Tom Graves

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. From the beginning here, let me just thank the ranking member, Mr. Quigley, for his good work over the last several months as we have worked together as a team to try to come up with a product that everyone would be pleased with, and also Mrs. Lowey, the ranking member, as well. But I have to give credit to our leadership. They have decided to go big this year. They have had faith in Chairman Frelinghuysen and our committee members just to get the job done. By the end of this week, this House will be the first Republican majority since 2004 to pass all 12 appropriations bills on time. Now, this bill is certainly true to its name and it is also true to our principles. We make America safe by funding our military and securing our borders. We are making America prosperous by restoring financial freedom so all Americans can earn a living and achieve their own dreams. Now I will say something obvious, Mr. Chairman. America entrusted our party with the White House and both Houses of Congress in this last election. Take a look at this package. These are policies that we have been elected to pass. This is the U.S. House saying: We hear you, and we are with you, and we are going to get the job done. So I want to thank Chairman Frelinghuysen and the subcommittee chairs--all have worked hard over the last several months--and their committee staff for going big and getting this package to the floor as we finish it up here this evening. It is also important to thank my subcommittee and their personal staff as well. I want to thank them for the many hours of work, the weekends, the late nights and the holidays that have brought us to this moment. I want to thank our clerk, Dena Baron; and Marybeth and Ariana; Brad Allen, who is in our Financial Services Office; and until a few days ago, when a great opportunity took her away from us, Kelly Hitchcock, who has been in our office as well. And then, of course, my personal office, we have John Donnelly, Jason Murphy, and Sam Mahler, who have worked very diligently, Mr. Chairman, to bring us to this point on this evening. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to section 3 of House Resolution 504, and as the designee of Chairman Frelinghuysen, I rise to offer en bloc No. 5 as part of the consideration of division D of H.R. 3354. The list of amendments included in the en bloc is at the desk and has been agreed to by both sides.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, now, many tough decisions have been made across all these bills, but this one as well, with a strong focus on financial freedom for all Americans. Now, I believe this bill will make America prosperous again. So I want to thank Chairman Frelinghuysen, all the subcommittee chairs, the full committee staff, the minority staff, and ranking members. This whole team has been great to work with, but it is important to thank my subcommittee. They have been through a lot of hard work with me, Mr. Chairman, and they have done a great job working with me and the many hours of hard work and weekends that they put in. Mr. Chairman, I strongly urge every Member to support this bill.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Frelinghuysen for his support and his team for bringing us to this point today and this week to do what many thought couldn't be done, and that is, getting all 12 of our appropriation bills done in a timely fashion. But today it is a privilege for me to present the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, and this wouldn't be possible without Ranking Member Quigley's effort and his team, and I appreciate their work as we have been through many months of effort together. But I believe this is the prosperous part of the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, and I will explain why that is. Because this bill includes many of the reforms that were found in the CHOICE Act, which we passed earlier this spring in the House, which eliminated many of the harmful Dodd-Frank regulations, streamlining outdated agency processes, and reining in those rogue agencies that we have heard so much about, while allowing the economy and the markets to begin working for American families. And we will also restore the financial freedoms that help Americans earn a living and achieve their American Dream, of which we have all been hearing about over these last weeks in August. But this bill also invests in small businesses. It invests in the small businesses through the SBA by $1 billion, nearly $1 billion of new investment to the Small Business Administration, with significant funding for small business loans and particularly to those veterans of ours who are out there working hard and starting their own businesses. But this bill also carries the entire Financial Institution Bankruptcy Act, which passed this House earlier this year, as well, on a bipartisan vote. But IRS funding, again, is kept at a 2009 level, actually a little bit below that, but allowing targeted investments in consumer service and cybersecurity. But this bill maintains our commitment to the IRS oversight that we have been working on so hard over the last couple of years by prohibiting the harmful regulations that we have seen from them that have impacted our 501(c)(4) organizations. It prohibits them targeting these groups based on their political beliefs or their exercising of their First Amendment rights, but it also allows for many of the other protections for taxpayers that we have been longing to do. To combat the opioid crisis, we include more than $360 million to aid Federal drug control programs like drug courts and drug free communities. But it is also important to note that we carry the pro-life provisions that have been a pattern and a custom and a privilege that this House has done for so many years over the past, but we have added to that. We have expanded it by including the Harris amendment that prohibits funding from being provided through multi-State plans that cover abortion, and we also included a provision that repeals the District of Columbia's assisted suicide measure. Now, this bill comes in at about $20 billion, and that is a big number. But let me point out that is over 6 percent less. That is a 6 percent cut just from last year, so we are making a difference. Now, when crafting this bill, I took my direction straight from the Members of this House, Republican and Democrat. This is a result of your interests, interests of your constituents included in this in a bipartisan fashion with a bipartisan vote out of committee. Now, many tough decisions were made.