were reported out of committee. Ten of those bills came to the floor. On the floor, those bills got full consideration. We sat and bargained with our friends in the United States Senate, and now I have brought these bills back. That is the way Congress ought to work. I am proud the Appropriations Committee worked that way. We also will be taking up in this particular bill a pandemic relief bill, ensuring extensions for programs like unemployment insurance and the Paycheck Protection Program, which will protect millions of Americans who have lost their jobs and lost income as a result of this pandemic. The package is a very important package. And we have some disagreements on it. We have had some back and forth on it in the last several months, but still, at the end of the day, we have come together, we have done something important, and I think we have set the stage for perhaps something later in the next Congress. We will see. But this is an important relief measure for the American people, and I certainly urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it. Finally, the package also includes a bipartisan compromise on surprise medical billing and a number of issues to provide targeted tax relief to people who have suffered through the coronavirus crisis and particular industries. I think that is appropriate. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and multiple committees that have been part of that particular compromise. Madam Speaker, it is often said on this floor that it is not a perfect bill, but a $900 billion relief package that is badly needed to the American people close to Christmas Eve is something that every Member on this floor ought to be proud of, and I hope every Member in this Chamber will see fit to support. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the rule and, most importantly, to vote ``yes'' on the underlying measure. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to remind my friends who engage in revisionist history, we haven't held anything up. The Senate put a $1 trillion offer on the table back in July. My friends didn't think that was good enough. The President put a $1.8 trillion deal on the table. They didn't think that was good enough. We are here now with a bipartisan, good bill. We may need to do more later. We will see. But the reality is our friends held unrealistic positions with a lot of policy riders on them that they knew were never going to be accepted, and they did that throughout the election season. Fine. The election is over. All of a sudden we are back and we are able to compromise after the election. It would have been better for the American people had we done that back in July. My friends chose a different path, but I am glad they have changed their mind since the election. I am glad we have something in front of us that is genuinely bipartisan. We will pass it on a bipartisan basis today. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to agree with the distinguished gentlewoman from Florida, my good friend, about the investments in NIH. I want to remind her that it was Newt Gingrich and John Porter who doubled the NIH during the Clinton years, who actually put more money in there than the administration requested. I will also remind my good friend that when I was chairman, we put more money in than the Obama administration requested; and we continued to do more money than the Trump administration requested, which actually requested some cuts. So the reality is that Congress--on a bipartisan basis, I must say, because I had the support of my ranking member, now our distinguished chairwoman of the Labor, Health, and Human Services Subcommittee, Rosa DeLauro, in those decisions--Congress, but particularly Republicans, have made those investments over the years. And I think the country--I agree with my friend--has reaped enormous benefits from that. I hope we continue down that road in the next Congress with the next administration. I am looking forward to that possibility. But I simply wanted to let the record reflect what the contribution from our side of the aisle has been in that regard. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I just want to quickly respond to my friend from California. It is just, frankly, not accurate to say Republicans did nothing. The reality is Democrats in the Senate did nothing. They were offered a bill about the size of this bill. Actually, it was a little bit larger--as I recall, it was about a trillion dollars--than this bill, and they wouldn't allow it to come to the floor to be heard. This deal has been on the table since July. My friends chose to hold it up, for whatever reason--be it political or in hopes of getting a better deal--and they prolonged the suffering of the American people, and I regret that. But we are here today. We have worked together. We have got all the appropriations bills done. I am proud of that. We have got a good relief package here. I am proud of that. We have taken care of some important issues. I see my friend, the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. He had a lot to do with that, on surprise medical billing. That is a bipartisan accomplishment and achievement. So let's build on the things that we have and see what we need to do in the next Congress. But, again, for one side to point fingers at the other here is just simply, in my view, not appropriate. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson), my very good friend.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I beg to differ with my good friend from Massachusetts. It wasn't Republicans who did nothing; it was Democrats who did nothing. The Senate actually offered a trillion-dollar package in July. We are here approving a $900 billion package today. The President of the United States offered a $1.8 trillion package at one point. We are approving a $900 billion package today. Now, we may do more later, but the reality is my friends drug this out all summer long. We could have had a package very similar to what we had many months ago. That would have helped unemployed Americans. It would have helped Americans with small businesses. It would have reassured the economy. My friends chose not to do that. I am glad, since the election, they have decided to bargain in good faith. We have bargained in good faith. We have what we think is a good product in front of us. But if we want to write history, we have a considerably different version of it than has been portrayed on the floor here today, put in front of the American people. Madam Speaker, I also just want to add for the record that, while we are busy bashing the President, I haven't heard too many people thank the President of the United States for Operation Warp Speed, unprecedented triumphs to actually deliver a vaccine in less than a year. All the critics said, not possible. The President deserves credit for that, and so does his administration. That is something that all of us, regardless of party and partisanship, should be proud of; and, frankly, it is something we owe the President a great deal of gratitude for. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Shalala), my good friend, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. Madam Speaker, we are here today to consider a rule that provides for consideration of a package of items that are of great importance to the country. The House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 133 includes not only a bipartisan omnibus appropriations bill covering the remainder of fiscal year 2021, but also a $900 billion bipartisan pandemic relief package to provide help to millions of Americans who have suffered as a result of the pandemic. It also includes a bipartisan compromise addressing surprise medical bills, something that has been a priority for both parties. Finally, it includes a number of end-of-the-year tax and healthcare- related extenders that are critical to those they serve, especially during a pandemic. While I know that we are all thrilled to be here today to bring these items to the floor, I am frustrated that it has taken this long to reach this deal, and I know the American people share that frustration. The reality is that we could have had this deal months ago on a pandemic relief package, and we could have had this deal. Individual components could have been passed across the floor in July of this year. Instead, Americans were left to suffer. All the while, jobs were being lost and businesses being closed; all the while, small businesses across the country were forced to make difficult decisions about which employees to keep and which staff to let go; all the while, a deal was available here in Congress that could have extended unemployment insurance and extended the Paycheck Protection Program, a program which Democrats in the House rejected extending 41 times. These two key backstops could have helped millions of Americans. Instead, Democrats chose to play politics and chose not to take yes for an answer. But now that the election is over and the end of the year is at hand, suddenly there is room for a deal, a very bipartisan deal that was on the table all along and that could have been passed into law months ago. Madam Speaker, for today, we will look past that. Though this overall bill is massive, I think it is easiest to digest if you consider it in three separate sections: Section 1 is the bipartisan, bicameral omnibus appropriations bill, which will include our appropriations work for fiscal year 2021. The appropriations process works best when it is bipartisan, and with today's bill, we have accomplished that end. Once we step past the partisanship, we are able to work together and reach a deal that will fully fund the government for the fiscal year. Our constituents deserve no less. Madam Speaker, the deal before us covers all 12 spending bills and it ensures that taxpayer dollars will go where they are needed most. In particular, I am pleased that this bill includes key provisions supporting our response to the pandemic, like $20 billion for coronavirus vaccines, an increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health, and a further $3 billion to rebuild the Strategic National Stockpile of medical supplies and personal protective equipment. It fully funds our defense needs and ensures a 3 percent pay raise for all military personnel. It continues to fund needed improvements for border security. And, perhaps most importantly, it maintains all pro-life protections, as has been the case in previous years. And the harmful, partisan riders that appeared in Democratic partisan appropriations bills from earlier this year have been removed. Madam Speaker, I think it is worth noting that this bill came about as a result of regular order. The Committee on Appropriations produced each of the 12 appropriations bills from a regular committee process. Members were given the opportunity to amend, question, and fully examine most of the bills on the floor, and the House and Senate met together to conference the bills into a final product. This demonstrates how powerful and effective regular order can be. Madam Speaker, the second piece of this bill is the $900 billion pandemic relief package. For all of 2020, Americans--and indeed the world--have lived under the specter of this pandemic. It has touched every American's life in some way or another, but many Americans have been hit harder than others. Millions have caught this disease, and hundreds of thousands have died. Millions more have lost their jobs, and millions have seen their wages or earnings cut. This has been a crisis that touches us on so many levels. A health crisis is bad enough, but adding an economic crisis on top of it makes this year the toughest that many of us can remember. The coronavirus relief package before us will do several things to ease the burden on all Americans. It will extend the Paycheck Protection Program and will ensure that many small businesses will be able to keep their employees on the payroll. It will extend expanded unemployment insurance, thus providing more funds to unemployed workers to help make them closer to whole. And it will provide economic impact payments of $600 to almost every American, except those with high incomes. Though I expect this may not be the last time Congress responds to the COVID pandemic, I hope that in the future the Speaker will embark on a different path of resolution. A relief package like this one may not have been everything that both parties wanted, but a compromise deal that provides real help to American workers is better than no deal at all. And that compromise could have and should have been reached months ago. I hope the majority will remember that going forward. Madam Speaker, the third section of today's package is a number of miscellaneous bipartisan items, including a bill intended to address the problems of surprise medical billing. This is a problem that is known far too well by many Americans. You see a doctor or you visit an emergency room, and only learn after the fact that a medical professional you saw during your treatment is outside your insurance network. This can lead to a wildly expensive bill for the patient, who may not have had any choice in the matter. The bipartisan bill before us today will help solve this problem. It will ensure that the patients will only be responsible for covering the portion not covered by their health insurance at in-network rates when they don't have the ability to choose an in-network doctor, like in emergency situations. The bill also will make pricing more open and transparent and will require insurers to notify patients in advance if they are going to receive out-of-network care. These reforms will give patients and consumers more choice and will make sure that they are not subjected to massive, surprise bills, ones that patients frequently have not planned for. Madam Speaker, I applaud my friends on the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on Education and Labor for coming to this important compromise, and I look forward to supporting its passage in law. Madam Speaker, finally, I take a moment to acknowledge my very dear friend, Representative Donna Shalala, who is managing her final rule on the floor today. I have always enjoyed my interactions with my friend and it has always been a pleasure serving with her on the Committee on Rules. She has been a helpful ally when we have agreed and a worthy opponent when we have not. Much more importantly, she has always been, first and foremost, a public servant. She was a public servant before she arrived in Congress. I have no doubt she will continue to be a public servant when she leaves. We have all benefitted from her leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services during the Clinton years, from her many years as a leader in educational institutions, from her tireless participations on countless boards and commissions and committees, all of which were rendering important service to our country. Madam Speaker, I am going to miss my friend on the Committee on Rules. This Congress is going to miss her, but I know the country is going to continue to have the benefit of her splendid service and insight. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko), my good friend and distinguished colleague on the Committee on Rules.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), my very good friend and the distinguished ranking Republican member of the Small Business Committee.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr).

