Sheila Jackson Lee

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.J. Res. 72, the ``Honoring Our Promise to Veterans Act.'' I have unwavering support for our nation's veterans and Houston is home for tens of thousands of veterans. I hold our men and women of the armed services in the highest regard. I have fought for them to receive pay raises, affordable and safe housing, family support services, and the best possible medical care. My support of veterans has been consistent and strong over the time I have served in the House of Representatives. I know firsthand how painful it is for Veterans to seek assistance for medical care-- especially PTSD or Traumatic Brain injuries. So I have made it a central part of my public service to make sure they know how much they are loved and appreciated. In the 106th Congress I introduced House Joint Resolution 98, which was signed into law by President Clinton. This resolution honored the debt paid for our nation's freedom by minority veterans who fought during World War II. If this Congress truly wishes to recognize the sacrifice and bravery of our veterans it will end this shutdown and re- open our government now. The current shutdown has slowed the rate at which the government can process veterans' disability claims and, as the VA has stated, it is negatively impacting other services to our nation's veterans. It is extremely personal and painful to me to see the majority in this body use Veterans as a political football to try to score political points. Veterans deserve our honor and respect and regard for the service they have given to this country--which was given not for pay, but out of patriotism and love of country. Today, I am ashamed of this body for treating Veterans as if they can be bribed to turn their backs on this nation and the pain of fellow Americans are suffering under the pressure of an unnecessary Federal government shutdown. The majority of the House of Representatives are showing such disrespect to Veterans by attempting to bribe them into leaving their fellow Americans behind by offering financial relief to them while other Americans remain in financial harm's way. When Veterans served in uniform they fought for this nation under one flag without regard for political party or region of the nation. As the member from the 18th Congressional District of Houston Texas I have fought hard to protect the honor and the rights of our great veterans. This Congress in years past have spoken highly of our nation's veterans because without their sacrifice we would not be in a free nation. In the 18th Congressional District of Texas there are more than 50,000 veterans and they are almost ten percent of this district's civilian population over the age of 18. I cannot forget our nation's veterans. They are my friends' people I admire and feel privileged to serve in the House of Representatives. My service to them in part is motivated by the selflessness these men and women have shown and their courage when facing long and difficult recoveries from injuries incurred while serving. Our veterans are extraordinary citizens who have changed the course of our lives in ways that we may not even realize. I hope we will always keep this thought in mind. The most important lessons that our Veterans can teach us is not to be divided against each other because we will surely fall as a nation. When the House of Representatives openly pits one group of Americans against another they dishonor our veterans and their sacrifice. I would like to close my remarks with citing the words of two great American Veterans who served our nation on the field of battle and as members of the Congress: Congressman John Dingell and Senator Bob Dole. They said: As two proud World War II veterans blessed also to serve this great nation in Congress, we consider our bipartisan work together in helping to create a National World War II Memorial to be among our greatest accomplishments and a true honor to our brothers-in-arms. If this Congress truly wishes to recognize the sacrifice and bravery of our World War II veterans and all who've come after, it will end this shutdown and re-open our government now. The current shutdown has slowed the rate at which the government can process veterans' disability claims and, as the VA has stated, it is negatively impacting other services to our nation's veterans. Piecemeal or partial spending plans do not adequately ensure that our veterans--and indeed all Americans--have access to the system of self-government established to serve and protect them.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 3230, the Pay Our Guard and Reserve Act. The members of the National Guard who reside in the city of Houston are more than numbers; they are friends of mine who share a passion for love of country and community service that is unrivaled. It is very painful to me to see our men and women in the armed services treated with such disrespect by the majority of the House of Representatives. I know how they treat members of Congress when we visit their installations or facilities. They greet us with salutes, deference and respect. I have learned to return their greetings in kind not out of habit but out of true appreciation for who they are and what they do to make the lives of countless Americans better. Guard and reservists, unlike regular army or military service personnel, are part of the support for first responders for communities in times when a hurricane comes ashore, wildfires strike, tornadoes touch down and ice storms occur. When Congress moves to fund only components of the government but not the entire government they do harm to our nation's security in small and large ways. One of the large ways they harm our nation's security is to undermine the cohesiveness of all of the components of our military force. The majority bringing a bill to the floor today to include the Guard and Reserve on their list of favored Federal government programs, projects or agencies is an afterthought. If the House majority thought that the Guard and Reserves were important to the security of our nation, which I believe that they are, funding would have been in the bill passed that continued pay to soldiers. What is most troubling is that if the majority of the House would actually negotiate with Democrats in the House before introducing these measures, they would know that this approach will mean that we will spend the next hundred or two hundred days coming back to fund an office, agency or Federal component that the majority did not know was essential. The regular order for consideration of funding bills allows committees with jurisdiction and more important in-depth knowledge about agencies to make funding decisions. No one member knows everything that there is to know about what each agency does and how what that agency does impacts or touches on how well another part of the Federal government functions. The Federal government is not a group of dismembered parts but a cohesive unit that works as one for the benefit of the American people. Attempting to bribe our Guard and Reservists into turning a blind eye to the best interest of our nation speaks to the character of the majority's leadership on the matter of the budget. Attempting to turn one American against another is a shameful act and one that will not be tolerated or soon forgotten by the American public. The House majority see members of the Guard and Reservists as selfish. They are far from selfish, they are selfless. Over 662,000 National Guard and Reserve Troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan as of 2011. Included in these numbers are 15,877 Army Guard, 11,939 Army Reservists, 2,068 Navy Reservists, 3,499 Marine Corps Reservists and over 6,000 Air National Guard, Air Force Reservists and Coast Guard Reservists from the State of Texas. If the majority cared about the welfare of the Guard and Reservists they would have ended the Sequester, which has cost them pay cuts just like all Federal personnel. This is not a game--where points can be won or lost--these are lives being impacted by decisions made by the majority of this body who are not putting first the America the Guard and Reservists risk their lives to protect and serve. The Guard and Reserves will not leave anyone behind--if they did they know that the ability to defend and protect this nation would be left behind. We must learn from these brave men and women to work together for the good of a nation and not for political gain. We know what needs to be done--put everyone back to work in the Federal government; then we can work on the issues that separate us. Time is important for Federal workers who have been working with reduced pay for months. We should and can do better than play politics with the lives of our Guard and Reservists.