Gene Green

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Friday, December 11, 2015 on the five-day Continuing Resolution and the Conference Report for the Customs bill due to a family engagement in my district in Houston. If I had been able to vote that day, I would have voted as follows: on the Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule providing for consideration of the Senate Amendments to H.R. 2250, I would have voted ``no.'' On H. Res. 560, the rule providing for consideration of the Senate Amendments to H.R. 2250 and Conference Report to H.R. 644, I would have voted ``no.'' On the Democratic Motion to Recommit the Conference Report to H.R. 644, I would have voted ``yea.'' On Agreeing to the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 644--Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (H. Rept. 114-376), I would have vote ``no.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the crude oil export amendment. In the past 10 years, the United States has undergone an energy revolution. But due to our success in places like Texas, North Dakota and Colorado the price of oil has fallen from $100 per barrel to $40. Gasoline prices have fallen from almost $4 per gallon to less than $2. All of this has benefitted our economy and the consumer. I support crude oil exports. But I want to protect our domestic manufacturing jobs, including refining. We have the resource, we should use as much as possible here at home and sell what is left. The crude oil export ban has been in place since 1975. In the 1970s, the United States put the ban in place to protect our national interests. That's more than 40 years of legislative history. Before we do away with that history, we should make sure we have a policy that will make sense for the next 40 years and perhaps beyond. Crude oil is a valuable national resource and the government should have some oversight as to where and when we send crude overseas. I was hoping we could craft language that would create a process at the Bureau of Industry and Security, within the Department of Commerce, that would establish an authorization and reporting requirements for crude oil. We should have some basic requirements at the Department of Commerce to oversee crude. Unlike LNG, crude is a raw commodity and raw crude doesn't have value added. If exporting crude is the right policy, then let's do it correctly. Let's maximize the benefits for the United States. Let's make sure U.S. crude doesn't end up in the hands of North Korea or any of our other foes. The Department of Commerce has approved every application to export oil in the last five years. Now, I agree that the Department could approve permits more efficiently but that's something we can legislate. That's a ``fix'' I can support and believe would help our upstream producers. Unfortunately, we were unable to find that compromise. I do not want to oppose this language but without changes it is not in the best interest of our country. The time to address exports is now but we cannot just open the tap and hope for the best. I do not want the United States to become a resource nation. I look forward to working on this issue again and hope that a reasonable, commonsense approach can be reached.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the University of Houston, one of our Nation's leading public research universities, on its recent string of success inside and outside the classroom. The University of Houston was designated as a tier 1 research university by the Carnegie Foundation, making it only one of three tier 1 public universities in Texas and one of only three Hispanic-serving institutions that are also tier 1 in the entire country. For over 90 years, Mr. Speaker, the University of Houston has been providing affordable, world-class education to the people of Houston and Harris County and students throughout the country who come to U of H for its renowned academic programs and professional training. Our Chancellor Khator is here today in Washington. Thanks to her team and our board of regents for their leadership. The University of Houston Cougars is one of the top college football teams this season with an 11-1 record, ranked number 17 in the country, and can win the American Athletic Conference and go to a New Year's Day bowl game with a win this weekend. Mr. Speaker, as a native Houstonian and a graduate of the University of Houston, it makes me proud to see our university succeed and continue to be one of the most important institutions serving our State, city, and our country. Go Cougars.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the Every Student Succeeds Act. This bill is a much-needed improvement to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The fundamental purpose of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was created to ensure that disadvantaged children are provided a high-quality education that allows them to compete on a level playing field with their more- advantaged peers. I believe this bill is a step in the right direction. I believe No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is flawed and must be reformed. Reauthorization presents a tremendous opportunity to make much-needed improvements and brings our education system into the 21st century. For too many years, Congress has stalled in updating the standards for our nation's students. I applaud the efforts of this body for working across the aisle to make sure that every student has the tools they need to succeed. The Every Student Succeeds Act strengthens critical programs and uses funds for the promotion of innovation, increased access to STEM education, arts education, literacy, community involvement in schools, teacher quality, and other important programs. This conference authorizes the Preschool Development Grants program that will supplement existing funds to improve coordination, quality and access for early childhood education. I urge my colleagues to vote for the Every Student Succeeds Act and support reauthorization that restores our nation's commitment to providing equal opportunity for all students regardless of their background and protect our country's students including the most vulnerable, which was the intention of this landmark civil rights law.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of an amendment that would create regulatory certainty with our neighbors, Canada and Mexico. The Presidential permitting process dates back many administrations. Beginning in the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, the executive branch has taken steps to ensure our cross-border infrastructure between Canada and Mexico was constructed. These past administrations and, indeed, the current administration have been forced to use executive orders because Congress has failed to act. Congress has a duty to regulate the commerce of the United States, and cross-border energy infrastructure projects fall well within that space. We need to create a system with our neighbors, Mexico and Canada, to truly create a North American energy market, and that is what this amendment would do. We can't build infrastructure in this country or in this continent based on who sits in the White House. There are 11 cross-border projects awaiting a decision now by the Department of State and the President, including electricity wires and water pipelines. It is Congress' responsibility to create regulatory rules by which infrastructure is constructed. As a reminder of this, tomorrow we will pass the conference report to the FAST Act. The FAST Act is a multiyear transportation bill that shows our determination to build infrastructure for the 21st century. Now we must build on that success and focus on our energy infrastructure. This amendment would create a regulatory process at the Department of State, Department of Energy, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to permit cross-border infrastructure. This is no different than building roads, bridges, or railways. The Department of Transportation coordinates with Federal, State, and local agencies to ensure the project is completed and the environment protected. We will do the same thing with pipes and wires. We need to build electric transmission lines and pipelines to move resources from where they are to where they are needed. The amendment complies with the National Environmental Policy Act and requires a full environmental review of any cross-border facility, including analysis of the climate change impacts. The entire length of the pipeline or electric transmission line will be reviewed for environmental impacts. This amendment is about the future and how to meet the 21st century demands that our country needs. We should embrace the changes taking place in North America and harmonize our policies with those of our neighbors both to the north and south. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, how much time is remaining?

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, my good friend from New Jersey is actually incorrect. This amendment passed the House last session and didn't pass in the Senate. But it does have the NEPA process throughout, whether it is a pipeline or transmission line, from literally not just the border but also to the destination. And it is not just Keystone. We have natural gas pipelines being built from Texas to Mexico. Twenty years from now, we will need those pipelines reversed to bring natural gas from Mexico to my chemical industries. That is what this amendment is about. I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), the chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I just want to encourage Members to support the amendment. We need to bring our country and our trading partners on the north and south border together on energy issues. I encourage an ``aye'' vote. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes). He is also a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and a member of our Health Subcommittee. I personally appreciate his commitment to mental health.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), who is also a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, a member of the Subcommittee on Health, and, again, a champion of mental health.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 599, the Improving Access to Emergency Psychiatric Care Act. This legislation, sponsored by Senator Ben Cardin and championed in the House by Representative John Sarbanes, will extend and expand the Medicaid emergency psychiatric demonstration protect. Since the creation of Medicaid 50 years ago, the program has excluded payment for institutions for mental diseases, IMDs, a designation that includes most residential treatment facilities for mental health and substance use disorders with more than 16 beds. The original IMD exclusion is consistent with the goal of treating severe mental illness in the least restrictive setting possible. However, there have been some unintended consequences of this longstanding policy. States have an incentive to shift the cost of treating mental illness to other care settings where Medicaid matching funds are available. This contributed to a decrease in the number of publicly funded beds available for inpatient psychiatric emergency services. It also contributed to a rise in psychiatric boarding and recidivism in hospital emergency departments. To develop data on whether modifying an IMD exclusion can improve health care for mental illness, the Affordable Care Act authorized $75 million over 3 years for the Medicare emergency psychiatric demonstration project. Administered by the CMS Innovation Center, the initiative aims to test whether the Medicaid program could provide higher quality care at a lower total cost by reimbursing private psychiatric hospitals for emergency care otherwise prohibited by the Medicaid IMD exclusion. The demonstration project is currently operating in 11 States and the District of Columbia. This legislation extends the demonstration in a budget-neutral manner so that the Secretary of Health and Human Services can complete an evaluation and make an informed recommendation regarding its continuation and expansion. Medicaid plays a central and critical role in covering treatment for individuals with mental illness. S. 599 holds promise for improving access to quality psychiatric care for this underserved and vulnerable population and the overall success of our mental healthcare system. I urge my colleagues to support S. 599, and I thank the sponsors for their commitment to this important issue. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 799, Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015. This legislation, sponsored by Senator Mitch McConnell and championed in the House by Representative Katherine Clark, would help combat prenatal opioid abuse epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, has found drug overdose to be the leading cause of injury death in the United States and declared prescription drug abuse to be an epidemic. Prescription opioid use in pregnancy is strongly associated with neonatal complications. According to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the incidence rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome, NAS, quadrupled from 2004 to 2013, a fourfold increase in less than a decade. NAS is a group of problems that occur in newborns who have been exposed to opioids while in the womb. The symptoms are often severe. Newborns with NAS require specialized care, typically in a neonatal intensive care unit. In February 2015, the Government Accountability Office, the GAO, released a report entitled ``Prenatal Drug Use and Newborn Health: Federal Efforts Need Better Planning and Coordination.'' The report identified a number of different research gaps in the treatment of opioid use during pregnancy and in the treatment of infants with NAS. S. 799 will help combat prenatal opioid abuse and neonatal abstinence syndrome. Addressing these issues is a critical part of our effort to fight the ongoing prescription drug abuse epidemic. The legislation will facilitate the development and recommendations for the treatment of prenatal opioid abuse and NAS and coordinate a national strategy to close research program gaps. It will also require CDC to help States improve data collection and surveillance activities related to prenatal opioid abuse and NAS. I urge my colleagues to support S. 799, the Protecting Our Infants Act, and I thank the sponsors for their commitment to this important issue. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark), the House Democratic sponsor.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of the amendment. Today, the United States is awash in domestically produced natural gas. The Energy Information Agency (ETA) estimates that the U.S. has more than 354 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves. In Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and most importantly, Texas, we increased production by more than 4.2 billion cubic feet per day. While I am a big supporter of LNG exports, I also firmly believe we should consume as much natural gas here at home as possible. Natural gas has transformed our power sector. Today, for the first time in history, we use more natural gas for power production than coal. Natural gas is expected to fulfill almost 40% of our power needs in the coming decades. Our producers have become so efficient, Henry Hub prices sit at approximately $2.89 per BCF. We should drive demand for natural gas by encouraging natural gas vehicles. Our corporate and government fleets as well as our public transportation vehicles all run on natural gas but the largest segment of the market resides in personal vehicles. If we increase demand, we will resolve any environmental issues related to natural gas production. First, producers will reduce natural gas flaring because that product will have a market. Second, natural gas burns cleaner than gasoline which reduces carbon emissions. The EPA is tasked with protecting the environment and natural gas vehicles deserve the same opportunities as electric vehicles. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 597, legislation to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank of the United States, our nation's official export credit agency. The Export-Import Bank, created 80 years ago during the depths of the Great Depression, has been authorized 16 times by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan majorities and has broad support from industry and labor for the very simple fact that it works. Since 2009, the Ex-Im Bank has supported more than 1.3 million jobs and has returned over $2 billion in deficit-reducing profits to the U.S. Treasury while providing over $27 billion in export credit last year alone. My home state of Texas is the number one beneficiary of Ex-Im's support for American business and jobs. Nearly one-in-five companies receiving financing from the Ex-Im Bank call Texas home. Ex-Im supports more than 135,000 jobs in Texas and provides financing to over 1,600 companies, over half of which are small businesses and nearly 10 percent are minority-owned. The Ex-Im Bank has supported over $11 billion in export sales for Houston-area companies for the past five years, more than any other region in the country, with $3.5 billion going to local small businesses. In fact, Harris County is home to the largest number of small businesses that use Ex-Im. America has already felt the negative impact of Congress's failure to reauthorize Ex-Im and freeze its ability to issue loans for the past four months. In September, General Electric, one of America's most important domestic manufacturers, announced it would move 500 jobs from Texas and other states to France, Hungary, and China because it would receive export credit financing overseas that's no longer available here. Boeing, one of our nation's largest companies, announced in recent months that it has lost two satellite manufacturing bids to overseas competitors because it no longer had access to Ex-Im financing. Mr. Speaker, at a time when foreign competition is becoming more fierce than ever before, with nations like China using any means necessary to win contracts in overseas markets, Congress must act immediately on this pressing matter. I call on all my colleagues to stand with working families and American businesses and join me by voting to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3762, the budget reconciliation bill. This bill is little more than a partisan attack on the health coverage for millions of Americans and access to women's health care. This legislation is the 61st repeal vote on the Affordable Care Act, which has succeeded in expanding health coverage to over 17 million Americans, including nearly 20,000 residents in the 29th District of Texas. Included in this legislation is a repeal of the Prevention and Public Health Fund, the federal government's only dedicated investment in prevention and the Nation's largest single investment in prevention. The Prevention Fund was enacted as part of ACA in response to the overwhelming bipartisan support for prevention efforts and recognition of the lack of targeted and sustained federal initiatives to address chronic and costly illnesses. This bill would also strip funding for Planned Parenthood for 2016. Eliminating federal support for Planned Parenthood would limit or prevent women from accessing important health services such as contraception, cancer screenings, and STI tests and treatment. Women in communities with a shortage of other health care providers who serve low-income patients would be the ones most likely to experience barriers to care. As the current ranking member of the Health Subcommittee that worked endless hours authoring the Affordable Care Act six years ago, I ask my Republican colleagues to offer reasonable proposals to improve ACA. There are areas of the current law that I and many of my Democratic colleagues on this side of the aisle would be willing to consider changing. Unfortunately, the bill before the House today is another extreme proposal that would gut the heart out of ACA and take away the health coverage for millions of Americans. Mr. Speaker, we will not let that happen. ACA has been a success beyond the wishes of its supporters and the most important expansion of health coverage since Medicare and Medicaid while slowing the growth of health care prices in nearly half a century. I urge my colleagues to vote against this extreme proposal. President Obama has already said he will veto this bill if it reaches his desk. I promise that his veto will be sustained by Congress.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 702. In the past 10 years, the United States has undergone an energy revolution. Our production of oil and gas has far exceeded all analysis or prediction. The success in the field has materialized into jobs in our district in the Houston area, both in the chemical and the refining industries. The price of oil dropped from $100 a barrel to $45 a barrel. Gasoline prices have fallen from $4 per gallon to less than $2 in Houston. I have represented our refinery complexes for many years. All of these benefited our economy and the consumer. Unfortunately, the success has brought hardship upon the upstream producers. The energy sector, which led our country out of the recession, has now laid off approximately 150,000 folks. Bloomberg estimated that 40 percent of those layoffs were in Texas. I know the oil patch is facing a tough and difficult time, and I want to help. That is why it is very difficult for me to oppose this bill today. I support crude oil exports while protecting our domestic manufacturing jobs, including refining. We have the resource. We should use as much as possible here at home and sell what is left. I am a legislator who would like to solve this problem, and I like working across the party lines to get results. In fact, I worked with my good friend from Texas, Joe Barton, on many issues during our years in Congress. In fact, Joe and I sat together for years at the Texas A&M football games until we realized A&M would lose when we sat next to each other. So last Saturday, when they beat Mississippi State, we sat a ways apart so we didn't jinx them. For months, I talked with Representative Barton about the crude export issue. The crude oil export ban has been in place since 1975. In the seventies, the United States was in a tough spot, and we put the ban in place to protect our national interests. That is more than 40 years of legislative history. Before we throw all of that away, we should make sure we have a policy that will make sense for the next 40 years. I am hoping we can craft a bill that would create a process at the Bureau of Industry and Security within the Department of Commerce that would establish an authorization and reporting requirements for crude oil. Crude oil is a valuable national resource, and the government should have some oversight as to where and when we send it overseas. We export liquefied natural gas through a process developed at the Department of Energy. I have not been a fan of that process, but we have worked to improve it. We should have some basic requirements at the Department of Commerce to oversee crude. Unlike LNG, crude is a raw commodity. Unlike refined products, raw crude oil doesn't have value added. Our refiners add value to that, and we export that refined product. So those are jobs created in our community. Building LNG terminals and exporting refined product creates good- paying jobs and lots of capital expenditure. If exporting crude is the right policy, then let's do it correctly. Let's maximize the benefits for the United States. Let's make sure U.S. crude doesn't end up in the hands of North Korea or any of our other foes. We need to know where this resource is going, how much of it is being sent, and how often it is being sent there. We need to ensure that, if at any time, a potential bad actor enters the marketplace; the Department of Commerce has the ability to enforce the law. The Department of Commerce is not an obstacle to exports. In fact, I have struggled to find a more industry-friendly government agency. The Department of Commerce has approved every application to export oil in the last five years. That's 138 permits. What's more impressive is Commerce approves 99 percent of all export applications, regardless of product. Now, I agree that the Department could approve permits more efficiently but that's something we can legislate. That's a ``fix'' I can support and believe would help our upstream producers. Unfortunately, we were unable to find that compromise. I did not want to oppose this bill but without changes it is not in the best interest of our country. The time to address exports is now but we cannot just open the tap and hope for the best. I do not want the United States to become a resource nation and I certainly do not want to go back to the days of the 1970s. I look forward to working on this issue again and hope that a reasonable, commonsense approach can be reached. I want folks in all sectors to get back to work. For these reasons, I am forced to oppose H.R. 702 and I urge all my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment. I represent the Port of Houston, and maritime transportation is vital to our success. Last year, the United States imported $2.4 trillion and exported $1.6 trillion in cargo and goods. Much of that cargo came to the United States on foreign-built ships, under foreign flags, and without U.S. citizens on board. Our maritime industry has been the bedrock of our economy since our founding. More cargo moves through our waterways than any other mode of transportation. We need to protect our domestic maritime industry, and that includes men and women that work on these ships. I have worked with the maritime unions, including the Seafarers and the Marine Engineers, since my first days in Congress. I want to thank my colleagues for supporting our U.S.-flagged maritime unions. I oppose this amendment because I support any effort to keep these folks working. I would like to take a minute and acknowledge a recent incident in the Atlantic Ocean. The disappearance of the El Faro resulted in the loss of life. I want to extend my prayers to the families. Working on these ships is tough and can be hazardous, as we learned last week. It is my hope that we can defeat this amendment and ensure our economic viability and national security by putting U.S. crews and U.S. flags on more ships. I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the hard working men and women of Northside and Eastside Houston and Harris County, Texas and the valuable contributions manufacturers give to our local economy. The 29th District of Texas is one of the largest manufacturing districts in the country. Home to the Port of Houston, the Houston Ship Channel, and the largest petrochemical complex in the country, over 31,000 people work in the refineries, chemical plants, pipe and metal manufacturers and machine shops throughout our district. Many of these jobs demand technical skills, training, and years of experience and have provided good, middle class wages that have paid off many house notes and college tuition bills in my district. For the third year in a row, Houston leads the nation in merchandise exports--sending $119 billion in manufactured goods overseas. The majority of these exports are related to the oil, gas, and chemical industries. I proudly stand with manufacturing workers in Houston and around the country, who go to work each day without complaint, and continue to make the label ``Made in America'' the gold standard in quality worldwide. Now is the time for Congress to stand with working families and our nation's manufacturers and reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. Ex-Im supports thousands of jobs throughout our great country at no cost to the American people.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I thank my colleague from Colorado for yielding to me. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3495, the so-called Women's Public Health and Safety Act. Women's health care is more than mammograms. I know at the Planned Parenthood in my district over 80 percent of the care they provide is for women's health and not abortion. This bill would give States the right to exclude a healthcare provider who performs abortion care from their Medicaid program. Medicaid provides premium care to millions of low-income women and families alike. Excluding providers from Medicaid without cause is another ill-masked attempt to impede reproductive rights. This bill, as it is named, is claiming to provide safe public health care for women. By excluding quality healthcare providers, such as Planned Parenthood, the quality of available services will drop. As a result, women's health will be detrimentally harmed. That was proved in a study by a Texas agency after 2011. This is yet one more attempt to defund Planned Parenthood which, if successful, would hurt millions of women in communities across the country. H.R. 3495 is contradictory to the views of the majority of Americans. Three out of four American women support publicly funded family planning centers and believe these centers have a positive impact on public health. By passing this bill, we are harming the millions of women who rely on publicly funded family planning care. I urge my colleagues to vote against this damaging bill.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Members, here we are, 2 weeks away from another potential shutdown of the government. Do my Republican friends know how silly it sounds to threaten shutting down the entire government over a manufactured crisis for funding that does not even go to abortions? Current law already withholds Federal funding from covering a woman's abortion, except in cases of extreme limited circumstances. To gamble with valuable Federal programs should be embarrassing. Here are just a few examples of programs that will be affected if the GOP pursues a strategy that I doubt they would want to see happen. The GOP shutdown would mean that the Centers for Disease Control would be unable to support the annual seasonal influenza program. The GOP shutdown means we rely more on foreign energy as the issuance of permits for energy production on Federal lands stop. I certainly know my Republican colleagues wouldn't want to see that happen. Head Start centers around the country would close. During fiscal year 2014, an estimated 1,600 Head Start agencies served over 927,000 children, including 71,000 in Texas. Apparently, our children are okay to target in a political debate. Under the GOP shutdown, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would be affected; and gun permits will not be processed. We could be using this time to debate the extension of valuable programs like the Export-Import Bank or the highway trust fund, but instead, we are going through the same theatrics we went through 2 years ago, which accomplished nothing. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to be reasonable and pass a clean continuing resolution so Congress can get back to work doing what the American people sent us here to do.