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), my very good friend and a distinguished member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Rules Committee.

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my very good friend from Georgia for yielding. Normally, when I come down to this floor, it is to debate the rule with my good friend, the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Rules, and it is to disagree with the legislation, in many cases. And at least that is true: I am opposed to the rule and opposed to the underlying legislation. Mr. Speaker, the real purpose that I am here today is something that my friend from Georgia referred to oft too fleetingly in his opening comments, and that is that this may be his last appearance managing a rule of the floor of the House. Now, I had the good fortune to serve in Congress throughout my friend's distinguished 10-year career. We served, as he said, on the Committee on Budget together. We have had the opportunity to serve on both the majority and the minority on the Committee on Rules together. I was very proud to be a member of the Republican Study Committee-- still am--during his tenure as our chairman. Mr. Speaker, I have to say, probably something that my good friend, the chairman, will agree with, we regret very much that my friend has made the decision to leave Congress and go pursue--and, I am sure, successfully--other things. We regret it because Rob Woodall has been, throughout his 10 years, a Member's Member, a person whom I have never heard say one ill word about anyone on either side, even while vigorously disagreeing with that person; a person who has made us proud with the civility and the decency with which he has conducted his office and discharged his duties; somebody that I think everyone on the Committee on Rules not only likes and admires, but considers an invaluable part of the Committee on Rules because he manages to make his points and bring out the best in our committee and, again, do so in a way that is always civil, that is always appropriate, and, frankly, that is quite often humorous and diffuses difficult situations. If we had more Members in the United States House of Representatives like Rob Woodall, we would be a better body than we are--and I think both sides would agree on that. He knows how to conduct debate and argument. He knows the process. He knows how to work through the process in a civil manner. I have seen him do it in the majority. I have seen him do it in the minority. I could not be prouder of him and the service he has rendered to this institution. I could not be, frankly, sorrier about losing a colleague who I think has contributed each and every day. Now, Rob was the chief of staff, Mr. Speaker, before he came here, to one of our predecessors, John Linder, who also was a member of the Committee on Rules. So he came to this committee really understanding how it works, much like the chairman, who had a very similar career pattern himself, working as a staffer then coming on and now, obviously, rising to the preeminent position on the committee as our distinguished chairman. He has seen a lot of Members work through this process as well, just as I have, and I suspect he values my friend, even though he is on the other side, as deeply as I do. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say, for the record, to my friend, Rob: We are going to miss you. We are going to miss you on the committee. But much more importantly, this institution is going to miss you. It is going to miss your civility. It is going to miss your decency. It is going to miss your industry. It is going to miss the manner in which you represent all of us to your constituents and, frankly, when you speak on this floor to the people of the United States of America. You have every reason to be proud of the career that you have built here. You could never be as proud of your career as all of us are of you and the manner in which you have conducted yourself. My friend, this may be the last rule; although, I have got to tell you, if I can sneak you in one more time, I would. It is like we are losing, I think, our best pitcher, and if I can find one more game to stick him in, believe me, I will. But I want to tell you how much I admire you, how much I like you, how much I revere your career, how much I will miss you as a Member and a friend.

