Kay Granger

Ms. GRANGER

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

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Spencer Freebairn for his 26 years of service to the U.S. House of Representatives and the American people. In 1993, a young, fresh out of college kid from Orange County, California began his career on Capitol Hill working for his hometown congressman, former Representative Dana Rohrabacher. He went on to continue to serve for Representative Jerry Lewis, the former Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee. Then we had the fortune of making him an honorary Texan from ``far west Texas''--serving first for Representative Roger Williams before joining my office. I have had the privilege of calling Spencer a friend for nearly twenty years, and my Chief of Staff for two. While I am personally sad to see him go, Spencer's impact on this body will be felt long after he departs. Along the way, Spencer has done it all. Whether he was advocating for our men and women in uniform, securing funding to prevent wildfires, or working to protect the rights of California dairy farmers, his legislative accomplishments are second to none. Madam Speaker, on Friday, Spencer will retire from the House and move on to his next chapter. I thank Spencer for his service, and wish him and his husband Antonio, and their two daughters Artemis and Ariana, nothing but the best in the future.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted yea on Roll Call No. 151; yea on Roll Call No. 152; nay on Roll Call No. 153; yea on Roll Call No. 154; yea on Roll Call No. 155; and yea on Roll Call No. 156

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 ``nay'' on rollcall No. 135 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 136.

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. 130; NAY on Roll Call No. 131; YEA on Roll Call No. 132; YEA on Roll Call No. 133; and NAY on Roll Call No. 134.

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. 127, ``yea'' on roll call No. 128, and ``yea'' on roll call No. 129.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I missed votes due to circumstances beyond my control. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on Roll Call No. 78; nay on Roll Call No. 79; and yea on Roll Call No. 80.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), my friend.

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

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).

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

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida.

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

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

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I support this conference agreement before us today, and I urge a ``yes'' vote. I yield back the balance of my time. General Leave

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

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 31, a bipartisan plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security and the remaining appropriations bills for fiscal year 2019. Earlier this month, I had an opportunity to travel to the southern border to see firsthand the situation we face and hear from experts on the ground about the best way to address the crisis there. The President is correct; this is a crisis that must be addressed, both for the safety and security of the American people and for the well-being of those who are coming here. We have a responsibility to come together and support what experts on the border say they need to address the security and humanitarian crisis. While this bill falls short of what I would like to see, it will provide our Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents the tools necessary to continue combating the threat we face. In particular, the bill provides $1.375 billion for 55 new miles of wall or physical barriers, as well as additional technology to combat human and drug trafficking. It is a good downpayment that will allow us to build new barriers in the areas that the Border Patrol says it is needed most. The bill also supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement priorities by funding detention beds at a higher level than the amount enacted last year. This will allow agents the flexibility to address surges in illegal immigration and apprehensions. It also does not include any limits on ICE enforcement actions that could cause dangerous criminals to be released into our country. The agreement prevents another unnecessary shutdown by including funding for the remaining unfunded appropriations bills: Agriculture; Commerce, Justice, Science; Financial Services and General Government; Interior; State and Foreign Operations; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. By voting for these bills today and funding these vital areas of the Federal Government, we will secure America and our allies, promote economic prosperity, protect human life, promote the health and safety of all Americans, and make vital investments in our Nation's infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, it would take hours to go through all the bipartisan provisions included in this bill, so let me take a few minutes to discuss some of the highlights. They increase funding for Federal law enforcement to combat terrorism, espionage, drug traffickers, gangs, and violent criminals; combat the financing of terrorism and terrorist groups; and strengthen the development and enforcement of sanctions against Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Cuba by providing increased funding for the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. We keep our commitment to Israel's security by fully funding the new memorandum of understanding. We encourage economic development and job creation in rural communities across the country. We boost growth and development of America's small businesses by providing the opportunity to obtain capital through various Small Business Administration loan programs. We provide funding necessary to implement the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This will ensure that American families are keeping more of their hard-earned dollars, our small businesses are empowered to grow and expand, and investments are flowing to communities that need it most. We maintain all pro-life language included in the various bills enacted during the 115th Congress under the Republican majority. We advance drug treatment and recovery initiatives and improve prevention and enforcement by investing in Justice grant programs that support things like prescription drug monitoring and at-risk youth programs. We increase and focus funding on medical product safety, including funding to fight opioid abuse. We advance drug and biological product manufacturing within the United States and approve rare disease medications. We modernize generic drug development. We provide increased funding for the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service to fight devastating wildfires that threaten our communities. And we ensure rural areas have the same access to basic utilities that urban areas do by investing in critical infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend, Chairwoman Lowey, for all her hard work in these negotiations. As always, she has been an honest broker and a tough negotiator throughout the process. I look forward to continuing to work with her in this Congress. Mr. Speaker, I also thank our partners on the other side of the Capitol, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Shelby and Vice Chairman Leahy, for their hard work, and all the members of the conference committee, especially the House Republicans, Congressmen Fleischmann, Palazzo, and Graves. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I thank the hardworking staff of the Appropriations Committee for their tireless work, over the last 3 weeks in particular. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce).

