Rodney Frelinghuysen

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 923, I call up the bill (H.R. 3) to rescind certain budget authority proposed to be rescinded in special messages transmitted to the Congress by the President on May 8, 2018, in accordance with title X of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act 1974, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today to present H.R. 3, the Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act. This package of rescissions withdraws nearly $15 billion in funds previously appropriated to various Federal programs and agencies. These funds are rescinded from programs and agencies that no longer need or cannot spend the money or from programs that no longer exist. When such funding goes unused for years, those funds should be returned to the Federal Treasury, as taxpayers should expect. Sweeping up these extra funds will not cause undue harm or hardship to the essential activities at these Federal agencies. In fact, year after year, rescissions are included in our regular appropriations bills, and dozens of such rescissions have previously received bipartisan support. The bottom line is that it is not in the interest of the taxpayers to let outdated, unnecessary dollar balances sit idle, especially when the Nation is facing such high debt and deficits. As I have said many times, Congress controls the power of the purse, and it is up to us to keep our fiscal house in order in order to reduce wasteful spending, unnecessary spending, whenever possible. Such rescissions are not new. Over the past 20 years, there have been hundreds proposed and approved in both Democratic and Republican administrations. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the majority whip.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Graves), the chairman of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee on Appropriations.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Womack), who is the chairman of the Budget Committee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), the chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Arkansas an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), who is the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), the majority leader of the House.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Agriculture Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes).

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

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support H.R. 3, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 5895, the first set of the fiscal year 2019 appropriations bills: Energy and Water, the Legislative Branch, and the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. I am pleased that the House is considering three appropriations bills this afternoon. These bills provide funding to rebuild our military infrastructure, support military families, improve nuclear security, support our Nation's energy and water infrastructure, and assure the smooth and safe operations of the legislative branch. To highlight a few of these important investments: The Energy and Water bill, under Chairman Simpson's direction, funds our national security and supports the energy and water infrastructure that keeps our economy moving and America open for business. In total, his bill provides $44.7 billion in discretionary funding. To support a strong nuclear national security strategy, particularly at this time of rapidly shifting global dynamics, his bill provides targeted increases that will maintain an effective nuclear arsenal, preserve our Nation's nuclear-powered fleet, and keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of those who would misuse them. Beyond these critical responsibilities, the bill also directs $7.28 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers for projects and activities that will improve America's ports and waterways and promote public health and safety. The bill also further supports economic growth by investing in the Department of Energy's programs to advance the goal of an all-of-the- above solution to energy independence. This includes funding to continue congressional efforts for the safe, secure storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. Next, the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill under Chairman Yoder's lead provides $3.8 billion in funding for the operation of Congress and its support agencies, excluding Senate-only items. It may be the smallest of the 12 appropriations bills, but it is very important to the operation of our great democracy. This total represents a small increase above current enacted levels. These increases are directed to critical programs that make our Capitol complex more secure and more efficient. This includes supporting our wonderful and dedicated Capitol Police force, which keeps the complex safe for Members and visitors. Lastly, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, led initially by former Chairman Dent and now by Chairman Judge Carter, provides a total of $96.9 billion in discretionary funding at a crucial time for our Armed Forces and the VA. This includes $11.3 billion for military construction projects, a 3.8 percent increase above fiscal year 2018 levels, recognizing the need to rebuild our military infrastructure. This funding will enable our troops to fight current and emerging threats around the globe, as well as provide them with peace of mind and care for their families. This bill also includes $85.3 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the largest total amount for the VA in its history. These additional funds will be directed to critical priorities within the Veterans Administration: improved access to healthcare; quicker claims processing; and support for crucial health programs like suicide prevention, mental health, and opioid abuse prevention. This also includes $1.2 billion for the new VA Electronic Health Record system to accelerate the progress on this long-awaited project. Accompanying these funding increases are strong oversight provisions that will increase accountability at both the Pentagon and the Veterans Administration and ensure that precious tax dollars go where they are most needed. I want to thank the chairs and ranking members and all the staff who worked on these bills that all Members should be proud to support. These bills received bipartisan support in committee because they focus on universal priorities: national security, care for our veterans and military families, and essential infrastructure. I am extremely disappointed to read and hear the minority has directed its Members to oppose this appropriations package, despite the fact that all of these bills were constructed as they always have been: in a bipartisan manner. If there is no minority support for this package, those Members will be turning their backs on this House's historic support for our veterans and their families and for modernizing our military installations around the world, which include medical facilities, new barracks and mess halls, playgrounds, schools, and family housing. I want to thank Chairman Simpson, Chairman Yoder, former Chairman Dent and now Chairman Judge Carter for their leadership on these bills; and also Ranking Member Kaptur, Ms. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Mr. Tim Ryan from Ohio for their work on these bills. I would also like to thank the hardworking staff who helped to bring the bills to the floor: Jenny Panone and Tim Monahan from the Legislative Branch Subcommittee; Sue Quantius, Sarah Young, Kiya Batmanglidj, and Tracey Russell from the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Angie Giancarlo, Loraine Heckenberg, Perry Yates, and Amy Murphy from the Energy and Water Subcommittee; along with the front office staff and my personal staff. I urge my colleagues to support these responsible appropriations bills and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 5895. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time. 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Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), the chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee on Appropriations.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), the new chairman of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies on Appropriations, and I also thank him for his leadership and work on the Homeland Security Subcommittee as well.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the chairman of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, and thank him for getting through such a successful markup of 5 hours yesterday afternoon. Actually, I thank all members for their perseverance in that regard.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann), a valuable member of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford), a new member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Washington State (Mr. Newhouse).

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chair, I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Valadao), a great member of the Appropriations Committee.