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I heard the story of a mother who had lost her son, who had a preexisting condition and was not able to get insurance--only when a benevolent hospital took him in and determined, at the time, that he had Stage 3 cancer, because he had no insurance, because he had needed a colonoscopy. If he had had ObamaCare, he would have had the ability, at least, to get insurance without worrying about the preexisting condition. Emotions are high, but for the right reason. There is no reason that eliminating ObamaCare, as is being discussed on this floor, should be tied to opening the government back up. All the Republicans have to do is to pass, with the Democrats, a clean CR so that people might live. Their story is like taking away the civil rights laws that President Johnson helped pass because they did not like it. They would hold up the government and close the government. For me, this is civil rights for all Americans--to have the right to live, to have the right to have health insurance. It is not a budget issue. It is an issue to be done down the road. Vote for a clean CR. Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of emotions because this is about life and death.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Reserving the right to object, and I am not going to pursue my objection. But I want to congratulate the chairman and our committee for what I think is an enormously important visa, helping people who have helped us, particularly in Iraq. And with that, I thank the Judiciary Committee for its work, and I withdraw my objection.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the Continuing Resolutions to re-open our National Parks. Today, 368 national park sites were closed and we now see that the majority has noticed. On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed a law that is a solemn promise to the public that our nation would ``conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife,'' for all of the people of this great nation for all generations to come. The United States unlike many other nations does not allow our national monuments and natural wonders to be privatized--they belong to us all and should be treated with the utmost care and respect. Over 22,000 Parks Service Personnel care for and manage the over 400 areas designated as under the management of the National Parks Service. Here in our nation's capital we see the damage caused by the majority of the House with insisting on a Federal government shutdown when surviving veterans of World War II who came to see the memorial built in their name and were nearly prevented from doing so. Our nation's parks range from unimaginably large and majestic manifestations of God's beauty on Earth to very small structures, but each is served by dedicated federal employees. The nation's laws regarding national parks do not treat some parks more special than others. Around the nation people are not able to complete vacation plans because they will not be able to visit some of the nation's most beautiful areas, which include our nation's first national park Yellowstone National Park designated in 1872. The National Parks Service's stewardship includes over 84 million acres of park lands, 4 million in land around oceans, lakes and reservoirs, 85,049 miles of rivers and streams, 68,561 miles of archeological sites, 43,162 miles of shoreline, 27,000 historic structures, which include presidential birthplaces, the preservation and protection of over 121 million objects in museum collections, 21,000 buildings, 12,250 miles of Trails and 8,500 miles of roads. Mr. Speaker, Texas is graced with 20 Federal Parks that include Big Bend National Park, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Amistad National Recreation Area, Big Thicket National Preserve; Chamizal National Memorial; Fort Davis National Historic Site; Guadalupe Mountains National Park; Lake Meredith National Recreation Area; Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park; Padre Island National Seashore; Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site; Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River; and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park are all closed during the shutdown. Texas also has national Forests and grasslands: Angelina National Forest; Davy Crockett National Forest; Sabine National Forest; Sam Houston National Forest; Caddo and Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) National Grasslands; Black Kettle and McClellan Creek Grasslands; Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands. All of them are closed today because of the reckless behavior of the majority in the House of Representatives. Perhaps over the last few days members of the majority of the House of Representatives received their first education directly from constituents about our nation's national parks and how much our parks and park lands are loved. Federal parks also contribute to the local economies where they are found and create tens of thousands of tourist related jobs. Because they are closed today those jobs are at risk as well as the incomes of the Park Rangers who are stewards of our nation's most precious treasures. It is not as simple as opening the gates and letting people enter-- people while enjoying these treasures, can become lost, injured, or need assistance. The National Parks Service staff working at these sites are there to protect these them and to be a resource for visitors and more important to keep them safe while at Federal Parks. The House should take up the clean Senate Continuing Resolution to fund the entire government. Today, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the ATF, the Office of the Director of National Security, Military Reservists, Centers for Disease Control, Health and Human Services, National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration and hundreds of other small and large agencies are being impacted. Mr. Speaker I have often heard members of the majority compare their state to the entire United States as if the comparison are equivalent. From what we have learned from the majority they will leave everyone else behind if they get their way. They do not see the nation as large, but as a small place with small minded people. I represent a District in the State of Texas, one of our nation's largest states with diversity in land and people that is rivaled by only a few other states, but I would not say that everything done in Texas would be the right decision for the entire United States. The United States is a very large place with large minded people with big hearts, who do not believe in leaving others behind. Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on reopening the government as soon as possible. Texas is experiencing the impact of cutbacks in the $64.7 billion in federal spending that it receives annually, including the threat that the State may lose: $518 million in federal highway funds, $411 million for interstate highway maintenance, $130 million in home energy assistance for the poor, $71 million in Homeland Security grants, $55 million in coordinated border infrastructure and $97 million in federal adoption assistance. For these reasons, we cannot wait for the majority to discover all of the reasons why we have a federal government or the importance and purpose of each agency. We have to pass a clean CR now--we do not need to wait, just bring to the floor the bills sent to this body by the Senate.