Tom Cole

Mr. COLE

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

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

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

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

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, it has been an interesting debate. There have been a lot of things said that are exaggerations and a lot of things said, in my view, that are fabrications. I will talk about a few of those. There is nothing in this bill about Social Security. There is nothing in this bill about Medicare. There is nothing in this bill about Medicaid. There aren't cuts in nutrition for the poor. There is a $500 million increase in WIC, at the request of the President. There are no cuts in housing. There is an increase in housing to try to adjust for inflation. We probably would have been better off if we had negotiated a deal, but that didn't happen. We did the proactive thing. There is more money in here to take care of junior enlisted personnel. I don't think that is probably an article of much dispute. It certainly shouldn't be. Mr. Speaker, I can go charge by charge. On the Toxic Exposures Fund, we are going to deal with that in the fiscal year 2026 bill. It is for 2026. Everything is funded for 2025. That is what this bill covered. It is an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025. That is what we are covering here. We are going to deal with the fiscal year 2026 bill, and then we will deal with that issue. I voted for the Honoring our PACT Act. I believe in it. I voted for additional funding for it. I suspect we will find common ground there. There are a lot of fireworks around this bill. Let's just talk about what it does. Mr. Speaker, it is pretty simple. It is a CR. It is a continuing resolution. The Democratic leadership came out against it before they ever saw it. Maybe that is why we have all these fabrications and hallucinations about what is in it. It is pretty short. It is 99 pages. Read it. Now, I am sorry that everybody didn't get their projects. I really am sorry about that. We don't do that in CRs. The big cuts here mostly are an elimination of congressional projects. I think most of those are worthy projects. I support them. I actually support the reforms my good friend, the ranking member, put in there. I think she did a great job for that for this institution, but we can't do them in a CR. We just don't do them. People are upset about that. I am sorry about that. At the end of the day, there is only one important thing that matters here. Members can vote ``yes'' and keep the government open. Whatever my Democratic colleagues' problem is and whatever the minority's concern is, it is going to be worse in a government shutdown, not better. It will be worse. Whatever my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are worried about, shutting down the government is not the answer to their concern. My colleagues are only going to make it worse. Keeping the government open is the right thing to do. I wish we could have gotten a deal, but we are not going to sit here and concede the executive authority of a Republican President because it upsets the minority. It is not going to happen. We made that crystal clear, and I think that was the biggest thing. It wasn't a top-line number. We basically got to a top-line number. We are here, and the government shutdown is 4 days away. If Democratic Members want to vote ``no'' and succeed in shutting down the government in 4 days, that is their choice. I respect every Member's vote. I have never voted for a government shutdown. I have always voted to reopen the government. I don't like government shutdowns. I don't think they work. I think the minority will find that if they succeed in shutting down the government it won't work very well for them either. It never works. I think my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would be better advised to vote ``yes'' than to have to defend a vote to shut down the government, personally. Actually, this body will not have the final say. It is going to go to the United States Senate, and the minority has the power in the Senate to shut down the government if they choose because they have a filibuster over there. They have 60 votes. If Democratic Members are worried about it, just let it go over there. They have the power in that body to do it. If my colleagues want to shut down the government, it is their choice. Mr. Speaker, I think the choice is crystal clear. If we took a poll on it and the American people were asked: Do you want to shut down the government? The overwhelming answer would be: No. Do you think we should keep the government open and keep working on our problems? That would be an overwhelming yes. I choose to do what the American people want to do: keep the government open. That is what my constituents want. Maybe Democratic Members' constituents want to shut it down. Mine don't, and I suspect theirs don't, either. Mr. Speaker, I suggest we set aside the rhetoric and the intense feelings and just do the right thing, and the right thing is to vote ``yes'' and keep the government open. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I urge them not to vote to shut down the government, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE

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

Mr. COLE

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

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend my colleague and long-time friend, Congressman Ken Calvert, who is being honored by the Creative Defense Foundation with the Visionary Award for Leadership and Innovation in National Security. Throughout his distinguished tenure, Congressman Calvert has been a steadfast advocate for strengthening our Nation's defense capabilities and fostering technological advancements critical to our security. As Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Congressman Calvert has championed initiatives to bridge the gap between technological innovation and its adoption by the Department of Defense. His instrumental role in establishing the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program has been pivotal in ensuring that cutting-edge technologies reach our warfighters without undue delay. Congressman Calvert's commitment to innovation is further exemplified by his efforts to formalize the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Office of Strategic Capital, ensuring that our military maintains its technological edge. On a personal note, I have had the privilege of working alongside Congressman Calvert for many years. His unwavering dedication to our Nation's security and his visionary leadership have been both inspiring and instrumental in shaping our defense policies. I am proud to call him a friend and colleague. It is an honor to congratulate and recognize Congressman Ken Calvert on this well-deserved award and express my gratitude for his invaluable contributions to our Nation's security.

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I advise my friend I am prepared to close whenever she is, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire as to how much time is remaining on each side.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 10545) making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, and for other purposes.