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my joy today to be able to introduce the newest voice of the Georgia delegation, Congresswoman Karen Handel. I have known Karen for many years. She is a self-made woman with a very humble start, but a successful story. She and her husband, Steve, have a track record of service that is above none other. She has fought hard for the things that she believes in, much like us: balanced budgets, better jobs, and defending innocent lives. I know she will bring those same qualities that have made her such a great servant and leader here to Congress today. Now, if I know anything about Karen, she is going to hit the ground running. So get ready. I am also glad to be able to join with Congressman Lewis and to share with you that Karen is making history tonight as being the first Republican Congresswoman to serve in either the House or the Senate from the State of Georgia. This is a proud moment for our State. So, Karen, you are an inspiration. You are an inspiration to all the young women throughout Georgia and throughout the country, including my two daughters. I am pleased to welcome and to introduce to you Georgia's newest voice, a fighter for the State of Georgia, Congresswoman Karen Handel.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I could not be more excited to be here tonight and to experience what we are experiencing here. You know, when this President was elected, he made a promise: He was going to drain the swamp, he was going to shake things up, and he was going to make government work again. I have got to highlight real quickly though, before I talk about appropriations, what really has happened. Here in the last--in this under 5 months, 600,000 new jobs have been created. Unemployment is at the lowest it has been in nearly a decade, at 4.3 percent. He has put a plan forth to help rescue Americans from a healthcare plan that has been failing. The largest increase in defense spending in nearly 10 years has already been passed and signed into law and is part of your display there. He has presented a budget to this Congress that balances in 10 years, rebuilds our military, reforms our Tax Code, and empowers the taxpayers, while not empowering government. And he has also put the American people and the American workers and American businesses first by pulling us out of that Paris accord. He has been shaking things up and draining the swamp. So what is next? For us, it is, we have got to reform this appropriations process. Let me read you some statistics here. The current process that we operate under to fund the greatest Nation on the globe has only worked four times in the last 40 years. The last time we passed all 12 appropriations bills that were enacted by the start of the new fiscal year was in 1996 is the last time. And, in fact, a more stunning statistic: Since 2009, not one appropriations bill has passed this House, passed the Senate, and been signed into law by the President before its time was due. That is zero for 96. So I have just got a simple idea, a simple concept. Let's just change what is not working. Let's change the process. Let's design a process that actually works for the American people and funds the government in a very responsible, fiscally responsible way that begins streamlining government; that is eliminating agencies; that is empowering the American people; and, ultimately, showing a responsible House of Representatives and a Republican vision forward. And it is real simple. Let's run it through the committee. Let's do 12 bills, all through their different subcommittees. Let's combine them in full committee, and let's bring them to the House floor for everybody to have an opportunity to vote on, to amend, to engage in the debate. I believe, if we do this, we are going to save time. We are going to have more time for tax reform. We are going to have more time for infrastructure investment. We are going to have more time for finishing out the healthcare bill. But it is going to be transparent. Everyone can see it. It is going to be effective. We are going to get it done. At the end of the day, we are going to be able to rebuild our military to where we know it needs to be. We are going to be able to secure our border. We are going to protect the innocent unborn. We are going to reform Wall Street. We are going to invest in roads and infrastructure. We are going to streamline or eliminate a lot of agencies, and we are going to do all that while cutting spending. But that is only if we are willing to make government work again.