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, here we go again--the majority instead of opening Federal government they are introducing another scheme to waste time trying to make what they are doing even more painful to the American public. I rise to speak on the Continuing Resolutions to re-open the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one of many very important Federal government agencies. NIH is comprised of many institutes that specialize in seeking cures for some of mankind's most dreaded and difficult diseases and afflictions such as: blindness, heart disease, blood diseases, infection diseases, cancer, stroke, alcoholism; arthritis, musculoskeletal and skin diseases, hearing and balance disorders, drug abuse, and mental illness. NIH institutes focus solely on finding cures for the list of illnesses that I just mentioned. Researchers work often within a closed sterile world for decades looking for that one piece of information when placed within the body of knowledge known about a disease may save lives or health. The NIH Institutes include the following, the: National Cancer Institute, National Eye Institute, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institute on Aging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Nursing Research, and National Library of Medicine. Because of the work of NIH to identify potential treatments and cures each year and a rare few are allowed into treatment and drug trials to discover if what the Institutes' researchers have discovered will yield beneficial results for the entire population, not just in the United States but the entire world. NIH's work is racing against the clock to find cures in time to save or improve the quality of lives. There are medical professionals who are serving in the Congress and you have each benefited from the work of NIH and so have your patients. We should listen to what researchers are saying about the Federal government shutdown: Mary Woolley, president and CEO of Research! America, said: ``On a micro level, we are concerned that an incremental approach to the shutdown neglects disruptions to lifesaving funded by other federal agencies, as well as access to treatments in the pipeline at the Food and Drug Administration,'' Woolley said. ``And because it is unlikely that this measure would pass both houses, it may simply delay funding for NIH.'' Benjamin Corb, director of public affairs for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: ``The data shows that deep cuts to federal investments in research are tearing at the fabric of the nation's scientific enterprise and have a minimal impact on overcoming our national debt and deficit problems,'' he said. ``I hope leaders from both parties in Washington review these findings and join with scientists to say `enough is enough.' '' Chris Hansen, president of American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said ``Every week the government is shut down, the NIH Clinical Center will have to turn away cancer patients who are eligible to start potentially lifesaving clinical trials--a devastating impact that compounds the problem created by the sequester that resulted in 1,000 people being turned away from clinical trials in the past year.'' This Congress has done harm to NIH research through Sequestration: funding cuts occurred indiscriminately across all areas of research. Cell lines were lost that had been developed over generations to see how they change to learn more about what goes wrong within cells and what may be done to prevent cancers from developing. Sequestration damaged NIH research that involved a study of rabbits that were carefully breed over years to learn about inherited disorders, but due to the Sequestration an entire line was destroyed because they could not be cared for nor were there funds to keep the copious and careful notes needed to document each generation's development. It should chill us all to think about what may be lost in NIH research because of the last few days of government shutdown. Our tools are words, the work of NIH researchers are cells and specimens that cannot wait for the majority to figure out why the Federal government matters. Every 36 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. That's enough children to fill a classroom each day, which adds up to almost 15,000 new cases of childhood cancer each year. Children under the age of 21 are diagnosed with cancer every year; approximately \1/4\ of them will not survive the disease. Each year in Texas, almost 1,200 children and adolescents younger than 20 years of age are diagnosed with cancer. Approximately 200 children and adolescents die of cancer each year, making cancer the most common cause of disease-related mortality for Texans 0-19 years of age. Treatments and Death Rates Approximately 2,300 children will die this year from cancer. The five-year survival rates for childhood cancer have increased greatly over the past 30 years. Prior to 1970, children diagnosed with cancer would survive less than 50 percent of the time. Today, due to modern forms of treatment, the five-year survival rate is almost 80 percent. Cure rates vary for specific cancers depending on the stage of diagnosis and the cancer type; some forms of cancer remain resistant to treatment. For example, due to better treatments and research, children with leukemia can be cured almost 80 percent of the time. Neuro-blastoma is among the most difficult childhood cancers to cure. More kids die from childhood cancers than any other disease. In fact, cancer kills more children than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. By the age of 20, one in every 330 Americans will develop cancer. Approximately 10,400 children and teens ages 0-14 years will be diagnosed with cancer this year in the United States. Treating childhood cancer differs greatly from treating adults with cancer. Those children who do survive may have serious health challenges to long term survival--for example a treatment that saves a child's life may cause a severe heart problem that threatens the long term health of that child. Today, more than 90% of 13,500 children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States are cured because of the work of researchers like those working at NIH. Research is needed to help these young cancer survivors' live full and productive lives. I know that members of the majority now know that there is a government agency called the National Institutes of Health and that the work that this government agency does is important, but the work of all of our federal agencies are important. For this reasons, we cannot wait for the majority to discover all of the reasons why we have a federal government or the importance and purpose of each agency. We have to pass a clean CR now--we do not need to wait, just bring to the floor the bills sent to this body by the Senate.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentlelady from New York, and certainly my good friend on the Rules Committee. We see each other often in his work, and I know his passion and commitment. And as I walked on the floor today, I was listening to him recount history. But the history of shutdowns of years past will not help us be guided by our hearts and our minds today. The American people are asking not for a recounting of historical perspective--years past that have been solved, Congresses who came together, patriots who stood in the line of fire and have lost their lives long since those particular shutdowns have occurred--we owe the American people today an answer. I just came from the east steps of the United States Capitol. It's a very somber place. It's a place of joy, but it's a place of remembrance. If my good friend wants to remember anything, he needs to remember 9/11, when Members of Congress poured out of this place to show America that we were not going to be undermined by terrorists, that we were going to stand united together. That was a moment that America looked to with pride as we sang ``God Bless America.'' Today we stood on the steps, standing with Members of Congress who actually were wounded in Iraq and veterans who are now Members of Congress, and we asked for another moment of unity--unity to be able to address real issues in this