Kay Granger

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon).

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I rise to offer a question of the privileges of the House previously noticed.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I seek recognition to give notice of my intent to raise a question of the privileges of the House. The form of the resolution is as follows: House Resolution 832. Whereas on December 20th, 2019, Speaker Pelosi extended an invitation for President Trump to address a joint session of Congress on February 4th, 2020; Whereas on February 4th, 2020, President Trump delivered his State of the Union address, in which he honored the sacrifice of the following American heroes and their families: General Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee airmen, who served in World War II, the Korean war and the Vietnam war; Kayla Mueller, a humanitarian aid worker who was caring for suffering civilians in Syria when she was kidnapped, tortured and enslaved by ISIS for over 500 days before being murdered by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Hake, who was killed while serving his second tour of duty in Iraq by a roadside bomb supplied by Iranian terrorist leader Qasem Soleimani; Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams, who is currently serving his fourth deployment in the Middle East and his wife, Amy, who works full-time for the Army and devotes hundreds of hours helping military families; Whereas immediately following the address, while still presiding over the joint session, Speaker Pelosi ripped up an official copy of the President's remarks, which contained the names and stories of these patriots who sacrificed so much for our country; and Whereas the conduct of Speaker Pelosi was a breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of Speaker Pelosi during the joint session of Congress held on February 4, 2020.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to circumstances beyond my control. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 23; YEA on Roll Call No. 24; NAY on Roll Call No. 25; NAY on Roll Call No. 26; and YEA on Roll Call No. 27.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to circumstances beyond my control. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 2; NAY on Roll Call No. 3; and YEA on Roll Call No. 4.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to circumstances beyond my control. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 8; YEA on Roll Call No. 9; YEA on Roll Call No. 10; NAY on Roll Call No. 11; YEA on Roll Call No. 12; and NAY on Roll Call No. 13.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the politically driven Articles of Impeachment that have been brought before the House of Representatives today. For the past 3 years, Democrats have been unable to accept the voters' choice to elect President Trump. They have used any and all undemocratic and unfair means necessary to try and remove him from office. My vote today is not only against illegitimate impeachment of our President, which began not with facts but with a foregone conclusion; it is against House Democrats making a mockery of due process and the rule of law. This will not go anywhere in the Senate, so all that Democrats have accomplished is postponing the important work the American people sent their elected officials to Washington to do. This endless crusade of Democrats to remove the duly elected President of the United States has put partisan politics above the issues that Americans face today. It is time Democrats stop playing partisan games that hurt hardworking taxpayers. It is time for the American people to be Congress' priority again. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``no.''

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Leslie Albright, a member of the professional staff of the House Appropriations Committee, who plans to retire after 17 years with the Committee. Leslie, who earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the State University of New York in Plattsburgh and a Master's degree in Public Affairs from Boston University, started her Federal career in 1991 working for the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration. She later went on to become a management and budget analyst for the Department of Commerce. In 2001, Leslie joined the House Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Subcommittee where she was responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of Justice. In the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks that happened on September 11th of that year, Leslie and Chairman Wolf worked tirelessly to ensure that the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in particular, had the resources necessary to protect the nation. Leslie's efforts helped reform the FBI from an organization focused on criminal investigations into an intelligence organization capable of addressing today's security threats. Leslie's work protecting our nation did not end with the FBI. She went on to work for the Defense Subcommittee where should focused on national security programs. After having her son, Marion, Leslie worked for the Committee's Surveys and Investigations staff where she conducted programmatic reviews of the Departments of State and Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Capitol Police. In 2011, Leslie rejoined the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee. Here she worked to improve fisheries management, weather forecasting, disaster response and protection of intellectual property rights. She also worked with the National Science Foundation to increase the amount of basic research conducted in the United States and worked with the National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) on space exploration. Leslie and Chairman Culberson worked not only to ensure that NASA had the resources required for a robust space exploration program but challenged NASA to develop executable and achievable plans. When NASA returns to the Moon, explores Mars, and finds life on another planet or the Jupiter moon, Europa, know that Leslie helped lay the ground work for these missions to be developed and appropriately resourced. In 2019, Leslie became the Republican Clerk of the Defense Subcommittee. It is in this position that I began working closely with Leslie. In short amount of time, she became an expert on the operations of the Defense Department and has been a critical advisor to myself and Ranking Member Calvert. I am very thankful for Leslie's hard work, over numerous years and at great sacrifice to her family, to support the Appropriations Committee and operations of the Federal government. Leslie's contributions have improved so many Federal programs and agencies. She has protected our nation from countless threats, advanced science in America, and pushed NASA to dream big and inspire the nation. I know Leslie is looking forward to spending more well deserved time with her family. We wish her well, thank her for everything she has done for the country, and know that she will excel at any future endeavors she pursues.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1158, a bill that will provide funding for the Departments of Defense; Commerce, Justice, Science; Financial Services; and Homeland Security. While I wish that we had been able to pass all of the bills by the beginning of the fiscal year, I am glad we are going to be able to finish the appropriations process without having to pass another continuing resolution. I am also immensely proud of the job that my fellow Republicans on the Appropriations Committee did to bring the bill to the floor. The packages we will consider today will fully fund the government and ensure that President Trump has the resources he needs to continue the great work he is doing on behalf of the American people. This bill will make us safer by ensuring we have the funding and tools to protect ourselves at home and abroad. The bill will safeguard our financial system from bad actors, ensure all Americans have access to a healthy and robust economy, and it will support our criminal justice system. In particular, this bill provides $1.375 billion of new funding for the border wall, places no restrictions on the President's ability to use funds for immigration and border enforcement, and protects the number of ICE beds. The Defense portion of this package provides funding to continue to rebuild the military after years of neglect during the Obama administration; gives our troops a 3.1 percent pay raise, the largest in a decade; and funds the U.S. Space Force, a Trump administration initiative, to ensure the United States maintains its superiority in space. The bill provides increased funding for school safety programs and also retains longstanding Second Amendment protections that some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle wanted to eliminate. Plain and simple, this package is good for America, and I am proud to support it. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers).

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Moolenaar).

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. In closing, I would like to take a few minutes to thank several individuals who were instrumental in bringing this package to the floor today. First, I would like to thank my friend and our full committee chair, Nita Lowey. Though we don't always agree, she is respectful of other opinions and always works in good faith and is a pleasure to work with. I would also like to thank our Republican members of the Appropriations Committee for their hard work to secure as many of our priorities as possible in this final package. There were many other Members who engaged in this process, and their input was vital in producing a bill that reflects input from our Conference and the constituents they represent. It was also a pleasure to work with my Senate Appropriations Committee colleagues, Chairman Richard Shelby and Vice Chairman Pat Leahy. They are both incredibly tough negotiators. Finally, and certainly not least, I would like to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle in the House and the Senate who have worked virtually around the clock for the last month to bring this bill across the finish line. We have true professionals working for our committees, and I think I speak for all Members when I say just how thankful we are for their efforts. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt).

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Washington an additional 30 seconds.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers).

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson).