Ruben Gallego

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, the annual defense bill before the House today removes $18 billion from the overseas war account to fund activities that are not related to war. It is unfortunate that the Republican majority, which claims to be fiscally responsible, is raiding OCO in order to blow past bipartisan spending agreements. This budget gimmick would require an $18 billion supplemental next April-- only halfway through the fiscal year--to restore overseas funding for America's troops. This is no way to govern the Pentagon, and it is doing a disservice to our men and women in uniform by pushing for this. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has said that removing overseas funding during wartime is ``objectionable on the face of it.'' It is my hope and the hope of many others on the committee that funding for the overseas account will be restored on the House floor before the bill is voted on. I urge my colleagues to oppose the defense bill until these funds are restored.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chairman, today I rise on behalf of the estimated one in five veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The Department of Defense and the Veterans Health Administration have collaborated to develop clinical practice guidelines for PTSD. According to a GAO report earlier this year, the Veterans Health Administration currently monitors the prescribing of medications that are included in these guidelines, but DOD and the Army do not. This discrepancy could result in negative consequences for our men and women in uniform undergoing treatment in military medical facilities. My amendment would require each branch of the armed services to monitor the prescribing practices of medications to treat symptoms of PTSD among servicemembers. By monitoring the prescribing practices, we can make sure our returning warfighters receive the proper treatment necessary to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on the Senate Republicans to give a full and fair hearing and vote to confirm President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick Garland. There is critical business before the Supreme Court this term. Our democracy relies on a full and functioning Supreme Court. It has been more than a month since President Obama announced his nominee, and Republican leadership has refused to move forward with the confirmation process. Judge Garland is an experienced and respected jurist with a long history of service to our Nation. He has more experience as a Federal judge than any nominee in history, but Republican leaders have decided they won't hold a hearing to consider Judge Garland's nomination. Instead of doing their jobs, Republicans are playing political games and leaving our Nation's highest court in limbo. This kind of obstructionism is unprecedented. Since the 1980s, every person appointed to the Supreme Court has been given a prompt hearing and a vote within 100 days. There are 276 days until the next President takes office--plenty of time to consider Judge Garland's nomination. The Constitution gives the President the responsibility to nominate Justices to the Supreme Court and gives the Senate the job of considering that nominee. There are no exceptions for election year. Never before in American history has a Senate majority said they refuse to consider or vote on anyone nominated by the current President. We have never stopped considering Supreme Court nominees during election years. This is just the latest example of unconscionable Republican obstructionism. From shutting down the government to threatening to cause a catastrophic default, Republicans have proven that they don't know how to govern and they don't have our Nation's best interests in mind. Republicans continue to put partisan politics ahead of the well- being of the American people. Nearly 60 percent of Americans want the Senate to hold hearings and vote on the nominee. They want and expect Republican Senators to do their jobs. Justice Scalia dedicated his life to the Constitution. The Senate should honor his service by upholding their constitutional responsibility to give his replacement a fair hearing and a timely vote.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico who, once again, are left in limbo as Republican leaders in Congress fail to act. As jobs are lost and young workers continue to leave the island, Republican leaders have, not once, but twice, canceled plans to take up legislation in the House Natural Resources Committee this week. As a member of this committee and a Latino, I continue to be outraged by the majority's inability to govern and respond to the humanitarian crisis on the island. Republicans will keep playing politics and use the urgency of time to force a bill that will turn out to be significantly worse for the Puerto Rican people, all while asking my Democratic colleagues for their support. This is unacceptable. I will not vote for any deal that fundamentally misses the mark when it comes to long-term, meaningful progress, including addressing wide health disparities in Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, Puerto Rico cannot afford to risk its future at the hands of Republicans, and we cannot afford to leave behind millions of American citizens who call the island home. Mr. Speaker, we need a bill.