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, in 1964 Steve Penley was born into a family of musicians in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The family soon moved to Athens, Georgia and then Macon, Georgia where Penley attended First Presbyterian Day School. Following high school, he studied at The School of Visual Arts in New York and at The University of Georgia. After college, Penley was working odd jobs while painting when his talent was recognized by an attorney and art enthusiast, Robert Steed. Penley quickly gained recognition for his bold brush strokes, vivid colors and historical icon paintings. Penley is now one of America's most celebrated artists with works exhibited across the globe. He has created multiple projects for Fox News, major companies such as Coca-Cola, AirTran/Southwest, Kaiser Permanente, as well as several U.S. Presidents and foreign heads of state. His work can even be found in the U.S. Capitol, where it's displayed on loan for visitors from across the country to enjoy. Penley's paintings represent the very best of America and serve as a reminder of the leaders and institutions that make our country great. In addition to his paintings, Penley has authored and illustrated several books, including books written by legendary University of Georgia football Coach Vince Dooley. He has also donated countless paintings to charities and organizations in his community and state, as well as across the nation. He is particularly honored to be involved with numerous organizations that benefit our active-duty servicemembers and our veterans. Despite all of his professional accomplishments, Penley is proudest of his role as a father of three very talented artists and musicians: Lyall, Abbey and Parker. Steve Penley is a legendary artist and a great American

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Calvert for the opportunity to dialogue for a moment and for his work and the subcommittee's work on this bill. I want to just take a moment to highlight an important issue to many of my constituents that was addressed in the report accompanying last year's Interior appropriations bill. Since that time, the EPA has been working to provide the guidance called for in that report through a study now underway through their agency and through several other agencies dealing with the health impacts of recycled rubber infill that is on synthetic playing fields. Now of particular concern, however, is that the research protocol to test these fields does not provide control for sources of possible contamination, which could be done by simply sampling nearby natural fields as well. Now, since there has been much research done on this subject, I expect the EPA to consider available research and report its results in a way that relates it to established health-based guidelines that are currently in place. Mr. Chairman, finally, it is important that the research is conducted in a timely manner, most importantly, during the first half of this next fiscal year to remove the uncertainty that continues to surround this issue and cause undue concern among parents, athletes, and field users alike. I would like to thank Chairman Calvert, again, for his work to address these issues, and I look forward to continuing to work with him and the subcommittee as we go forward.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill. As a member of the subcommittee, I am proud of the product that Chairman Crenshaw and each of the subcommittee members have produced this year. This bill provides critical resources that truly respect taxpayers. In fact, this legislation is $1.5 billion below last year's spending level, and it is 2.7--almost $3 billion below what the President requested. In this year's bill, we focused on peeling away excessive government regulations which have made it harder for all hardworking Americans to access the financial markets and the regulations that have depressed economic growth that we have all seen and experienced in our districts. Our bill brings the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under the appropriations process, ensuring that the money it spends has proper oversight and is accountable to all the people's representatives. We also eliminate a slush fund at the Securities and Exchange Commission which was created by Dodd-Frank. Additionally, this bill includes provisions that ensure the failure of any financial institution is dealt with through the time-tested process of bankruptcy and not through a bailout process. We included language that limits the disastrous too big to fail concept from expanding beyond the banking sector to nonbank institutions. These changes help curb some of the worst parts of the administration's financial overreach over the past few years. In the bill, we also focus on improving accountability at the government agencies, in particular, the IRS. Our commonsense reforms include prohibiting the IRS from rehiring fired employees, banning all their bonuses, outlawing their ability to target groups based on political or religious beliefs, and cutting the agency by another $236 million. This in itself should be plenty of reason for all Members to support this bill and get excited about it. Now, while we have slashed the IRS by more than $1 billion and cracked down on its leadership over the last 5 years, we must continue keeping it on a short leash. Finally, this bill supports our Nation's small businesses by prioritizing funding for the Small Business Administration. Mr. Chairman, I ask all Members to support this good bill put together by Chairman Crenshaw.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call No. 334, I was absent due to inclement weather. Had I been present, I would have vote Yes. On Roll Call No. 335, I was absent due to inclement weather. Had I been present, I would have vote Yes. On Roll Call No. 336, I was absent due to inclement weather. Had I been present, I would have vote Yes.