Kay Granger

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2740. The Appropriations Committee has held more than 120 hearings this year on topics ranging from our Nation's defense priorities to the crisis of unaccompanied children coming to our southern border. We have now marked up all 12 bills in subcommittee and full committee. Unfortunately, each bill brought before the committee was written to an unrealistic top-line funding number--$176 billion above current budget caps. We still do not have consensus on a budget agreement for fiscal year 2020, which could lead to sequestration, resulting in devastating cuts to our military. Moving these bills as-is is a wasted opportunity because the bills are far from what the President has requested and will support. Defense spending does not meet the request, while nondefense spending greatly exceeds the request and current levels. This could lead to a veto and another government shutdown, something both agreed would be devastating. In addition to these funding concerns, these bills have, unfortunately, become partisan vehicles, reversing pro-life policies and risking the safety and security of the American people. Many provisions in this bill also force a return to policies of the previous administration and place unnecessary restrictions on Federal agencies. For example, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education division of this five-bill package includes $100 million to help people sign up for ObamaCare, forces the administration to send grants to Planned Parenthood clinics, and blocks pro-life rules from going into effect. Similarly, the State and Foreign Operations division prevents implementation of the President's expanded Mexico City policy. It provides $479 million to repay United Nations peacekeeping costs, even though the United Nations has not made the required reforms, and prohibits funds to withdraw from the Paris climate accord. For defense, there is no funding for any type of barrier or fence along the southern border, something badly needed and obvious if you visit that place. There are also other harmful reductions. Procurement is $4.8 billion below the FY 2019 level, and research and development is $2.2 billion below the request. These cuts are very concerning and put us in a serious problem when relating to China and Russia. The bill also repeals the Authorization for Use of Military Force, which could jeopardize the Defense Department's ability to conduct military operations worldwide. It is a bad policy and will force the DOD to unwind counterterrorism operations overseas if the Congress and the President cannot agree on a new authorization. The Energy and Water division only includes half of the requested funding for our nuclear weapons stockpile. There is also no funding for a permanent site for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. I would hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would make in order an amendment to address immediate needs on our southwest border. The ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, Mr. Rogers, and I submitted an amendment to the Rules Committee that, unfortunately, will not be debated today. This is yet another missed opportunity to address the humanitarian and security crisis. There were over 140,000 apprehensions of migrants at the border just last month, making apprehensions this year alone equivalent to the population of Atlanta, Georgia. By the end of the fiscal year, apprehensions could reach 1 million people. The most troubling statistics are on the number of unaccompanied children coming to the border. Last week, approximately 2,500 children and teenagers were sleeping on the ground waiting to be referred to the Department of Health and Human Services to be connected with family members and sponsors. HHS expects 100,000 children and teens to be referred for placement this fiscal year. Unfortunately, our agencies do not have the resources needed to care for these children, and, in fact, HHS could run out of money by the end of this month--run out of money by the end of this month. If we are not going to address this problem in this bill, we need to come together and pass a stand-alone bill to meet these needs. We were all elected to responsibly represent the best interests of our constituents, and this package falls short. We can't afford to overfund nondefense programs, underfund defense initiatives, load these bills with controversial poison pill riders, and ignore the situation at our southern border. This package does just this, risking both our economic and our national security. I know that my colleague and friend, Chairwoman Lowey, has worked tirelessly to get us to this point today, and she and her subcommittee chairs included many bipartisan priorities. Unfortunately, on balance, these bills are partisan measures, and I can't support them in their current form. I look forward to working with my colleagues to develop a bipartisan budget agreement and to remove controversial language and funding in a final appropriations package. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this package today, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to circumstances beyond my control. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 249 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 250.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole).

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart).