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to recognize my good friend, Rabbi John Linder, as the guest chaplain today. Throughout his life, Rabbi Linder has demonstrated commendable commitment to his family, to his faith, and to the cause of social justice. After graduating with honors from Amherst College, Rabbi Linder spent his early years as a community and labor organizer, and later helped run his family's scrap metal recycling business before entering rabbinic school. In Arizona, he has demonstrated inspired leadership of Temple Solel, my temple, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Rabbi Linder has also continued his work to advance social justice as a leader in the Union for Reform Judaism, the Jewish Family and Children's Services, and many other local service and faith-based organizations. Rabbi Linder is also engaged in building a strong interfaith community in Arizona. He has been instrumental in connecting Temple Solel to other faiths, and he has invited a variety of other clergy members to participate in the temple's services. Mr. Speaker, please join me in welcoming Rabbi Linder to the House of Representatives and thanking him for his dedicated service.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the leadership and volunteers who organize and staged the 16th Annual Laveen Community Parade. Since its inception, the parade has been hosted annually by the Laveen Lions Club. The Laveen chapter was chartered on October 21, 1974, as a member of the largest community service organization in the world, Lions Clubs. Lions Clubs bring together individuals devoted to making their communities a better place, regardless of race, religion, gender or language. As their motto, ``We Serve,'' indicates, Lions Club members work tirelessly to support and assist those in need. The 16th Annual Community Parade, which took place in February 2016, honored the agrarian heritage and diversity of the Laveen community. The parade featured local school clubs, horses and riders, community organizations and other officials and floats, including an award- winning float from the Arizona Submarine Veterans Perch Base. Outside of the annual parade, the Laveen Lions Club engages in a variety of community service projects. This winter, members and volunteers sent over 1,000 Christmas cards to troops in Afghanistan to honor those who serve and protect us. The Lions Club also provided Christmas Baskets full of food and Christmas gifts to thirty-five families and six senior citizens in the community. In addition, they collected and donated 2,615 pounds of food and Christmas gifts for distribution by local food banks, faith-based centers and community organizations. The Laveen Lions Club has long worked with local elementary and charter schools to conduct a vision and hearing screening program. Across ten local schools, Lions Club volunteers have provided service to more than 3,000 kindergarten, first, second, fourth, sixth grade and special needs students. Mr. Speaker, I applaud the leadership of Jeff Sprout, this year's Laveen Lions Club Parade Chairperson, as well as the many volunteers who successfully organized and staged the 16th Annual Laveen Community Parade and who are a consistent force for good in the local community.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as part of Women's History Month to recognize and celebrate the life of Isabella Greenway, the first female Member of Congress from Arizona. Congresswoman Greenway was a trailblazer, social activist, and dedicated public servant. She worked tirelessly to serve the people of Arizona and the Nation through the Great Depression and many years after. Congresswoman Greenway was particularly committed to ensuring that those who served the Nation in World War I were taken care of after they returned home. Following the war, she opened Arizona Hut, a furniture manufacturer focused on employing disabled veterans and their families. During her time in Congress, she was known for her willingness to fight for the rights of veterans, including acting as a vocal defender of veterans' pensions and introducing legislation to expand the VA in Arizona. Congresswoman Greenway was an inspiration for women in our State and throughout our country. She refused to be limited or defined by her gender, instead devoting her life to serving and protecting the most vulnerable members of our society. I hope my colleagues will join with me in honoring the lasting legacy of Isabella Greenway.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Phoenix, I rise to demand an end to business as usual at the Federal Aviation Administration. In 2014, the FAA decided, without any input from civic leaders or members of our community, to implement new flight paths for aircraft from Sky Harbor International Airport. The impact of this decision on local residents was swift and severe. Without warning, our communities were suddenly exposed to constant, deafening aircraft noise. As they run businesses, raise families, and struggle to sleep at night, Phoenix residents must now contend with the incessant roar of planes passing overhead. Simply put, the new flight paths have deprived the Arizonans I represent of the peace and quiet they enjoyed before the FAA intervened. Unfortunately, the agency has only exacerbated this difficult situation by overlooking the objections of local residents and ignoring clear direction from Congress to reconsider these routes. When urged by the House in the 2015 omnibus to ``identify appropriate mitigation measures'' to address the problem of aircraft noise in Phoenix, the agency disregarded the will of this body and took no meaningful action. That is simply unacceptable. The American people deserve a government that is responsive to their needs and accountable to their elected officials. We have seen the same pattern of indifference repeated in cities across the country. But now, finally, leaders from both parties are demanding real reform at the FAA. Democrats and Republicans came together to include the language in the fiscal year 2016 spending bill that will require