Tom Graves

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I'll close with this. I appreciate the gentleman's sentiments towards how the IRS should use their resources. Being a member of the Appropriations Committee and a member of this subcommittee my entire time on the full committee, I can assure you that the IRS is operating at a level that was not last seen since about 2011. Their resources are tremendously limited at this time, and we would prefer that they focus on customer service and implementing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that we recently passed. Mr. Chair, I'll continue to oppose the gentleman's amendment, ask the House to do the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from California. We have carried this provision the past 3 years in this very same bill. In fact, it has been signed into law, not only by President Trump, but also by President Barack Obama. It has been bipartisan in nature. Retaining section 125 continues the current state of affairs as we know it today on this very, very sensitive issue. The IRS has limited resources at this time, but a lot of demands on them. Taking this section away and impacting this regulation that clearly everyone hates--we should have the IRS use their resources for the things that it should be intended for: resources to improve customer service, to implement tax reform law that we recently passed, reducing tax fraud, and moving ahead in this new tax season. Mr. Chairman, reluctantly, I have to rise in opposition and ask that we continue the current law as it stands today. Mr. Chair, 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. GRAVES of Georgia. Madam Chair, I rise tonight to fight for America's kids and grandkids. That is what we are here to do. This fiscal year 2019 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, as I will explain in a moment, reflects the public outcry over deficit spending and addresses those concerns on behalf of America's kids and grandkids. Madam Chair, before I dive into those details, I want to thank Ranking Member Quigley for his hard work and dedication to our work together as we have shepherded this committee through the process in this bill. I want to mention a few of the bill's highlights. This bill is a product of a very Member-driven process. We brought appropriators and authorizers together. We consulted other committees. We fostered personal Member-to-Member conversations to make sure that priorities in this bill were vetted and supported across jurisdictions. We held several public hearings and reviewed over 2,100 unique Member requests as we put this bill together. As the bill passed out of this Appropriations Committee, it passed with bipartisan support. What more can you do on behalf of America's kids and grandkids? As in past years, we aimed to provide the oversight and allocate taxpayer dollars with the greatest of care. This bill includes resources to implement the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which cuts taxes for families and businesses all across our country, spurring economic growth. The funding in our bill will help implement the law very quickly so American families can use the system without disruption whatsoever. In addition, this bill prioritizes law enforcement, homeland security, and cybersecurity. For example, it provides record funding for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas and Drug-Free Communities programs. It updates the legacy IT systems that are governmentwide--we have all seen it and we have heard about it--through the Technology Modernization Fund. Similar to our landmark approach last year, this bill also includes major financial reforms. It cuts regulations, streamlines agency processes. In fact, this bill includes more than 20 pieces of legislation that have passed through this body with bipartisan support, in most cases with more than 270 votes. Now, importantly, one of these reforms brings transparency and oversight to an agency we have all talked about, and that is to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, by bringing it under the authority of Congress and under the authority of the Appropriations Committee. Now, with these kinds of reforms, this bill has earned a lot of support across our country. From the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Investment Company Institute, the American Bankers Association, Independent Community Bankers of America, National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, and Credit Union National Association, in addition to the National Taxpayers Union and Citizens for Responsible Budgeting, this bill is bringing together a lot of different interests all across our country. In closing, Madam Chair, I would like to highlight, really, what the heart of this bill is, the major feature of this bill. If your district is anything like mine, you know the American people are frustrated. They are frustrated with Congress, and they are frustrated with this out-of-control spending. They see our annual deficits fuel our dangerous national debt. So it is time to try something different, and that is what we have done, because if we don't, we will stay stuck in this fiscal death spiral that we are in. Now, after a lot of thought and effort, we came up with a very creative way to protect funding from being spent. The appropriations process does not make saving money easy, not at all. We all know that if a subcommittee such as mine doesn't spend everything, another subcommittee will come in and scoop it up and spend it somewhere else. This is just the way legislating is in Washington. So we came up with something different, and we created a new fund in this bill called the Fund for America's Kids and Grandkids, which safeguards funds for America's future generations. In fact, it is like a savings account. We put $585 million from this bill as an initial deposit into the savings account, and this money is protected. It cannot be spent until Treasury indicates that we have balanced our budget or we have a surplus. Now, this deposit is only 2.5 percent. It is 2.5 percent of what we were allocated. That is 2\1/2\ pennies of every dollar that we spend. But this is a great step forward, and it is on behalf of America's kids and grandkids. This approach causes us to think about what deficit spending truly means and in whose name we are borrowing the money and who ultimately is going to get stuck with this debt. Establishing the Fund for America's Kids and Grandkids means we are appropriating with a new spirit here in Washington, D.C., and that is just because you can spend it doesn't mean you have to.