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 material on H.R. 10545.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 10545, the American Relief Act of 2025. This bill provides continuing appropriations to keep the government open and operating through March 14, 2025. When the House Appropriations Committee began our process of drafting bills for fiscal year 2025, we knew we had to work quickly to put the House in the best position possible. To that end, we successfully reported all 12 of our annual appropriations bills out of committee and succeeded in passing five of them across the floor of the House by the end of July. Unfortunately, the House does not act on its own, and I am sorry to say that, whether we like it or not, our colleagues in the Senate have input into the process. To date, the Senate has yet to pass a single fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill across the floor. As time has gone on, we have reached the deadline of December 20, meaning another extension is necessary. Today's bill extends government funding through March 14, which will grant Congress the needed time to reach a final agreement on our FY25 spending bills. It will also give President-elect Trump an opportunity to participate in the process. Governing by continuing resolution, Mr. Speaker, is never ideal, but Congress has a responsibility to keep the government open and operating for the American people. The alternative, a government shutdown, would be devastating to our national defense and our constituents, and would be a grave mistake. Today's bill, Mr. Speaker, avoids such a self-inflicted error. Today's bill will also provide much-needed relief to Americans struggling to recover from recent natural disasters. This includes destruction in my own district, which faced tornados that ripped through Oklahoma, and it will especially provide support for communities ravaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The devastation caused by these storms and other disasters is heartbreaking. Congress must act. In this bill, we provide $100 billion in supplemental emergency disaster funding. This will provide the necessary disaster recovery aid for States and communities as our fellow citizens rebuild and restore. Finally, the bill also provides $10 billion in economic assistance for our farmers and ranchers. In the wake of many natural disasters and a difficult farm economy, our farmers and ranchers are in dire need of economic assistance. While there is still a long road ahead for recovery efforts and rebuilding, this aid will mark a vital step forward and will help preserve family farms and ranches across the country while also continuing to ensure food and agricultural security for our Nation. For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 10545 today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber), my very good friend.

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

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I just want to take a moment to address something the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), my very good friend, had to say about what is not in the bill. Again, as another speaker referenced, I always believe you look at legislation according to what is in the bill and don't worry about what is not in it. Make the judgment on what is there. The reality is, in this bill we keep the government open. My friends favor that. I hope they vote that way tonight. In this bill we provide badly needed aid to Americans that are suffering in a disaster. I know my friends favor doing that. I hope they vote accordingly tonight. As several speakers have mentioned, we provide much-needed assistance to America's rural economy. I hope my friends actually support that as well with a positive vote tonight. I also want to point out, and I speak now not as a Republican or a Democrat but as an appropriator: I for one think these very good ideas that people have ought to generally move to the floor as separate bills. One of the reasons people distrust this institution is because we quite often pile things on bills that are totally unrelated. Everything that my friends on the other side and I negotiated in the appropriations area is actually in this bill and actually as negotiated. I think it is unfortunate--and we do this on both sides, so I am not trying to score political points, but as I said, I am speaking as an appropriator. I hope we get back to doing what we should do and that is move legislation through this body appropriately, as narrowly focused as possible, and these end-of-the-year or end-of-the-session or just before breaks massive bills I don't think serve the American people well. I don't think they serve this institution well. I know many of my friends on the other side actually agree with that. Let's look at this as an opportunity to step back and actually focus on what our job here is. We have no more important job than funding the government, helping Americans in disaster, assisting folks over a long- term crisis in rural America and then closing down our business and going home. These other matters can and should be dealt with next year, and as has been indicated if they are generally bipartisan in nature, they ought to move through on their own. That is just my thought, my reflection. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance my time. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin and reiterate a point that I made earlier. I know my good friend from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) and I may disagree tonight on this particular instance, but I think as a broad principle we probably do agree that it is much better, honestly, that as appropriators, we are not carrying everybody else's weight. Sometimes the mule finally breaks down. I would just tell my friends, working in good faith, particularly on bipartisan bills like we had in WIOA reauthorization and some of the health issues that were mentioned earlier, please bring your bills to the floor under your own time. Don't try to catch a ride with us right at the end. People hate that. Our own Members don't get a chance to read the bills in some cases. The public doesn't get a chance to hear a full debate on the issue. It is simply not good governance. I would actually argue that this legislation is focused and easy to understand and easy to read. The parts that are important to it are really only about 130 pages. Those are the things that the Appropriations Committee did, and we did it in a bipartisan fashion and in good-faith debate. All of those things are in this bill. I tell my friends on both sides of the aisle, and I say this, again, not in a partisan sense at all. Remember that if you vote ``no'' on this bill, you are effectively voting to shut down the government. If you vote ``no'' on this bill, you are effectively voting to deny assistance to Americans who suffered enormously from natural disasters. If you vote ``no'' on this bill, you are effectively voting ``no'' to help rural America in a time of crisis on our farms and ranches all throughout the country. The stakes are pretty clear here. I am hopeful we agree on all these things. We don't have any partisan disagreement. These are things that we agree on, and there is nothing in this bill certainly that my friends on the other side disagree with. There may certainly be some other disagreements here or there. Broadly speaking, this is something we should do. None of us or most of us do not want to shut down the government. It is not a good thing for the country. I can go on, and we can get into a debate. I would like to be, you know, in a give-and-take of debate as much as anybody else. It is, after all, the holiday season. I know I have Members that are anxious to get home and be with their families and their friends in the holiday season. I simply want to conclude by wishing everybody a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, or whatever would be appropriate in their faith or tradition. I hope my colleagues have a wonderful and blessed New Year and that we have a great year for America in store ahead of us. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards), a member of the Appropriations Committee and a good friend and valued colleague.