the FAA to develop a plan to proactively address the concerns of Americans, including Phoenix residents, exposed to high levels of aviation noise. In addition, legislation introduced earlier this month to reauthorize the FAA contains several key provisions that could help provide relief to Phoenix residents plagued by noise from passing aircraft. The bill will require the agency to review flight path changes if the FAA administrator determines that they have harmed communities in the vicinity of the airport. The measure will also compel the FAA to consider steps to mitigate aircraft noise-related concerns if requested to do so by a local community or airport operator. Finally, the FAA will be required to submit a report to Congress on how the agency intends to improve its woeful community outreach and engagement efforts. Collectively, these provisions represent an important step forward, but they aren't enough. Together with other members of the Quiet Skies Caucus, I am committed to strengthening this legislation as the process moves forward. Mr. Speaker, civic leaders, businessowners, and families in Phoenix have been ignored for too long. The flight paths over our city must change and so must the course of an agency that for too long has disrespected Congress and disregarded the needs of my constituents. Now is the time to pass legislation to ensure that local communities have a seat at the table when new flight paths are plotted. Let's give local residents the ability to appeal routes that are undermining their quality of life. Mr. Speaker, on the issue of aircraft noise, the people of Phoenix are speaking loudly. They deserve to be heard.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and was not present for one roll call vote on Tuesday, February 9, 2016. Had I been present, I would have voted in this manner: Roll Call Vote Number 64--9/11 Memorial Act--yes.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and join in strong opposition to this rule that will bring forward dangerous legislation that harms women, seniors, and families across America. In our first week back in this session, it is appalling that the Republicans believe defunding Planned Parenthood, rolling back women's access to health screenings, or raising prescription drug prices for seniors is a top priority. This latest attempt to defund Planned Parenthood and repeal the ACA is nothing short of an attack on women and low-income Americans. Seventy-five percent of Planned Parenthood patients are low-income and often have nowhere else to go. Eliminating funding will have devastating consequences on the health of young women and men, Latinas, and LGBT Americans. This isn't just dangerous public policy. It is completely out of touch with the vast majority of Americans. When I meet with my constituents across Phoenix, I hear families worried about affording college, students struggling to pay their tuition and the amount of debt they have, and hardworking Americans who can't afford the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs. But I also hear relief: relief that came from the ACA, relief from young women who no longer have to pay for copays for birth control when they go to the pharmacy, relief that their annual exams no longer come with cost sharing, relief from seniors whose prescription drug costs are lower because we got rid of the Medicare doughnut hole, relief from parents that their child with chronic disease can't be denied insurance coverage--all thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Women and all Americans deserve better than playing the same politics over their bodies and their health care. I urge my colleagues to defeat this dangerous rule and oppose the reconciliation package on behalf of millions of families who can't afford to lose care once again.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, for too long, calls for Congress to pass commonsense gun control measures--heartfelt appeals from concerned Americans of all ages and ideologies, including gun owners--have fallen on deaf ears. Despite the mounting death toll, the Republican leadership has refused to consider any new measures to address the devastating impact of gun violence in America. We cannot continue to wait for Republicans to come to their senses. The price of delay for our children, for our families, and for our communities is simply too steep. That is why I applaud President Obama for putting American lives above partisan politics. The President's executive actions will require more gun sellers to be licensed and to conduct background checks, narrowing the dangerous loopholes that allow guns to fall into the hands of criminals or the mentally ill. The new rules will also make it easier for us to hold irresponsible dealers accountable and to track guns that are lost or stolen. This is a critical step forward, but it is not enough. I call on my colleagues to join the President in taking real action to prevent gun tragedies and keep the American people safe.