House, to put 800,000 workers back to work who are not working for themselves in the Federal Government but are processing veterans' benefits and Social Security and Medicare. We asked for this Speaker and this Republican Conference and Tea Party- driven Members to put all of that aside. Let us recount the history of the unity that was shown on those steps, so symbolic when we come together--at that time on 9/11, we came together as Republicans and Democrats--and vote for a clean CR. The idea that national parks are important, they're right, they are important. The idea that the National Guard is important, they're right, it is important. Right now, Ellington Field is shut down that the National Guard in Texas used, and they are there as front liners for our borders and needs in that area. It is shut down. The National Institutes of Health is one of these bills, D.C. and the veterans. All of those are important. But I will tell you, just as important are the men and women in the FBI and the DEA, the Drug Enforcement Administration, or the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms that are on the front lines of ensuring the safety and security of America. More funding for those in Homeland Security that are not presently being funded by fees are very, very important, and that is not on this list. So recounting the history doesn't do us any good. The National Institutes of Health, all of us who have had conditions such as what I've had and surviving breast cancer realize the importance of it. But we will not, Mr. Speaker, piecemeal. What we want is what we want for America--unity. Mr. Speaker, we want a clean CR. Put it on the floor now. We will vote now. We will vote now.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 72, the so-called ``Honoring Our Promise to Veterans Act,'' which purports to fund those activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs that are required to cease due to the House Republicans' decision to shut down the government last night. The bill before us is a cynical attempt by the Republican majority to extricate themselves from the mess they created when they voted to shut down the government. Mr. Speaker, it would not be necessary to have to devote the considerable amount of time needed to debate and pass this legislation in the House and Senate and present it to the President if the House would simply pass the clean continuing resolution passed yesterday by the Senate. The CR approved by the Senate funds the government and would bring an end to the unnecessary shutdown engineered by House Republicans that disrupts the lives of innocent and hard working federal employees and their families and the millions of Americans who depend upon the services they provide. The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of the Federal Government are paid for the valuable and important service they provide to our Nation. President Obama has reiterated that he will sign that CR--and only that CR--into law. Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on ending the House Republicans' shutdown, which helps no one and hurts our economy. Those of us who were serving in this body 17 years ago remember the harm caused when the Republicans shutdown the government on two different occasions, which directly cost taxpayers $1.4 billion. That is $2.1 billion in today's dollars. The last time Republicans engineered a shutdown of the government: 368 national park sites were closed; 200,000 applications for passports went unprocessed; and $3.7 billion of $18 billion in local contracts went unpaid. My State of Texas will again be hit very hard and suffer unnecessarily by this Republican shutdown. Within days Texas will begin experiencing the impact of cutbacks in the $64.7 billion in federal spending that it receives annually, including the loss of: $518 million in federal highway funds, $411 million for interstate highway maintenance, $130 million in home energy assistance for the poor, $71 million in Homeland Security grants, $55 million in coordinated border infrastructure, and $97 million in federal adoption assistance. As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am particularly concerned over the impact of a government shutdown on operations and activities that protect and secure the homeland. For example, a shutdown would adversely affect the following: Law Enforcement and Other Training: Law enforcement training would cease, including that conducted through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Secret Service's J. Rowley Training Center. This would impact CBP, ICE, Secret Service, and the Federal Air Marshal Service, and would delay their ability to bring new hires into operational service. TSA would also not be able to conduct training for screeners, Behavior Detection Officers, or canine units. Frontline Personnel Hardships: The majority of workforces in Custom and Border Protection's (CBP) Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement efforts, Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) aviation passenger screening, and the Coast Guard, who are heavily reliant upon receiving biweekly paychecks, would not be paid biweekly during a federal funding hiatus. Grant Programs for State and Local Preparedness: All DHS and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel working on grants programs would be furloughed, ceasing any further activity intended to help build State and local resiliency. Should a federal funding hiatus be prolonged, State and local communities may have to eliminate jobs that are dependent upon grants funding. Further activity under the Securing the Cities program would be suspended. In addition, a government shutdown will hurt children, seniors, working families, and the economically vulnerable: Military Readiness: In Texas, approximately 52,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $274.8 million in total. Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and Prosecution: Funding will be halted to Texas on an annualized portion of the $1,103,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness initiatives. Vaccines for Children: In Texas around 9,730 fewer children will not receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, and hepatitis B due to reduced funding for personnel who administer programs that provide funding for vaccinations. Nutrition Assistance for Seniors: Texas would lose approximately $3,557,000 in funds that make it possible to provide meals for seniors. For these reasons, instead of wasting time on piece-meal CRs like the one before us which have no chance of becoming law, we should be working to pass H.J. Res. 59 as amended by the Senate. That is the best way to keep faith with all persons who serve the American people as employees of the Federal Government, and those who depend upon the services they provide.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I just met some of my constituents who had been to a wedding and decided to drive to their Capital, the Capital of the United States of America. It was good to see them, good to welcome them, good to see their smiling faces and their faith in this Nation. I think it is important to lay out the real facts, for some of us who had the honor of serving in this House and have seen the previous shutdown for the debate over the last 72 hours might give the impression that in actuality there has been no attempt at compromise by the Democrats or by the President of the United States. Let me disabuse you of those horrible myths. First of all, there are many Democrats who voted for an ugly term by the name of ``sequester,'' which means that it was a ``compromise'' to Republicans to not shut down the government 2 years ago, to take an ugly number that has hurt families across America, that has closed Head Start seats, that has underfunded major infrastructure projects when cities and counties across America in States have been crying out and begging for the fixing of the national highway system long overdue, airports long overdue. But we accepted this ugly word called ``sequester'' because the original team of Members again could not find a compromise-- Republicans and Democrats--because, again, Republicans