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on June 26, 2018, I missed several votes, as I was at the White House meeting with President Trump to discuss the way forward on the Appropriations process. I missed Roll Call Number 291, Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 961. Had I been present, I would have voted yes. I missed Roll Call Number 292, on agreeing to H. Res. 961. Had I been present, I would have voted yes. I missed Roll Call Number 293, on passage of H.R. 4294, the Prevention of Private Information Dissemination Act. Had I been present, I would have voted yes.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the majority leader, Mr. McCarthy, for his leadership in shepherding the largest spending-cut package through the House on behalf of President Trump. This is a remarkable package. Getting back to the topic at hand, this is about taking back money, or rescinding money, that will not be spent, $15 billion of unnecessary spending. This is an important step to getting our fiscal house in order. Now, I note that every dollar in this package either can't or won't be spent at all. Regardless of what you might hear from the other side of the aisle, this is money that just will not be spent for the purposes for which it was originally budgeted. Now, when I think about where we are today and I think about this package and I hear the arguments that just preceded mine, I don't understand why they wouldn't support saving some additional money and putting a downpayment here on our deficit. For example, this bill cuts $4.3 billion from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, which has only made five loans-- that is five--since 2007 and has been untouched since 2011. That is 7 years ago. It is a dormant fund with $4 billion in it, but the other side rejects taking that back and using it elsewhere. This is just good government; rescinding these funds is good government. And it is a signal to the American people that President Trump and congressional Republicans are serious about getting our house in order and protecting our kids and our grandkids from this unsustainable and out-of-control national debt. To that point, another step we are taking with the President's example in leadership here today is a fund we have created in the Financial Services bill, in which I chair. It is a fund for America's kids and grandkids, and we are putting additional savings in it. We have put $585 million into this fund. It is a 2\1/2\ percent cut from our spending level. We are sending a signal to the American people that just because we can spend it doesn't mean we have to spend it. So, today, here, with this $15 billion and what we are doing here in the next couple of weeks, I look forward to getting my bill across as well and continuing on the progress we have here today.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of Dr. Wayne Cofield who is celebrating 40 years as pastor of Whitfield Baptist Church. Pastor Cofield grew up in Decatur, Georgia, and attended Georgia State University, graduating with a degree in Business Administration. He was later ordained to preach at Wesley hills Baptist Church in Decatur, where he was an active member for 22 years. Then after serving for several years at Gospel Baptist Temple in Claxton, Georgia, he moved with his wife Connie and their four children to Dalton in 1978 to establish Whitfield Baptist Church. Pastor Cofield's first service at Whitfield Baptist Church was held on February 4, 1978, with 42 attending the service and 29 children attending the Sunday school. A few short months later, Whitfield Baptist had more than 200 people attending morning service and more than 170 attending Sunday school. Since that time, under Pastor Cofield's steady leadership, Whitfield Baptist continues to grow and thrive. I am proud today to recognize Pastor Cofield's service and contributions to our community and state. I want to close by saying thank you to Wayne for his dedication and commitment to service.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, which was one of the most pivotal moments in the founding of the state of Israel. Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved a bipartisan resolution that I introduced with several of my colleagues to recognize this truly historic anniversary. Passage of this resolution reaffirms our unbreakable bond with the nation of Israel--a bond this administration is committed to guarding and strengthening. Israel was the first country President Trump visited after he took office, and Vice President Pence is traveling to Israel next month, making this resolution especially timely. As the Vice President works on several important issues on his trip, this resolution sends a clear message that the U.S. House strongly supports our national partnership, the Vice President's trip and the nation of Israel. Again, I want to thank my colleagues for their unanimous support of this resolution.