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. The omnibus has been billed as a compromise, but in reality it is packed with Republican policy provisions that only compromise our values. The omnibus bill should be about funding the government, not about pushing through policies that would never receive enough votes to pass on their own. Asking us to support this bill is asking us to support bad policy. Among the legislation's many serious shortcomings is its failure to address the mounting fiscal crisis in Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, the people of Puerto Rico are American citizens. They vote in our elections. They swear allegiance to our flag, they fight, and they die in our wars. Yet, at a time when massive bills are coming due, this Congress has turned its back on Puerto Rico. Including a provision in the omnibus to allow Puerto Rico to restructure its debt wouldn't cost the American taxpayer one penny. We did not put that in. Every single State in this union can access the protections afforded by chapter 9. Puerto Rico is unfairly denied this ability. That is simply unfair, and our refusal to come to the island's aid is un-American. Mr. Speaker, the omnibus will also deal a blow to our efforts to save our planet. Less than a week after reaching a historic climate change pact in Paris, Republicans want to undo the progress made by giving Big Oil a major victory, while leaving our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico behind. Lifting the oil export ban on the heels of new studies warning against the drastic rates of warming of lakes across the country and around the world is a major blow to all efforts made in Paris. According to the Energy Information Administration, lifting the ban will increase gross profits of the oil industry by more than $20 billion annually, at the direct expense of America's wildlife and natural resources. By the oil industry's own projections, lifting the ban will result in more than 7,500 additional wells being drilled annually, resulting in the degradation of more than one million square acres of wildlife habitat. Increasing drilling without protections for wildlife, and without permanently reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund, takes us backwards and will harm domestic jobs, while exacerbating the huge challenges we currently face in preserving our outdoor heritage and tackling climate change. Mr. Speaker, Democrats are being asked to supply two-thirds of the votes for this bill, but this agreement does not reflect even two- thirds of our values. We should reject this bad deal for Americans.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Well, in Phoenix, we are always used to pretty warm weather. Of course, as of late, we actually have noticed it has actually gotten a lot, lot warmer, and we are worried. Within that 73 percent range, you will meet a lot of people from all demographic backgrounds, especially Latino and African American communities, that are particularly worried. These are the communities that are growing still, a very young population, but also, unfortunately, tend to have less money. What that means is, when it gets hotter--and it continues to get hotter in Arizona--and they are going to have to pay for higher air- conditioning costs or are going to have to pay more for water service, they are the ones who are going to be directly impacted by climate change. These young people--the average age of the Latino in Arizona is about 25--have to see into the future. What they see in the future is a State and a country that is warmer, that has less water, and that did not make the kind of energy investments that we could have done for many years. Right now the politicians of today do not have the vision for the new energy future. That is why you see those high numbers. Those high numbers are a direct reflection of young millennials who really, truly care about the future and are projecting into the future what they think is important for stability of not just this country, but the population on Earth.

Mr. GALLEGO. Well, first we have to recognize that it truly is a national security issue in two areas. One, if you look at how we mobilize our troops, when you are out there--and I was a frontliner. I served with the United States Marine Corps as an infantryman. Many times I was far away from a base, but I still needed resources. So people had to drop off my food. People had to drop off a generator to power the computers that gave us the information we needed. That was all done, unfortunately, by trucks that were exposing themselves to IEDs to bring us gasoline to basically power these generators to even keep us warm when it got really cold, things of that nature. If we had a strong investment in green technology that allowed us to have energy independence down at the module level, it would reduce the amount of men and women that have to be on these dangerous roads. When we kind of look at the grander scope of how you actually effectively fight a war, the first thing you do is you try to take away their energy resources. The first thing you do is you take out their electrical grid, you take out any opportunity for them to actually be able to move. That includes what we know now as gasoline. If you look at some of our greatest victories, when Sherman was pushing through Europe, when Patton was fighting in World War II, what they did was effectively cut off the axis powers' ability to basically feed their engines by destroying their capability of refining oil into gasoline. If we want to also make sure that we, as a country, have strong national security going now and into the future, we have to make sure that we are energy independent. Most of the hydrocarbons that are still in existence in this world are not in the United States. They are found in a lot of countries that are not stable allies of ours or in a very unstable region. For example, Venezuela is one of our biggest oil partners. Even if you go down to the Middle East, they are in a very unstable area. We still rely on that area for a lot of our oil or the world, in general. If we do not receive their oil, they do set the price of the commodities, which also affects, obviously, a lot of our national security posture. If we were truly serious about understanding what we need to do in the future to continue having a strong national security that defends the American way of life, energy independence through renewables is the way to do it.