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

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 10515) making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, and for other purposes.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 10515.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 10515, the American Relief Act of 2025. As the 118th Congress draws to a close, it is natural to use these final days to reflect on our work. Though we have accomplished much over the last 2 years, there is more to be done. Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, we need to ensure that the government remains open and operating to provide needed services for Americans. It is why I stand before my colleagues. With government funding running out, it is our duty to act. When the House Appropriations Committee began our process of drafting bills for fiscal year 2025, we knew we had to work quickly to put the House in the best position possible. To that end, we successfully reported all 12 of our annual appropriations bills out of the committee and succeeded in passing 5 of them across the floor. Unfortunately, the House does not act on its own. I am sorry to say, whether we like it or not, our colleagues in the Senate have input in this process. To date, the Senate has yet to pass a single fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill across the floor. As time went on, it became clear that we would not conclude the FY25 process by the deadline of December 20, meaning another extension is necessary. I know there is great frustration that a second continuing resolution is necessary. Quite frankly, I share in that feeling. A government shutdown is never a good alternative. Today's bill funds the government through March 14. This will allow Republicans to engage President Trump as we negotiate a final funding bill of the year that fulfills the mandate of the American people and our America First agenda. Further, this route ensures that there are no undue disruptions to our national security and the vital programs that our constituents rely on. Today's bill also extends out the debt limit for a further 2 years to January 20, 2027. This will allow President-elect Trump to begin his term without needing to immediately address our national debt limit, allowing us to move forward on the many other pressing concerns of the American people. Finally, the legislation also provides much-needed relief to Americans struggling to recover from recent natural disasters. This includes destruction in my own district which faced tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma. From floods and droughts to wildfires and other storms, communities across the United States have suffered. These realities have been grim. I recently visited North Carolina at the invitation of my good friend and fellow Appropriations Committee member, Chuck Edwards, and saw with my own eyes the devastation and damage caused by Hurricane Helene's catastrophic flooding. Months after the storm, countless people remain without the basic necessities of life, and the region will remain affected for years to come. My takeaway from these experiences is clear. Congress must act. We need to provide the necessary disaster recovery aid for States and communities as our fellow citizens rebuild and restore. Though relief efforts are ongoing, it will be months, if not years, before life returns to normal. Additional investment is necessary to provide needed assistance to our fellow Americans. Today's measure fully funds our existing relief requirements, ensuring that help and resources get to those who desperately need them. Rural communities, particularly our farmers and ranchers, are facing a tough farm economy in the aftermath of multiple disasters. These are prioritized in this legislation. While there is still a long road ahead for recovery efforts and rebuilding, this aid will mark a vital step forward. Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 10515, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Luna).

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have had a lot of talk about what is not in this bill. Maybe we ought to talk a little bit about what is in this bill. It keeps the government open, which my friends say they want to do, and I think they are sincere in that. This bill does that. It provides relief to people in the various disaster areas around the country, in an amount that they agreed to and that we agreed to. We share that in common. It provides aid for farmers who suffered through several years of droughts and disaster and the systemic prices that, as the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford) mentioned, is costing us farms. It extends important healthcare provisions into the next year. There is nothing in here you are against. There is not a single thing in this bill that you oppose. If you can't vote for what you are for, please don't lecture us about, if I had this and this, you would vote for it. If you vote ``no,'' you are voting to shut down the government. If you vote ``no,'' you are voting to deny aid to people who suffered through a disaster. If you vote ``no,'' you are voting against helping American farmers and ranchers at a difficult time. If you vote ``no,'' you are voting to strip important provisions that are being extended into next year. Why? It is because you don't want to give the next President enough time to get organized and you want to use the debt as leverage. The extension of the debt ceiling is what we have done for the last 2 years. It is what you supported 2 years ago. There is no change in that whatsoever. If you want to fight about other things and other battles, that is great. I welcome that debate. I think it is a legitimate debate, but you are voting against a bill that everything in it you support, every single thing. You are doing that for political purposes. Please don't lecture us about that. We presented something that keeps the government open, that provides aid to people, that provides support for farmers, and that extends important provisions, and you are not opposed to any of that. Yet, you are going to oppose the bill. If a government shutdown comes, and I sincerely hope it does not, please don't tell those of us who voted to keep the government open, while you voted to let it close, that we are somehow responsible. That is just not the case. I have a rule as a legislator. I never vote against a bill because of what is not in it. I vote on the basis of the bill that comes here, and then I fight for the other things that I think are important. Extending a debt ceiling, which we have done for 2 years in a bipartisan fashion, so you can use it as leverage against a new President is something you ought to reconsider as a political tactic. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.