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Victor Bird on his retirement after a remarkable 36-year career in public service to the state of Oklahoma. Graduating with a bachelor's degree and juris doctorate from the University of Tulsa, Victor is a lifelong Oklahoman. After graduating, he started his career in law with the public sector. Victor's career in public service started in 1983 in the Oklahoma Attorney General's office. From there he served at Oklahoma State University, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, and again the Attorney General's office under two different attorney generals. It was through this impressive path that led him to the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission as the Director in 2002. With no previous aviation experience, Victor recognized the importance of the aviation industry for Oklahoma and immediately put his knowledge of the state to work. After 18 years at the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, few have left such a legacy. As the longest serving director in the state's history, his advocacy and implementations have left a distinctive mark on Oklahoma's role in aviation and aerospace. Under his leadership, the Commission has invested $71 million in state funds and directed $189 million in federal funds into airport infrastructure statewide. Victor's pro aviation mindset has led to the growth of the annual economic impact to $44 billion, which has directly resulted in tens of thousands of jobs. Victor Bird played a key role in shaping aviation to become one of the state's largest industries and top employers. Victor's career has largely gone unnoticed. He is the first and only Oklahoman to serve as chairman of the National Association of State Aviation Officials in its 90-year history. He is also the first and only non-elected public official to receive the Joseph B. ``Doc'' Hartranft Jr. Award from the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association. In 2006, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Oklahoma Association for Career and Technical Education for his contributions to career and technology education in Oklahoma. In 2009, Bird was the recipient of the prestigious General Thomas P. Stafford Award, which recognizes those who have made substantial contributions to the Oklahoma aerospace industry and who reflect the revolutionary spirit of Gen. Stafford. Additionally, in 2017, Bird received the Kenneth A. Rowe Ambassador of Aviation Award from NASAO in honor of his national accomplishments. Most recently, in 2020, Victor received the President's Award from the Oklahoma Airport Operators Association for his significant work in Oklahoma aviation. For four decades, Victor Bird's dedication to Oklahoma has continued to help our state make enormous strides in terms of economic growth and innovation. As we reflect on the 36-year career of Victor Bird, let us look at his tireless work to inspire us. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Victor Bird on an extraordinary career and wish him all the best in his much-deserved retirement.

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), who is my good friend and the ranking member of the Small Business Committee, to explain more about this critical bill.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I just want to respond quickly to my friends and point out something that is striking to me in listening to the debate. There is almost nothing that any of my friends have mentioned that we don't support--almost nothing. All these worthy programs for restaurants, all this relief for individuals, and all this help, we all agree with that. It is the things my friends don't mention that they have in their bill that we don't agree with. We don't agree with more money for Planned Parenthood. That has no place in this bill. We obviously have very serious objections to federalizing the election system of this country, which is State based. That has no place in this bill. We obviously don't want to give a tax break to millionaires and billionaires in blue States by getting rid of the State and local tax limitations that were placed in. Those are the things, none of which have anything to do with coronavirus, that we object to. Those are the things that my friends are insisting on that they cannot pass in the United States Senate and that the President will not sign. If they want to actually pass all these other wonderful things, we agree with them, and we have been very generous in terms of the amount of money. The President has moved up on that. Money is a negotiable item here. Policy positions--poison pills, as my good friend from Arizona said--are not, and that is what is keeping us from acting. Frankly, that is a tragedy and a travesty, in my view, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, in closing, I urge opposition to the rule. Today's bill is nothing more than a Democratic wish list masquerading as a coronavirus relief bill, roughly the same as the partisan bill the majority passed back in May and it was never taken up by the Senate, would never be signed by the President. As in May, today's bill is ultimately doomed. It will not pass the Senate. The President has made it clear he will not sign it. Madam Speaker, the majority is missing a real chance here. The American people are suffering as a result of the coronavirus. It is past time for the two parties to do what we did very successfully four times in a row in a 10-week period and work together and actually provide a package that provides real relief for the American people. There are plenty of things we agree on, such as the extension of the Paycheck Protection Program, such as ensuring that more funds are provided for testing and tracing, such as one-time payments of $1,200 per individual and $500 per child to every household making less than $75,000 a year. We disagree about the exact amount, but we agree every American who is unemployed, through no fault of their own, should get at least $400 more a week. Frankly, because the Democrats did not take up that offer, those people have gotten zero since the end of July. We absolutely agree that we need additional money for the opening of schools. Madam Speaker, so why don't we put on the floor--it is a novel suggestion--the things we agree on, the things we know the Senate will pass and we know the President would sign. The only reason we have failed to do that is because the Democratic leadership has made the decision that we have to agree on everything before we do anything. That is no way to legislate in a body that has a Democratic majority in the House, a Republican majority in the Senate, and a Republican President. The majority is not in the position to dictate to either the Senate or the President what is going to happen, but they are in a powerful position to negotiate, and negotiate in good faith, and focus on the areas where we agree. Madam Speaker, I think that would move us forward productively. I think that would be in the best interests of the American people. So I call on the majority to end this charade and engage with Republicans in the House, the Senate, and the administration and come to an agreement on a real bipartisan relief package. I know my friends can do it because we did it together four times in a row. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question, ``no'' on the rule, and ``no'' on the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.