Mr. GALLEGO. I think if we actually lean back on the strengths of our generation, that is what we need to do. We are a very empathetic generation. We care about our community. We care about our world. And being able to translate that into political power is important. Whether you vote for a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, make sure they understand that is your priority, to be represented by somebody who understands the threat of climate change and you want to see action. We also need to get involved more on the economic innovation side that comes with the new energy future. We are going to be developing the technologies that are really going to be making the biggest impacts in terms of slowing down the warming of the Earth. And it is our friends and colleagues now that are working in labs and doing the startups in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco that are creating the technology of tomorrow. We need to continue to be pushing forward, supporting their efforts, supporting them through R&D. But, more importantly, having a Congress that is supportive and understanding of the challenges of climate change is the key to all that.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, as the world looks to its leaders convened in Paris this month to act on the greatest threat to our planet, I rise today in support of a strong and fair global climate agreement. Now is the time to demonstrate our leadership and our obligation to the security and protection of our communities and our economy by committing to a robust agreement that puts us on a safer path for future generations. Last week, Mr. Speaker, House Republicans showed the American people, once again, where they stand when it comes to tackling the threat of climate change. By casting political votes against the Clean Power Plan, their message is loud and clear that any meaningful action will be met with attacks and political theater. Mr. Speaker, political theater does nothing to stop rising sea levels, extreme weather, and land erosion. Failure to act will risk American economic prosperity and will disproportionately impact the poorest and most vulnerable communities across our Nation. In the American Southwest, Latino and African American populations are more vulnerable to heat exposure and heat stress due to factors like substandard housing and the lack of affordable utility costs. Native American communities face additional unique challenges. They rely directly on natural resources for food, medicine, and jobs, all of which are expected to be negatively affected by climate change. These communities have all called for action on a national and international scale, and we must listen. Mr. Speaker, my Democratic colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee have called on the Republican leadership to tackle this problem. But time and time again, we have been met with silence and inaction when it comes to discussing and acting on these critical issues. We must do better. Around the world, nations are looking to the United States for leadership on this serious issue. We must step up and join other nations who have already made commitments to act on climate change. The facts are clear: Action on climate change will not undermine our economy; it will support economic growth. In fact, acting will produce real benefits for our environment and our economy, including new businesses, better jobs, lower poverty, and reduced mortality rates. And businesses agree. Last week, in a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal, over 100 top companies, including Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Sprint, and DuPont, all called for strong action to tackle climate change in order to minimize climate risk and boost the economy. These businesses recognize what I hear from folks in my district from Phoenix and across Arizona: The time to act is now. We must build on the progress made in Paris. Mr. Speaker, I stand with the scientific, environmental, and public health communities who all agree that Paris must be the floor, not the ceiling, of our ambition. If the world takes a step forward in Paris, our partners will be prepared to build stronger climate policies and agreements moving forward. Local governments, States, and businesses will be empowered to reaffirm their commitments to low-carbon pathways for decades to come. Some argue that America cannot lead on climate. Mr. Speaker, America led the way into space, to the creation of the Internet and computers, to cellphones and so much more. We can and must lead into this new energy future. Our innovations and our leadership are going to fuel a cleaner and safer environment and economy, and our policies must reflect these realities. When future generations look back on the progress made in Paris, I hope it will be to thank us for what we have accomplished in order to leave them a healthier and safer environment. Let's not let politics and grandstanding prevent us from taking responsibility for the planet we are leaving behind for our children and our grandchildren.