Kay Granger

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), the ranking member of the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the ranking member of the Defense Subcommittee.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), the ranking member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart), the ranking member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Moolenaar), a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Nebraska. Mr. FORTENBERRY: Mr. Speaker, the bill supports rural broadband. And that is more than wires laid. It is about creating an ecosystem of livability so that the benefits of telehealth and tele-education and telework, along with precision agriculture, can be distributed equitably throughout the country. The inspiring COVID vaccine approvals by the FDA have shown us what we can do together, and this bill also protects our drug supply while keeping unsafe drugs out. Mr. Speaker, it is important that these provisions make it into law. That is why I am happy to support this bill. Again, Chair Lowey, thank you for your leadership.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann), the ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington).

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

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Before I close, I want to take a moment to recognize my good friend and our full committee chairman, Nita Lowey, as this will be the last bill that she will take to the floor. She is the first woman to hold the gavel of the Appropriations Committee, and her retirement is a huge loss to our country, to our committee, and to me personally. When I was named as ranking member and she was named as chair, she called me into her office. We really had never worked together. We were on different committees. I will never forget what she said. She said: We are going to do it on time and on budget, and we will become best friends. I wasn't sure she wasn't crazy, but I said: I will do that. We became good friends, and we did things on time and on budget. Everything was a joy working with her because she always knew what she wanted and what she wanted to do. She was inclusive, and we did turn and have a friendship that I will always cherish. So I wanted to make sure that you knew that I realized I had a unique opportunity in working with you. I learned a lot, and we had a good time, didn't we? I also want to take a minute to thank the members of our committee and our staff for their hard work this year. This really is a must-pass bill that I look forward to getting signed into law. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of these bills, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of this short-term continuing resolution. As I said last week, we have been negotiating night and day for weeks to reach agreement on full-year appropriations bills and a coronavirus relief package. I am proud that we have reached agreement that will fully fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year and provide more desperately needed relief for the American people and businesses impacted by the coronavirus. Passing this CR is simply a stopgap measure to give the House and the Senate time to pass this bipartisan agreement and get it to the President's desk for a signature. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this continuing resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I missed votes due to circumstances beyond my control. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 247.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8900, a continuing resolution that will fund the government through December 18. Members of the Appropriations Committee have been negotiating night and day for weeks to reach agreement on a full-year appropriations bill. At the same time, House and Senate leaders continue to discuss a coronavirus relief package with the administration. It is my hope that we can complete both of these important pieces of legislation as soon as possible. There is so much at stake: our national security, the health and welfare of millions of Americans, and our economic recovery. Passing this 1-week CR is simply a stopgap measure. I expect we will be back on the floor next week to complete the year's work. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this continuing resolution so that the Senate can pass it and send it to the President for signature. Then, we must immediately get back to the important work the American people expect us to finish. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, before I close, I want to take a minute to congratulate Congresswoman DeLauro for being named chairwoman of the full committee next Congress. I look forward to working with her in the coming years. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill before us today, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Brian Potts, a member of the professional staff of the House Appropriations Committee, who has retired after 25 years of service in the Federal Government. Brian earned his bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1994, where he played football and studied accounting. Upon graduation, Brian began his career as part of the Department of the Navy Financial Management Trainee Program. During this time, he worked as an auditor for the Naval Audit Service and as a budget analyst for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). Brian excelled in the program, and he was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence. After completion of this program, in 1997, Brian joined the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction as a professional staff member. After leaving the Hill briefly to work as an auditor for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Brian returned to the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Military Construction. In 2004, Brian moved to the Senate Subcommittee on Defense where he would stay until 2014, at which time he became Minority Staff Director for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. When the Senate switched control in 2015, Brian was hired to be the Majority Staff Director for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, a position responsible for a portfolio exceeding $500 billion in annual spending. In 2019, I asked Brian to become my National Security Advisor on my House Appropriations Committee staff, and he proved to be a trusted advisor. Brian could always be counted on to give great insight into the issues that face our men and women in uniform. Brian is known for his love of sports, and I know he is enjoying retirement with his son, Owen, and attending his baseball and basketball games. We wish Brian the best in his new adventure and thank him for everything he has done for our nation's security.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Air Force Major Michael Vinacco on the completion of his Legislative Fellowship with my personal office. Major Vinacco has been assigned to my staff since January 2020 and has done a superb job as a trusted advisor for national security, foreign operations, and veteran policy issues. Major Vinacco was raised in a military family and earned his commission from Virginia Military Institute in 2008. Prior to being selected for his prestigious Defense Legislative Fellowship, he served as a Program Manager for a multibillion-dollar Air Force program. Additionally, he has over a decade of experience in engineering and aircraft maintenance, to include a combat deployment to Afghanistan in 2012. During his Fellowship, Major Vinacco was instrumental in helping my staff and I develop the fiscal year 2021 House defense appropriations bill. His direct contributions will help provide our nation's uniformed men and women with the resources needed to defend our nation. Additionally, Major Vinacco coordinated dozens of engagements with senior departmental officials to include a tour of the Southwest Border with Deputy Secretary of Defense Norquist and a tour of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. In addition to departmental engagements, Major Vinacco served as my connection to the defense industrial partners that make Fort Worth and North Texas our nation's defense aviation production hub. Airmen like Major Michael Vinacco are the reason our nation's Air Force is the best in the world. On behalf of the 12th District of Texas, I offer my congratulations and best wishes to Michael, his wife Lisa, and children Luca, John, and Zachary, as they continue their military journey in service to our great nation.

Ms. GRANGER

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

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

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), the ranking member of the Education and Labor Committee.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this bill. Unfortunately, by considering this bill today, we are abandoning a spirit of bipartisanship that has allowed us to work across the aisle four times this year to pass critical coronavirus relief legislation. This bill was crafted without input from Members on our side of the aisle, and it does not have the support needed to pass the Senate or be signed by the President. There are some things included that I support, such as helping small businesses that are desperate for a lifeline, enabling the airline industry to continue to pay its employees, providing additional assistance to help schools continue reopening, and increasing testing for the virus. Yet, I cannot overlook, nor can I overstate, the significant problems I have with this bill. First, it totals more than $2 trillion, which is more than we appropriate for an entire year. But what may be even more concerning is that buried in the more than 2,000 pages of text are partisan provisions that are unrelated to the pandemic. These additions will not move us any closer to defeating this virus. In fact, they will only further divide us. For example, there is language in the bill that encourages State and local governments to release violent criminals in order to get more funding. It prohibits immigration laws from being carried out and enforcement actions to be taken. It enables illegal immigrants to receive direct payments. It stalls the Census that is required by the law to occur every 10 years. It imposes sweeping changes to elections and provides more than $3 billion in election assistance grants. Including so many unnecessary items just to cater to the demands of a few could result in gridlock at a time when compromise and real results are still in reach. After all the good work we have done together to provide relief and hope to the American people, I am very disappointed that this is the bill that the majority has chosen to bring to the floor. I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will come back to the negotiating table and work with us to put the needs of the American people first, just as we have done four other times since the beginning of this devastating pandemic. It is time for our leaders to come together rather than take a vote on this damaging partisan bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), the ranking member of the House Administration Committee.