were listening to the far right voices and did not want the government to operate, simply did not want a Federal Government. So the American people should know that, right now, we are operating under sequester--our staffs are furloughed; we are operating with shortened staffs when lines of cases are in our offices; our staffs are being penalized, and their jobs are to serve the American people, to answer those phones--the desperate calls from around the world of constituents who are stranded, of families who need help for their soldier sons and daughters or husbands and wives, or of seniors who need to be helped or to be straightened out in the confusion of the Medicare and Social Security system sometimes. That is the work that we do. We make the government work. But yet, right now, we are operating under furloughs. The government, itself, is operating under furloughs, and that's an ugly term for some people. ``Well, let the government fall.'' I don't view it as a government; I view it as people. So, last night, it looked as if there were no compromise, but you have to understand that the last ditch effort of the Republican Conference was a save face, knowing full well that they had every opportunity to stop the shutting down of the government by supporting something called a ``CR.'' There are all of these acronyms. So, for our constituents who ask, ``What is that? What the heck is it?'' it simply means we would keep the doors open until November 15, and reasonable men and women--reasonable minds, constituents--could have input, and discussions could be entered into about what are the pros and cons of running this government, about what is the value of the government, about how do we meet the Founding Fathers' values and the Constitution that said, We formed this Union to make it more perfect so that all men--and women, I might add--would have the right for the great values of this Nation. But each time over the weekend, there was one obstacle after another. One Republican Member put up a silly amendment about denying women preventative health care when dealing with their gynecological health needs. I think it is important to be able to know the truth. They say that the truth will set you free, and the truth is that we now have a sense of rebels who really don't have a cause, because the cause should be the American people. I note that, in my own community, a base of services of the National Guard was shut down immediately at midnight last evening, or early this morning. These are the consequences--veteran service centers, Mr. Speaker, senior citizens not getting Medicare processed. So you have an opening, my friends, and the opening and the solution are to have a CR until November 15. Then we can address the needs of the American people. We are looking for solutions and are prepared to work for the American people right now. Mr. Speaker, put it on the floor of the House, and let us vote.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Good news, Mr. Speaker; today is October 1, and health care in America is now available for all Americans. Last night between 1 and 2:30 in the morning, after leaving this floor with a degree of disappointment, we went to the Web site. We took a picture. We saw how extensive and detailed the Web site was for Americans to enroll for preventative care, to be able to ensure that seniors don't have to pay high costs for prescription drugs, to make sure that young people, strong young people who believe that the world is theirs can be on this Web site. It was exciting, because as we logged on, it said, We are loaded. There are so many people trying to get on to be able to access America's health care. And you know what, we have the ability to debate the health care issue while Americans are continuing to access it. And we can pass a clean continuing resolution. That's a good plan. We understand there's disagreement. I respect my good friends. But America is excited today. Not only is it my brother Michael's birthday, but it is also the day for good health care in America. Enroll. The marketplace is open. That's what America is all about.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Thank you so very much. I wanted to make sure it wasn't 5 minutes. Let me thank the gentleman again from California. I want to thank him overall for a litany of causes and legislative efforts that I've joined him on--Make It In America and a number of others. I am so glad that he has come to the floor today to be able to recount for the American people just what we have gone through. I want to start where he started because I've heard a number of my colleagues who are here on the floor--Congressman Honda, Congresswoman Kaptur--speak eloquently about their work on the Appropriations Committee and of the wall--the mountain--that they had to climb with a compromise that many Democrats voted for and that the President signed, which was the sequestration that was created to avoid a shutdown some years ago. The numbers were so odious that it was thought that we would bring the Republicans to the table in a consensus group. I'd hoped the American people would recognize that they would be surprised to find out that those odious numbers were not even enough, that it didn't bring them to the table. In fact, what it did is cause them to hunker down--to want more cuts, more damage to the American people--which is where we find ourselves today. Without the shutdown that we are in now, that sequestration, itself, which is what Democrats were trying to work toward to avoid this deepening impact, was going to lose a million jobs, but we could not seemingly bridge that gap of understanding with House Republicans and, particularly, with the right-wing component. Over the weekend, by the way, one Minnesota Member of Congress and former Presidential candidate indicated that she was smiling. They got just what they wanted. So, if the gentleman would continue to yield, I am glad to be able to say these points just for a moment. That was a moment of compromise--that was a moment of holding one's nose--because we were doing it for the good of the whole. It was for the greater good, for the good of the whole. We come now to another moment of crisis. Someone asked me: What is the plan? The answer is right before us, and that is a clean CR. Let me explain. It is not a clean CR to take us into 2014 and 2015. My friends, it is only until November 15 so we can have cooler heads, and we can reconcile with Senate Majority Leader Reid--who was offered this compromise, this peace offering--and with the President and sit down even before Thanksgiving and get a budget for all of the running of the government and an appropriations process to allow that to happen. Now let me quickly go to the three bills that we had and just say these things. National parks. I want to say directly to the Bellaire teacher--and her name is Ann Linsley-Kennedy--that we are going to work as hard as we can to get those parks open, and I will tell you the answer. The answer is for the Republican House to vote on a clean CR, and you will be able to go to the park with the Bellaire students. I am going to be calling you tonight, Ms. Linsley-Kennedy, to let you know how hard Democrats are working to encourage our Republicans to just vote on that clean CR, and your youngsters will be able to be headed to Yellowstone on October 4. The other point is that I want to tell Patrick Smith, a disabled veteran who called my office: thank you for your service. The reason I voted down and joined my colleagues against this piecemeal veterans' bill, Patrick, is that the numbers were so insulting to your willingness to pay the ultimate on the battlefield. It was $6 billion less. It wasn't going to help reduce the claims or get your benefits. Those benefits are going to be running now for a couple of weeks, but I will tell you, Patrick, on the floor of the House: I promise you that we will not have this ridiculous treatment of our veterans, but we are going to do something that is meaningful, not what was done on the floor of the House today. Finally, let me say to my colleague Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton--again, using the plight of