Lizzie Fletcher

Mrs. FLETCHER

Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mrs. FLETCHER

Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 75. Personal Explanation

Mrs. FLETCHER

Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk and ask for its consideration.

Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to ensure that the pay raises are equally distributed to all Federal employees at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. In the Houston area that I represent, there are more than 3,000 Federal civil servants who do important work at the Johnson Space Center. While most of these employees work under the traditional GS pay scale and would be covered by the base pay scale adjustment, there are certain employees who would not. NASA, like many technical agencies, can authorize certain pay flexibilities under different chapters of the code to recruit talented individuals. My amendment merely clarifies that these employees are equally deserving of this pay raise. After the shutdown, it is now more important than ever to work to retain talented civil service employees around our country, especially at NASA. I would like to thank my colleagues for working with me on this amendment and urge their support to ensure that the hardworking civil servants get the pay raise that they deserve. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Chairman, I just want to reiterate that the purpose of this amendment isn't to address the underlying issues that the gentleman from North Carolina raised, but it is really to just ensure that the language of this amendment may be applied equally and that no one at NASA is left behind because of differences in the way that their compensation structure is currently scheduled. This is a clarifying amendment, and it is just dedicated to the purpose of making sure that these employees may be included and not excluded from this act. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. FLETCHER

Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues here and in the Senate to vote to end this shutdown. Across Texas, there are nearly 30,000 Federal workers who will not receive their paychecks today, many of them still dutifully performing their jobs. This Congress has a constitutional duty to fund the government so that the agencies can do their important work, the work of and for the American people, and there is much of it. In my own district in Houston, for example, this shutdown is delaying our recovery from one of the most devastating natural disasters in our country's history. As Members of this body will recall, Hurricane Harvey hit Houston and the Gulf Coast in August of 2017, causing nearly $115 billion in damage. This body appropriated funds to aid the recovery from Harvey, but nearly 18 months later, the City of Houston, and Harris County, still awaits these funds. And the funds can be distributed only after the publication of rules from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, funds that are desperately needed. The shutdown has delayed publications of these rules, and I urge my colleagues to vote to end the shutdown. I understand that we have differences over issues--including the best way to secure the border--but shutting down the government is neither a responsible nor reasonable approach to our differences. I urge Senator McConnell to take up the multiple spending bills the House has passed this week, which Senators approved with a large bipartisan majority just weeks ago, so that we can open the government and get back to work for the people.