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Judge Dan Winn, a good friend and dedicated public servant who passed away on May 10th. Judge Winn served the people of Georgia as Polk County Solicitor, and Solicitor General and Superior Court Judge in the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit, as well as Senior Judge for the State of Georgia. Judge Winn was a resident of Cedartown, Georgia. He selflessly risked his life for our country as a Marine fighter pilot during World War II and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, he went on to study law, and had a long and distinguished legal career. His lifetime achievements include serving as Georgia's Assistant Attorney General, a member of the Georgia Constitution Revision Commission and President of the World Jurist Foundation. Judge Winn was the embodiment of a servant leader and was well respected by everyone who knew him. Like his family and many friends, I will miss Judge Winn dearly but I know he lived life to the fullest and made a real difference in our community, state and country. He will not be forgotten.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chair, we are considering this critical legislation in the wake of the horrific terrorist attack in Orlando, Florida, during which 49 innocent Americans were killed and 53 were wounded by a terrorist who pledged loyalty to the Islamic State. Make no mistake--we are a Nation at war with militant Islamic terrorism, and that is why this legislation is so important. It provides our brave men and women in uniform with the resources they need to defeat the enemy. For example, this bill includes my provision to speed the replacement of a critical radar system and aircraft known as the JSTARS. The technology which is stationed at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia significantly enhances the ability of our warplanes and other military assets to target enemy combatants while helping, at the same time, to protect our soldiers on the ground by detecting threats and allowing for better coordinated and more effective support. This bill also prevents the retirement of the A-10 Warthog aircraft, which is the most potent close air support platform in our arsenal and is a key tool in fighting the Islamic State. Now, with more than 100,000 soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen in Georgia--the fourth largest military population in the Nation--I am proud to support our men and women in uniform by supporting this legislation. I thank Chairman Frelinghuysen for his great work on this bill.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the further consideration of H.R. 5325 and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Madam Chair, I want to thank the gentleman from California. I know he has great intentions with this amendment. As we discuss the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill, we are really discussing what is important to the House of Representatives, because that is what this bill reflects. I know that this office was created in 1972 and was eliminated years later, but in 1972, I was 2 years old. Technology was very different. I see no need to re-create something that was started dealing with technology when I was 2 years old, almost two decades prior to the first Web site. Currently, these tasks are being handled by GAO. They are being handled sufficiently. They are being handled with the $2.5 million already, and we have yet to receive any complaints. Now, if there is a more comprehensive need for technology assessment, I think that is a bigger discussion for cyber policy in general, and that is a conversation that should take place outside of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee's jurisdiction. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Madam Chair, I will just point out that one of our focuses in the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill is to be very responsible with taxpayer dollars. During these lean times when we are $19 trillion in debt, we have really led the charge when it comes to reducing spending from our operations, down 13.2 percent. We have eliminated some agencies and programs and even, in this bill, eliminate the Open World Center. I don't see this as the time that we need to restart a new program that was eliminated 20 years ago. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Madam Chair, I will just again thank my colleague from California for his thoughtful and well-debated argument here for the need, as he sees it. I will again reiterate that the GAO provides a valuable service which I believe can continue doing the job that is necessary. In these lean times, I would encourage our colleagues to oppose this amendment not because of the gentleman from California, but just because of the lean times and the concept in which it is just not the right time to adopt that. I will oppose the amendment. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to make this quick because I want to make sure the House knows what offensive language is in this bill. It is so offensive that I am going to read it. To the extent practicable, the committee instructs the Library to maintain certain subject headings that reflect terminology used in title 8, United States Code. That is what is so offensive to the minority party. For 7\1/2\ years, we have had a President who wants to ignore the intent of the laws of our land. We will not allow this body, this House, to ignore the definitions nor the words of the laws that have been voted on in this body, passed by the Senate, and signed into law by the President. I am asking this body to vote ``no'' on this motion to recommit, vote ``yes'' to uphold the laws of this land, vote ``yes'' for your constituents on final passage, and have a good weekend. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5325, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The overarching goal of the bill we are considering here today is to ensure that we continue to preserve the beauty, enhance the security, and improve the institutions of the United States Capitol complex. I am glad to report that we have accomplished our mission, and we have done it in a way that respects taxpayers. By making tough choices, this bill demonstrates the great work that Congress can do even during a time of lean budgets. The American people will be proud to know that this bill continues to use a zero-based budgeting approach. That means each legislative branch agency was required to justify its budget from scratch. This practice curbs wasteful spending and safeguards taxpayer dollars. Another part of our effort to respect taxpayers was the orderly shutdown of the Open World Leadership Center, which is outdated, and a multimillion-dollar-a-year program that no longer will exist. Additionally, we continue the freeze on Members' pay. Now, this was a simple decision for me. If our constituents aren't getting a raise in this economy, then we shouldn't either. Now, it is also worth noting that the Capitol Dome Restoration project is on time and it is under budget. In fact, my office has had a little fun with this, posting pictures each day on social media of the progress of the scaffolding coming off the dome, using the hashtag ``Free the Dome.'' We also have a family-themed bill this year. We have worked with Members on both sides of the aisle to make certain that baby-changing stations are available throughout all the House office buildings and in the Capitol. Visiting the Capitol with a new baby can be difficult enough. Young mothers and fathers traveling with their children in tow should have the appropriate facilities available to them, and now they will. Additionally, with so many mothers-to-be working for the House of Representatives through their pregnancies, the committee wants to ensure that these working moms have access to convenient parking. Of course, we have also carried on the new tradition of sledding on Capitol Hill. Again this winter, children and adults alike living in the area can sled on the west front of the Capitol--something that, unfortunately, was banned before we changed it last year. Simply put, this bill makes the Capitol more inviting and accessible to young families. I would, of course, like to thank the ranking member for her role throughout the process of writing this bill and all the members of our committee for their hard work and their valuable contributions. In seeing this bill through the committee process, a good bill was made even better. Together, we have received and worked through more than 200 submissions from Republicans and Democrats, appropriators and nonappropriators, many of which we have included in this legislation. We continued conversations with Members of both the majority and the minority up to and through full committee markup, and saw an amendment process that incorporated proposals from both sides of the aisle, including additional resources to better serve our constituents, increased savings dedicated to the Historic Buildings Revitalization Trust Fund, and support for efforts to enhance the security of the Capitol campus. I would also like to thank all of the staff on both sides of the aisle who have worked on the bill this year. In particular, I am appreciative of the hard work Liz Dawson, Tim Monahan and Shalanda Young, and, of course, Jenny Panone who really stepped up to the plate after we lost our good friend, Chuck Turner. As a longtime professional staff member of this subcommittee, Chuck has been missed this appropriations season. The appropriations family just isn't the same without him, and I want to express my continued sympathies to his family, his friends, and those he worked so closely with all these years. I would also like to thank Jason Murphy and John Donnelly in my personal office, as well Sarah Arkin and Rosalyn Kumar from Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz's office. Finally, I would like to note the important contributions that Congressman Sam Farr and Congressman Scott Rigell both have made to our subcommittee. Their hard work and dedication has been extremely valuable, and they will be dearly missed by our subcommittee and by this body. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH080616.001 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH080616.002 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH080616.003 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH080616.004

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), the chairman of the full Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Before I recognize my friend from Illinois, I have the deepest respect for the ranking member of the full committee, Mrs. Lowey. I know that she represents what she believes very well and eloquently. But I must point out for clarification, for the Record, really what the report language says. I think that is important. I think words are important. I listened very intently to what was shared a minute ago that this committee is directing the Library of Congress to use certain words. She even used certain terms that she said we are prescribing them to use, such as ``illegal alien'' or ``illegal immigrant.'' In fact, this is what the committee passed in subcommittee and full committee. It says: ``To the extent practicable, the committee instructs the Library to maintain certain subject headings that reflect terminology used in title 8, United States Code.'' Now, I read it several times and I saw it in committee, but nowhere in there do I see any specific terms used. It just says can you be consistent with U.S. Code. I will point out that we are Congress, and they are the Library of Congress. We write laws, and it is important that the Library of Congress reference and refer to the laws that we have written. I will also note that the gentlewoman is also a Member of Congress and has the full ability--and since the subcommittee meeting when we had this first discussion, I have yet to see the bill she has introduced to change any terminology in the U.S. Code. I have not seen it. I don't know, Mr. Chairman, if you have seen it. I have not seen it, and I look forward to seeing it.