the people of the District of Columbia--that you are deserving of the respect of using your own $8 billion, and the Republicans know full well that all they have to do is to vote for a clean CR to be able to ensure that this independent area--the Capital of the United States, whose Member does not have a vote--is able to do this. Congressman, today is October 1. Again, I want to wish my brother, Michael Jackson, a birthday wish. I hope you had a great day, but you had an historic day. October 1 is ``get covered.'' That means that, with all of the noise about ObamaCare--about the bill--it is the law. I want to announce on the floor today that we are told that millions of people have gotten on this Web site--hear my words: HealthCare.gov-- 2 million or so in New York, California and all throughout the Nation. When I went to my office in the early morning hours of last evening or what was yesterday--at 1 or 2 in the morning--we turned on HealthCare.gov, and I want you to know that the system said it was overwhelmed, not because of inadequacy but because people were pressing to be able to have good health care. They needed it. These are people with issues and preexisting conditions--people who are suffering from sickle cell and people with diabetes and others. They were saying, thank God. There is one less spina bifida. One woman was 18 years old, and her family was told, You are off of the insurance. God knows she is going to be able to be covered. So I want to thank you for doing that. I am closing on a number of 3,000. These are 3,000 children in Houston who are on the waiting list for Head Start because of sequester and the government shutdown. I end on that note because we have talked about the disabled and disease, and we have talked about the District of Columbia and about going to a park, but who cares about the children--3,000? How many are across the Nation who can't get Head Start or who can't get food stamps because this body decided to vote $40 billion out? I look forward to continuing this discussion, but more importantly, I want to thank you for recognizing that the way to the golden arch is through decency and compromise and sensible reconciliation. Vote on a clean CR, and we will get to the next step, which is to work to make sure this government stays open and that the American people are our first priority.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Out of 60 minutes? Is that what you're saying?

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Let me thank the distinguished gentleman from California for his leadership. If I might inquire of the Speaker again, you said the time was--how much time? I'm sorry.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the Continuing Resolutions to re-open our National Parks. Today, 368 national park sites were closed and we now see that the majority has noticed. Mr. Speaker, Texas is graced with 20 Federal Parks that include Big Bend National Park, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Amistad National Recreation Area, Big Thicket National Preserve; Chamizal National Memorial; Fort Davis National Historic Site; Guadalupe Mountains National Park; Lake Meredith National Recreation Area; Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park; Padre Island National Seashore; Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site; Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River; and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park are all closed during the shutdown. Texas also has national Forests and grasslands: Angelina National Forest; Davy Crockett National Forest; Sabine National Forest; Sam Houston National Forest; Caddo and Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) National Grasslands; Black Kettle and McClellan Creek Grasslands; Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands. All of them are closed today because of the reckless behavior of the majority in the House of Representatives. Perhaps this is the day that members of the majority of the House of Representatives received their first education directly from constituents about our nation's national parks and how much our parks are love and appreciated. Federal parks also contribute to the local economies where they are found and create tens of thousands of tourist related jobs. Because they are closed today those jobs are at risk as well as the incomes of the Park Rangers who are stewards of our nation's most precious treasures. The House should take up the clean Senate Continuing Resolution to fund the entire government. If we only fund what the House majority wants then they will have no need to worry about funding the parts of the government that they do not like, which includes the Departments of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Labor, the Social Security Administration, the Internal Review Service, the Department of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency just to name a few. Mr. Speaker, negotiations are a part of life. We negotiate agreements everyday--with our spouses, children, and friends. We negotiate for commercial exchanges, and for most people they negotiate over matters related to work. From what we have learned from the majority is if they get what they want then they will leave everyone else behind. They do not see the nation at large, but as a small place with small minded people. They are wrong. The United States is a very large place with great minded people with big hearts, who do not believe in leaving others behind. We have seen the majority's attacks against the poor in the form of legislation that would undermine programs to feed the poor--the most recent was a bill to cut $40 billion from the nation's food safety net programs under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs. SNAP benefits the working poor which include those who earn 130% of the federal poverty guideline, but the majority of households have income well below the maximum: 83% of SNAP households have gross income at or below 100% of the poverty guideline this translates into incomes of $19,530 for a family of 3 in 2013. These households receive about 91% of all benefits. These are the people who we know the majority will leave behind if we allow a piece meal approach to managing the CR process. The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of the federal government are paid and that important things like our parks are open and our children are feed. Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on reopening the government as soon as possible. Texas will soon begin experiencing the impact of cutbacks in the $64.7 billion in federal spending that it receives annually, including the loss of: $518 million in federal highway funds; $411 million for interstate highway maintenance; $130 million in home energy assistance for the poor; $71 million, in Homeland Security grants; $55 million in coordinated border infrastructtire and $97 million in federal doption assistance; For these reasons, we cannot wait for the majority to discover all of the reasons why we have a federal government or the importance and purpose of each agency. We have to pass a clean CR as soon as possible.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the House Republicans' piecemeal Continuing Resolution to fund the District of Columbia Government during the shutdown they inflicted yesterday on our Nation. This body would do the District of Columbia a great service by allowing its esteemed and very knowledgeable Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton a vote in this chamber. Mr. Speaker, the District of Columbia had an estimated population of 632,323 in 2012. The state of Wyoming with 2 Senators and a voting member of the House of Representatives had a population of 576,412 in 2012. It is the 24th most populous place in the United States. The Washington Metropolitan Area, of which the District is a part, has a population of 5.7 million, the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the country. Perhaps this is the day that members of the majority decided they wanted to do a little something for people they could see every day of the legislative work week. But our job is to look out for the interest of everyone in the Nation--those we can see as well as the hundreds of millions who we cannot see. Urban areas around the Nation need exactly, or perhaps in some cases more than, the assistance we would be providing to the District of Columbia though this CR, but they will not be helped unless we pass the Senate's Clean CR. The House should take up the clean Senate Continuing Resolution to fund the entire government. If we only fund what the House majority wants then they will have no need to worry about funding the parts of the government that they do not like, which includes the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Labor, the Social Security Administration, the Internal Review Service, the Department of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency just to name a few. Mr. Speaker, negotiation requires honest compromise and knowing what not to ask the other party to give up. The majority knows that the Affordable Care Act is non-negotiable for the President, the Senate, or the overwhelming majority of Americans who supported it in the past and who are supporting it today by joining the Healthcare Marketplace health plans. The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of the Federal Government are paid and that important things like our parks are open and our children are fed. Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on reopening the government as soon as possible.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the gentlelady. Mr. Speaker, let me disabuse my friends of any myth. Right now, the Republicans have shut the government down. SOS message from Texas: we are a diverse State with different opinions. One that says, with so many people that need health insurance, we like ObamaCare. But another SOS message: Ellington Field right now is shut down. The towers in Ellington Field in Texas are shut down. Why? Because the Republicans are on the floor of the House with a phony procedural vote that is not going anywhere, and the government is shut down. Hundreds of thousands of Federal employees, shut down. The SBA with no loans, shut down. Projects to improve our transportation, shut down. Federal economic reports and businesses, shut down. Workers in region 6 offices in the State of Texas, shut down. They will not be able to go to work tomorrow. I only hope that we will have a moment of reconciliation and common sense to speak on behalf of the American people. Please know that Texas recognizes that the American people are important. I don't want a government shutdown. I want a vote on a clean continuing resolution now. Texas believes in the best for America, not special interests.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the family of a very, very dear friend who lost her life a week ago, Dr. Cecile Harrison, a professor at Texas Southern University with a Ph.D. in sociology and a heart as large as the world can imagine. She was a professor's professor; a teacher's teacher; she was a mentor to students; and, yes, she loved politics and the process of government. What I was so grateful for, because it is often not done, is she taught young people the value of this great Nation, the three branches of government, the constitutional interaction given by the Constitution of the United States, and the respect for the three branches of government. She taught students to love the idea of political participation without personal gain. I was delighted to see her involve herself in campaigns all over the State and in our community, but most importantly, a friend to the Honorable Barbara Jordan and an initial campaign manager for her. A Wheatley graduate. Dear Cecile, thank you for your sincerity. You are a great American. May God bless you and your family, and may you rest in peace.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the Continuing Resolution to fund the Federal. The Senate sent over a Continuing Resolution that would fund the government and included an agreement that the men and women of the armed services should receive their pay. Unfortunately, the House Rules Committee, which must review and establish a rule for all bills brought before the House has once again changed the Senate bill to require a 1 year delay in the personal mandate for the Affordable Care Act, but added another change that would remove a subsidy for members of Congress and their staff. What they fail to say is that Congress and Congressional staff are the only group in the nation that is required by the law to only get its healthcare through the Affordable Care Act Health Exchange Marketplace. Ecclesiastics says that ``To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: There is a purpose or reason for everything that happens, be it called good or be it called bad, by whomever perceives it as such. No matter, there is a time and place for everything.'' The men and women of this Congress know that the time and season for making decisions regarding the budget of our Nation ends at midnight tonight--Monday, September 30, 2013. The season for making decisions about funding the government began in January of this year, stretched on through the Spring, and was with us during the Summer now the end is upon us. The majority of this body has not been able to organize themselves to do--or consider anything during the season for budget drafting and appropriations' legislation except to attempt to end the Affordable Care Act. The members of the United States House of Representatives know the rules for the legislative budgetary process very well, but for the benefit of the millions of people who are watching this debate or listening to it--you might find it helpful to understand why there is so much dissention. I would like to give you a brief outline of the work we are supposed to do on your behalf regarding funding the government: The Congress is to: Pass a budget that is agreed to by both the House and the Senate; Pass 12 appropriations bills that do not exceed the agreed upon budget to fund the entire Federal Government for the next fiscal year; Complete the appropriations bills with both the House and the Senate agreeing to the language of each before and agreed to by both the House and the Senate and sent to the President's desk for signature; and rarely use Continuing Resolutions when Congress fails to complete all 12 bills before the fiscal year ends to ensure that the business of the Federal Government continues uninterrupted. For most Americans this may mean very little because it is a Congressional administrative function that often used to help fund a few appropriations measures that may not be completed before the end of calendar year, which is midnight, Monday, September 30, 2013. This year the use of the Continuing Resolution is different because we have not completed work on a budget bill nor have we completed work on any appropriations bill--not even the Defense Department's Appropriations legislation. The House and the Senate have found agreement that a Continuing Resolution for the next Fiscal Year that will begin at 12:01 Tuesday, October 1, 2013 should provide that the Armed Forces who risk their lives to protect our freedoms deserve the support and resources needed to perform their duties, and that includes being paid in full and on time so they can provide for their families and loved ones. Mr. Speaker, it would not be necessary to have to devote the considerable amount of time needed to debate and pass this legislation in the House and Senate and present it to the President if the House would simply pass the clean continuing resolution passed yesterday by the Senate. The CR approved by the Senate funds the government and avoids a shutdown. President Obama has stated that he will sign it into law. The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of the federal government are paid for the valuable and important service they provide to our nation. Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on avoiding a shutdown, which helps no one and hurts our economy. Those of who were serving in this body 17 years ago remember the harm caused when the Republicans shut down the government on two different occasions, which directly cost taxpayers $1.4 billion. That is $2.1 billion in today's dollars. The last time Republicans engineered a shut down of the government: 368 national park sites were closed. 