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of retired Colonel Larry Odom. Colonel Odom will be retiring from his position on the Cedartown City Commission at the end of his term this month. Colonel Odom grew up in Cedartown, Georgia, and attended Berry College in Rome, Georgia, graduating with a degree in Mathematics. He later received a graduate degree in Management from William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Colonel Odom served in the United States Air Force for just shy of 28 years, flying in combat over Southeast Asia, and later contributing to the maintenance of the Strategic Air Command's nuclear deterrent force. During this time he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Legion of Merit Award. Colonel Odom established Operation Warm Heart while serving at Minot Air Force Base. Operation Warm Heart was created to serve the dependents of those deployed to Operation Desert Storm, and was later expanded into a state-wide program that is still in operation today. After his retirement from the Air Force, Colonel Odom returned home to Cedartown, where he has worked to improve his community. In the time since he left the military, Colonel Odom has served as Director of Polk County E-911 and on the Cedartown City Commission for over a decade. His service on the Cedartown City Commission is marked by four years as commission chairman, in the period of 2008-2010 and 2016. I am proud today to recognize Colonel Odom's time in public service and his contributions to the people of Georgia. I'd like to close by thanking Larry for his service to his country and community.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, as we come to the last amendment on the last bill of this appropriations season, I was hoping we could end it on a positive note. Unfortunately, I have to oppose this amendment. I respect the gentlewoman's thoughts on this. It is a compelling story that she shared with us, and a lot of families have been impacted by identity theft. It is certainly something that concerns me and our entire committee. We have worked through this. In fact, in May of this year, I held an oversight hearing and questioned top officials about this and their efforts to reduce identity theft. Additionally, the Financial Services bill that we are speaking of here includes targeted funds to combat identity theft as well as additional reporting requirements to monitor the IRS's progress in this area. In fact, overall identity theft referrals from the Taxpayer Advocate are down. They are down right now. It is not perfect. They are not at zero, but they are moving in the right direction, as are inventory receipts in the IRS Identity Theft Victim Assistance office. Our committee--myself, along with Mr. Quigley and the entire committee--have had to make a lot of tough funding choices throughout this season. It has not been easy. There are a lot of very worthy programs that we wish we can fund more. Unfortunately, we just can't do all that has been requested by all the Members who have a lot of great and creative ideas to help taxpayers and our constituents. But in this case with this line item, we didn't cut anything. In fact, it has been flat-funded. It is at the same level that was funded last year, and that comes in a portion of our appropriations budget here that we are talking about. It is being cut, on average, 6-plus percent overall. This one line item, though, remains static, and that should speak a lot to our committee and their work to find ways in which to provide additional resources to combat identity theft. Mr. Chairman, as we wrap this up, I want to thank you and everyone else for their patience today over the last many weeks. I thank the Committee on Appropriations Chairman Frelinghuysen and all the great work by the House of Representatives as we wrap up this final amendment with my opposition to the amendment. I urge the House to vote ``no.'' Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chair, it is anti-coal policies such as this that result in a market loss for American coal and clean coal technology and cut off, really, quite frankly, an affordable, reliable source of energy that is critical to economic development in struggling regions of the world. This section 133 does not mandate coal-fired generation for U.S.- funded international development projects. It just simply ensures that coal can continue to be a part of our country's longstanding energy strategy. Abandoning support for fossil fuels hurts American jobs, and it slows American innovation. It is for those reasons, Mr. Chairman, I would urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I will close with this. The gentlewoman won't be the first to ever be disappointed in my response, I can assure you that. But let me just point out for the House here, she is asking for a half-a-million-dollar increase in this fund when, in fact, we increased it by $176 million over the President's request. So I think that is moving far away from where we started, and to a better spot. And while I wish we could provide a little bit more, we can't. Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentlewoman's thoughts and advocacy for communities and developing them, and certainly our thoughts and prayers go to her and her constituencies that have been impacted through the recent hurricanes, as we do with Florida and the other Southeastern States. This is just one of those tough decisions that there are only limited resources that we had to work with, so we had to make some tough decisions. In fact, there are many areas in this bill that I wish we could provide additional resources for. But I am glad that we could take this from what was given to us originally, as zeroed out by the President in his recommendation, and we were able to begin backfilling it for these needed loans for communities to allow for some of the development to occur and small businesses to be able to thrive. So I know that, working with Ranking Member Quigley, we did what we could, and we both wish we could have done more. And I know, as we move forward through the process, we will continue looking at this. But, again, let me close by saying that I certainly understand the gentlewoman's thoughts on this, and I know that all of the committee supports her sentiment in this case. But because of the reasons I stated, the limited resources, and the tough decisions we had to make, I have to oppose this amendment and urge everyone to vote ``no.'' Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I know Mr. Quigley and our team have worked hard on this bill, and there are a lot of tough decisions, no doubt about that. We have made some tremendously difficult decisions. I know Mr. Mitchell was sitting here with a mission from his constituency, and that was to produce savings, to find savings and to reduce the debt and the deficit. Mr. Chairman, I applaud his efforts. I know he has sharpened his pencil and he has done a lot of work, and I appreciate him bringing this concept before the House.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I join this team here in opposition to the amendment. I want us just to think about what we have heard over the last several minutes of debate here of various amendments. First, we heard an amendment offered to take away the American Dream so that consumers couldn't buy a home at an affordable cost. Next, we are hearing that the other side of the aisle wants to take away the ability of small loans from individuals and consumers across the country. But even prior to that, they did not want the very agency that is causing this damage to have any oversight by Congress. This is maddening. This is amazing. I appreciate the good work that has been done by the Financial Services Committee. I am glad we have been able to incorporate a lot of the great work into this bill. Mr. Chairman, I join these gentlemen in opposition to the amendment because this is about making America prosperous again, and that is what this bill does.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Barr for his work on this. I mean, the language that the author of this amendment is trying to strip is actually language that improves the quality and affordability of housing for millions of Americans. So I appreciate Mr. Barr for trying to save Americans from the limited access to resources out there. Unfortunately, new regulations by the CFPB have limited access to financing options for manufacturing homes as well as many other things. And, as a result, many lenders now today are no longer able to offer small balance loans, which are often used for the purchase of affordable housing, such as manufactured housing. We should be supporting and encouraging more access to financing. After all, we are talking about the American Dream, the ownership of your home. Don't take that away. I thank the gentleman for his work, and I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the work here by the gentleman making a great case on why this amendment is harmful to the American people and to the financial prosperity, and so I join them in my opposition, and their opposition as well, to this amendment and urge the House to defeat it.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I have the greatest respect for Ms. Norton, and I appreciate her passion and zeal for the District. She advocates well for them. I hear my friends across the aisle speak about disregard for local law. Let me assure you, Mr. Chairman, this is truly not the case. Article I, section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the power ``to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever'' over the seat of government of the United States, which is the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia is neither a State nor a municipality; in fact, it is a District. Therefore, D.C. derives all of its powers not from the sovereignty of statehood but from the delegation that is given to them by Congress. By the way, the Home Rule Act in 1973 has allowed D.C. to assume more and more responsibility over time. This bill before you continues to appropriate D.C. funds, as it has for the last 44 years. That is 44 years of Republican majorities and Democratic majorities. This changes nothing from that. It was under various administrations as well. This bill does not change the special and unique relationship between D.C. and the Federal Government, because the D.C. Budget Autonomy Act did not change that special, unique relationship between the District and the Federal Government whatsoever. The D.C. Budget Autonomy Act only amended the Home Rule Act as adopted by the D.C. Code. So no State, county, city, or hybrid like the District of Columbia can override the supremacy of the Constitution. Mr. Chairman, as we debate this each and every time, let me assure the body here that the District of Columbia has plenty of autonomy, but when it comes to spending, that is the role of Congress as given to us through the U.S. Constitution. Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer) for his fierce support and defense of our First Amendment rights and religious freedoms. Faith-based and pro-life organizations should be free to serve according to their deeply held beliefs. So the vote on this amendment today is one on which you should be voting ``yes'' for the First Amendment and ``yes'' for religious freedom.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Kustoff), who has been leading the fight against opioid and drug abuse.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Denham), who has worked hard on this amendment and has a portion of the amendment he would like to discuss.