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, we shouldn't allow terrorists who want to kill innocent Americans to have easy access to guns. It is just that simple, and that is just common sense. Yet, any individual on the no-fly list considered too dangerous to get on a plane can walk into any gun store in America and walk out with a weapon of their choice. We are facing an epidemic of gun violence in this country, yet House Republican leadership is unwilling to even close the most dangerous loophole like this one that exists today. Speaker Ryan has said that ``keeping America safe should not be a partisan issue.'' I strongly agree. We should set politics aside and do what is right for the American people by passing commonsense gun laws and stopping senseless acts of violence in our communities. The cost of inaction in Congress is borne by thousands of mourning families here in America. It is time for Congress to step up and take meaningful action by closing the terrorist gun loophole and keeping dangerous people from buying guns.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand with thousands of community voices and jobs in opposition to H.R. 308. This legislation not only shortchanges our commitments to our tribal brothers and sisters, but it will do so at exorbitant costs to taxpayers according to the Congressional Budget Office. Construction of the West Valley project has been an immense and welcome addition to communities across Phoenix and beyond. Once fully completed, the project will employ 3,000 people and support their families, jobs we need in our community as we continue to reel as one of the hardest hit areas in the Nation from the Great Recession. Millions of dollars have flowed into the region. More than 45 companies have been retained for the construction of this project both within Arizona and nationally. 1,300 construction workers are currently under contract, and those 1,300 jobs are just the beginning. If you want proof, look no further than the job fair the tribe recently held on September 28. It drew over 3,000 applicants from the community, 400 of whom were hired on the spot. That number will rise to 500 employees when phase one of the project opens in December, and it will eventually climb to 3,000 full-time employees when the project is completed and staffed. These are new, permanent, good-paying jobs that are badly needed in the West Valley. This bill will unnecessarily put these hardworking men and women out of work while costing American taxpayers as much as $1 billion. Mr. Speaker, our community supports these jobs and this project. We cannot afford to play politics when it comes to the bottom lines of our families and of our local economies. I urge my colleagues to stand up for local jobs and join me in opposing this job-killing legislation.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the staff and students of Trevor G. Browne High School in Phoenix, Arizona, who went above and beyond in supporting my office's community-wide citizenship fair. The largest school in the Phoenix Union High School District, Trevor Browne High School currently serves over 3000 students. The school's mission is to work with families and the community to provide a comprehensive education to all students, a commitment they fulfill by offering a variety of learning opportunities both within and outside of the regular school day calendar. The principal, Dr. Gabe Trujillo, and the teachers work tirelessly to meet each student's unique needs, and students' love of their school is clear in the number of graduates who return as faculty members. Trevor Browne High School did not merely provide the space for my office's citizenship fair--the staff and students went above and beyond to assist those seeking help with their citizenship paperwork. Dr. Trujillo and members of the school community provided invaluable support for the event, serving as volunteers and helping ensure that we could serve as many individuals as possible. Thanks to their hard work, we were able to aid over 150 Arizona residents in navigating the path to U.S. citizenship. I truly appreciate the assistance of Dr. Trujillo and everyone from Trevor Browne High School, whose selfless dedication was vital to making our citizenship fair a success.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, as Republicans bicker behind closed doors, the deadline to raise the debt limit draws closer and closer. If we fail to act in time, interest rates will skyrocket, the dollar will plummet, and the stock market could collapse. That is unacceptable. It is time to bring this manufactured crisis to an end. Let's not fool ourselves. Even if the Republican leadership does manage to pass a last-minute extension, the mere threat of a default will inflict real damage on the American economy. Economists tell us that the 2011 debt limit standoff cost American jobs and contributed to the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, and we are repeating the same mistake today. That is why the true threat to our fragile economic recovery isn't our budget deficit; it is the leadership deficit that exists within the Republican Party. Unfortunately, for conservative Republicans, irresponsibility has become a badge of honor and recklessness a source of pride. Mr. Speaker, the American people want leadership instead of brinksmanship. They want cooperation and compromise instead of deadlock and dysfunction. Let's raise the debt ceiling and move on to the critical work of building a stronger and more prosperous Nation.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, as we close Hispanic Heritage Month and look back at our community's history and ongoing challenges, I rise today to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. For 25 years, the Initiative has played an important role in advancing the dialogue and policies that have helped our community move forward. This year, as part of its anniversary celebration, the Initiative released the Bright Spots in Hispanic Education, an online national catalog. The catalog features 230 programs, organizations, and initiatives that are supporting and investing in educational attainment of Hispanics from cradle to career. Today, I congratulate four Bright Spots in my district that have been recognized for their outstanding commitment and contributions to our community: the American Dream Academy, the Bilingual Nursing Fellows Program, the Fowler Head Start Program, and the Victoria Foundation. These programs are leading the way to close the education gap. I look forward to continuing to work with them as they find ways to ensure every child, including Latino children, has the tools they need to succeed.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of President Obama's announcement on Friday that he will not negotiate with the Republican Congress over raising the debt limit. This is the right decision because there is nothing to negotiate. There is only one simple path forward: to pass a clean debt limit extension that protects our Nation's full faith and credit. Unfortunately, last week the majority leader and the presumptive next Speaker of the House went on national television and committed to fight to the end to defund the ACA and the President's immigration executive actions while trying to stop the debt limit increase. I fear--as we all should--what this might mean. Are he and the House Republicans going to threaten to shut down the government to pursue this extreme agenda? Are they going to hold our Nation's full faith and credit hostage? Mr. Speaker, for 5 years now, House Republicans have hurtled the Congress and the country from one manufactured crisis to another. This must stop and must stop now. With only 30 days left before we hit the debt limit, the Republican Congress should act immediately to take the prospect of a catastrophic default off the table.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer a commonsense amendment to the RAPID Act, a misguided bill that will disempower local leaders, including tribal leaders, and threaten the health and safety of our communities and their communities. As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, time and time again I have witnessed the Republican majority siding with big business and gutting bedrock environmental safeguards that for decades have protected our families and our natural heritage. My Republican friends claim that this bill is intended to protect the interest of our States and Native American tribes. Mr. Chair, we already have a law on the books for that purpose. It is called the National Environmental Policy Act, NEPA, and it works. At its heart, NEPA ensures that our government is accountable to the people. This critical law has protected the environment for more than 40 years without imposing arbitrary deadlines or limiting vital public input. It guarantees the public an opportunity to review and comment on actions proposed by the government, enabling important perspectives that would otherwise go unnoticed. In this way, NEPA can actually serve as a check on Big Government. Unfortunately, the RAPID Act promises the opposite, a deeply flawed process that would diminish the voice of State, local, and tribal communities. The RAPID Act will also establish a new regulatory framework that purposely overrides the NEPA review process, limiting public input and consequently undermining the quality and integrity of Federal agency decisions. Among its many dangerous provisions, the bill will also trigger the automatic approval of construction projects if agencies miss arbitrary deadlines, regardless of the complexity or hazard posed by such potential projects. Though the bill includes some extremely limited and narrow exceptions for these deadlines, as it is currently written, it fails to extend those deadlines for our local communities. My amendment would simply create a new good cause exception that would allow a deadline to be extended if a request is made from a local- or State-elected official or a local tribal leader. While my amendment does not fix all the problems in the underlying bill, it ensures that, if this bill should pass, our local and tribal leaders will continue to be empowered, as they are currently under NEPA. I support the goal of reducing red tape, but stripping away the ability of our local communities to have their voices heard is undemocratic and unacceptable. Mr. Chair, special interests don't need us to fight for them. Our communities do. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and to stand with our local and tribal leaders when it comes to projects in their own back yards that impact their homes, families, and business. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer an amendment.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.