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the supplemental appropriations bill and urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2157, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019. This bill provides much-needed relief to more than 40 States and territories to help them recover from devastating hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, and tornadoes. The bill provides critical aid to farmers and ranchers across the country. From the Category 5 hurricane that destroyed crops in the Southeast to the historic floods to farmland in the Midwest and fires in the West, billions of dollars of damage have occurred. The funds in this bill will help restore the livelihoods of our agricultural producers and rural communities. The bill also provides critical funding to repair military installations that were severely damaged by hurricanes and floods. This assistance will return these facilities to a condition that can support our men and women in uniform and help them get back to the job of protecting our Nation. The bill provides vital funding for community development block grants to help rebuild areas devastated by hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. I have seen how critical these funds have been for the State of Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. The communities affected by storms in 2018 and 2019 have been waiting for these critical resources for months now, and I am pleased we are taking action today to provide needed relief to restore housing and businesses where it is so desperately needed. The bill also provides funds to compensate State departments of transportation for road and highway repairs already underway or completed. This funding will go to dozens of States for disaster repairs that are critical to restoring roads that are vital to both the traveling public and the movement of goods across the Nation. The bill provides significant funding for the Army Corps of Engineers, most of which will be used to repair existing projects to pre-storm conditions. This work will include dredging navigation channels, preparing levees, and refortifying coastal defenses. Funding will be used for the most critical repairs following storms in previous years, as well as the ongoing flooding in the Midwest. Funding for the Corps also includes work to study and construct new projects to protect against future storms. These projects will help protect our people, businesses, and property and will reduce the funding necessary to recover from future storms. Finally, this bill was stalled for months because of the administration's concerns about providing additional assistance to Puerto Rico. The final agreement removes the most problematic language. Bringing this bill to the floor today shows that we can put politics aside and work together to address the needs of our Nation. However, one emergency that is not addressed is the humanitarian and security crisis on the border. We must work together to pass a bill that addresses the surge of unaccompanied children crossing the border and provides law enforcement agencies with the funding they need. I have made several recent visits to the border and have seen this crisis unfold up close. The numbers are alarming. Customs and Border Patrol is exceeding 100,000 apprehensions per month. The stakes are high. There are serious life-and-death repercussions if the Congress does not act. In closing, I want to thank Chairwoman Lowey for working with members on my side of the aisle to reach this compromise on disaster assistance. I also thank the Senate Appropriations Committee chairman and vice chairman, Senator Shelby and Senator Leahy, for their work on this bill. I look forward to our continuing conversations about how to quickly address the needs on the border. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2157, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019. This bill is similar to the disaster supplemental that passed the House in January. We have been waiting for the Senate to act on their version of the supplemental for several months. Unfortunately, taking up a disaster bill for the second time without addressing the administration's concerns will not increase its chance of becoming law. While this bill assists many communities struggling to recover from hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, and tornadoes, I have to oppose this measure today. I am particularly concerned about repairs that are needed for severely damaged military installations. We must return these facilities to a condition that can support our men and women in uniform. Unfortunately, the needs are actually greater than what is funded in this bill. I am also concerned that the bill fails to address the humanitarian and security crisis at the border. The rule for this bill does not allow us to consider an amendment to provide humanitarian relief and enhanced security at the border. On my recent visits to the border, I have seen firsthand that the crisis is getting worse every day. The numbers are staggering. In April alone, Customs and Border Protection made 109,000 apprehensions on the southwest border. More than half of these were family units. There have been more apprehensions in the first 7 months of this fiscal year than in all of the last fiscal year. Resources are urgently needed to address the health and safety of our law enforcement personnel, as well as families with children who are seeking refuge. This bill does nothing to address this crisis. We have no choice but to work together on this issue. We do not have the luxury of waiting for months to get resources to law enforcement, social service providers, and public health officers. The time to act is now. I want to thank Chairwoman Lowey for her tireless work to address the needs of our Nation. Just as we worked together to end the shutdown in February, we can come together again to rebuild our communities, protect our border, and provide humanitarian assistance where it is urgently needed. Unfortunately, I have to oppose this bill as it currently stands. I hope we can continue to work with the Senate and the White House to come up with a compromise and get disaster assistance to the communities that need it most. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith).

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

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, my motion amends the bill by adding the additional $2.88 billion the administration has said is needed to care for the unaccompanied children who continue to flood our southern border. I am offering this motion because the bill we are considering today does not address this need. The funding in this motion is just one piece of what is needed to respond to this crisis. The children who come across our border without a parent become the responsibility of our Federal Government. As of the end of April, nearly 13,000 unaccompanied children were in the care of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. We are told that if these trends continue, the Department will soon run out of funds to care for these children and face Antideficiency Act violations. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hurd) offered this same amendment in a full committee markup of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies' appropriations bill just 2 days ago. At that time, the chair told us that the amendment would not be supported because we could not wait for a regular appropriations bill to be enacted. We were told this funding was needed now. By including the funds in this emergency supplemental bill, we will do just that. We are giving our colleagues on the other side of the aisle another opportunity today to provide the funding necessary to continue to care for these children. Whatever our positions may be on border security, I think we can all agree that we have a responsibility to ensure that our agencies have sufficient funding to do what we have asked them to do. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the motion to recommit, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I am in its current form.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), the minority leader.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price).

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

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the gentleman's amendment. These funds are critical to repairing and rebuilding our military bases affected by the recent storms. I look forward to working with the gentleman to secure critical funding for our military in a final agreement that can be signed by the President. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment.

Ms GRANGER

Ms GRANGER. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, to close, I would like to thank Chairwoman Lowey for her leadership. I look forward to working with her on legislation that addresses both natural disasters and the humanitarian crisis on the border. We should provide much-needed relief to communities recovering from hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and tornadoes, but we cannot turn our back on a border crisis that is growing worse by the day. Law enforcement agencies providing humanitarian assistance are being rushed and pushed to the limit, and we must act now. The chairwoman and I have worked together for many years to find solutions in the national interest. I know we will be able to do so again. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.