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

Ms. GRANGER

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

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

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, my motion amends the date of the continuing resolution to January 24. My motion will ensure that Homeland Security employees will get the pay they deserve, consistent with the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act that was enacted last week. Last week and yesterday, I offered motions very similar to this one to immediately pay the hardworking Federal employees affected by this shutdown. Many of these people are on the front lines protecting our Nation. They shouldn't suffer because of this unnecessary shutdown, and they don't have to any longer if Members would support this motion. Last week, six Democrats voted for my motion, and yesterday, 10 did. Today, I call on all members of the majority party to agree with me that we should provide Homeland Security employees the backpay they deserve and join me in voting for this measure. These employees have bills to pay and families to support. This motion will ensure that they are able to do that immediately while we continue working toward a permanent solution that will reopen the government. The homeland security staff protecting the Nation should not be harmed because some of my colleagues refuse to negotiate. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the motion, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.J. Res. 31. Mr. Speaker, we have a true humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border. In the month of December alone, Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 50,000 individuals on our southern border. Of those, a record-breaking 27,518 were family units; nearly 5,000 of them were unaccompanied children. Due in part to the treacherous journey, Border Patrol refers approximately 50 individuals a day for medical treatment. In 1 week alone, at the end of December, they referred 451 people to medical providers for treatment; of those, 259 were children. Seven out of ten people are victims of violence on their journey to the southern border; 31 percent of women are sexually assaulted. There has been a significant increase in drugs like methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl coming across the border. Unfortunately, this is a crisis partly of our own making. For years, Members on both sides of the aisle have warned against the growing threats posed by our failure to enforce and reform our Nation's immigration laws. Just this week, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said: We want border security. We want to make sure that people who come into the United States of America are authorized to do so, and we know they come in. We don't want contraband. We don't want drugs coming in. We don't want dangerous people coming into the country. So we are for border security. Given this, we would think that they would be jumping at the chance to vote for a bill that includes: Provisional status for 3 years for 700,000 current DACA recipients, giving them access to work permits, Social Security numbers, and protection from deportation; Provisional status for 3 years for 300,000 immigrants whose current temporary protected status is set to expire; $805 million for technology, canines, and personnel to help stop the flow of illegal drugs, weapons, and other contraband; $800 million in humanitarian assistance, medical support, and new temporary housing; $782 million to hire an additional 2,750 border agents, law enforcement, and staff; $563 million to support our immigration court system, including hiring 75 new immigration judge teams to reduce the immigration court backlog of 800,000 cases. All of this was included in the reasonable compromise that President Trump put forward over the weekend, but that is not the bill we have before us. Not only did House Democrats reject this plan before they even heard the details, the bill they put on the floor today provides not one single reform for our broken immigration system. All this bill does is extend the status quo. Mr. Speaker, I have been to the border more times than I can count. I have talked to these families who are risking their lives and the lives of their children to come here. I have heard the stories of Americans whose family members' lives were cut short due to drugs and bad actors, who seek to exploit our immigration system. We owe it to all of these families to do something about this crisis, and I call on my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to end the political games. It is past time for them to come to the negotiating table and work to resolve this crisis in a reasonable, meaningful way, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this measure.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, my motion amends the bill by striking all of its contents and replacing it with an appropriation to ensure Federal employees will get the backpay they deserve. I am offering this motion because the overall bill we are considering today does not address the Department of Homeland Security's funding requirements to secure the border. Therefore, we know the President will not support it, so it will not reopen the Federal Government or ensure our employees are paid. Last week, I essentially offered this same motion, which, again, will immediately provide the backpay our hardworking Federal employees have earned since this shutdown began. This should be something that all Members of this Chamber support, so it is troubling that my friends on the other side of the aisle chose to vote against this measure when it was brought to the floor last week. So we are giving them yet another opportunity to end the political gamesmanship and vote for this measure today. This shutdown has caused real-world consequences for Federal employees, such as Border Patrol and DEA agents, TSA personnel, air traffic controllers, and the hundreds of thousands of other Federal employees suffering during this shutdown. These employees have bills to pay and families to support. This motion will ensure that they are able to do that immediately while we continue working toward a permanent solution that will reopen the government. We need to start working on legislation that can be enacted into law. This motion is one such measure. Federal employees should not suffer because of the Democrats' refusal to negotiate. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the motion, and I yield back the balance of my time.