200,000 applications for passports went unprocessed. $3.7 billion of $18 billion in local contracts went unpaid. My state of Texas would be hit very hard and suffer unnecessarily if a government shut down is not prevented. Within days Texas would begin experiencing the impact of cutbacks in the $64.7 billion in federal spending that it receives annually, including the loss of: $518 million in federal highway funds, $411 million for interstate highway maintenance, $130 million in home energy assistance for the poor, $71 million in Homeland Security grants, $55 million in coordinated border infrastructure and $97 million in federal adoption assistance. As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am particularly concerned over the impact of a government shutdown on operations and activities that protect and secure the homeland Impacts of shutdown in Texas on homeland security. For example, a shutdown would adversely affect the following: Law Enforcement and Other Training: Law enforcement training would cease, including those conducted through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Secret Service's J. Rowley Training Center. This would impact CBP, ICE, Secret Service, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and would delay their ability to bring new hires into operational service. TSA would also not be able to conduct training for screeners, Behavior Detection Officers or canine units. Frontline Personnel Hardships: The majority of the workforces in Custom and Border Protection's (CBP) Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE) enforcement efforts, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) aviation passenger screening, and the Coast Guard, who are heavily reliant upon receiving biweekly paychecks, would not be paid biweekly during a federal funding hiatus Grant Programs for State and Local Preparedness: All DHS and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel working on grants programs would be furloughed, ceasing any further activity intended to help build state and local resiliency. Should a federal funding hiatus be prolonged, state and local communities may have to eliminate jobs that are dependent upon grants funding. Further activity under the Securing the Cities program would be suspended. In addition, a government shutdown will hurt children, seniors, working families, and the economically vulnerable: Military Readiness: In Texas, approximately 52,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $274.8 million in total. Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and Prosecution: Funding will be halted to Texas on an annualized portion of the $1,103,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness initiatives. Vaccines for Children: In Texas around 9,730 fewer children will not receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, and Hepatitis B due to reduced funding for personnel who administer programs that provide funding for vaccinations. Nutrition Assistance for Seniors: Texas would lose approximately $3,557,000 in funds that make it possible to provide meals for seniors. For these reasons, we should be working to pass H.J. Res. 59 as amended by the Senate. That is the best way to keep faith with all persons who serve the American people as employees of the Federal Government, and those who depend upon the services they provide.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, we are on the brink of a shutdown, a brink of sending this Nation over the cliff. Tonight, I speak to the American people and to my colleagues. We have a very simple task--a task of mercy and grace, a task of adulthood and recognition of our responsibility to keep this government open. I'd like to shun the party of Marie Antoinette and let them eat cake, or those who would say let's work and play while Rome is burning, or maybe even the former Republican Presidential candidate Bachmann, who says: We're smiling; we got just what we want, a shutdown of the government. I would like to shun that kind of attitude and ask my colleagues to join together in a simple task--to support the clean continuing resolution that would fund this government as we are obligated to do under the Constitution. We have the purse strings in the House, to make sure that the government works, to make sure that our women and children are served and our veterans are served, to make sure that our parks are open. So all we have to do is a simple task--to stop going over the top and be able to respond as Americans.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, many of us promised our constituents that we would come back here to Washington and fight for them. I imagine that there are some families in America right now holding an 8- year-old or a 10-year-old, maybe a teenager, with a preexisting disease. Maybe like the little girl that I heard about when we were debating the Affordable Care Act that had leukemia, and time after time after time she was rejected by insurance companies until she died. And so I asked the question earlier tonight: What is the morally right thing to do? And I want to announce what is going to happen tonight. Let us be very clear. Let us not be full of smoke and mirrors. Tonight, the Republican majority will vote to shut the government down. I'll say it again: they will vote to shut the government down. They will look that family in the eye, and they will say that they are delaying the Affordable Care Act--long approved. But they are actually destroying it and eliminating it. A delay is eliminating it. They will stop the American people on October 1 from getting premiums between $100 and $130. They will stop seniors from being able to have help with their prescription part D, their prescription drugs, choosing dog food over their prescription. They will stop preventative care. They will stop research for cancer and leukemia and heart disease and stroke. They will stop the preventative care nonpayments. And they will also stop those young families from being able to have insurance. Remember what I said: What is the morally right thing to do? Is it morally right to be able to provide for the American people health care that they've never had? Is it the morally right thing to shut down the government so that seniors trying to get Medicare benefits will not have anybody to process them, or Social Security, or the disabled, or downpayment for homes for young families? I came here to stand for the American people. Tonight you will witness the shutdown of the government. That is what the vote will be, a shutdown of this government.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 3210, the so-called ``Pay Our Troops Act,'' which is intended to ensure that our troops are paid in the event House Republicans succeed in shutting down the government. The men and women of the Armed Forces who risk their lives to protect our freedoms surely are deserving of the support and resources needed to perform their duties, and that includes being paid in full and on time so they can provide for their families and loved ones. Mr. Speaker, it would not be necessary to have to devote the considerable amount of time needed to debate and pass this legislation in the House and Senate and present it to the President if the House would simply pass the clean continuing resolution passed yesterday by the Senate. The CR approved by the Senate funds the government and avoids a shutdown. President Obama has stated that he will sign it into law. The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of the Federal Government are paid for the valuable and important service they provide to our Nation. Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on avoiding a shutdown, which helps no one and hurts our economy. Those of who were serving in this body 17 years ago remember the harm caused when the Republicans shut down the government on two different occasions, which directly cost taxpayers $1.4 billion. That is $2.1 billion in today's dollars. The last time Republicans engineered a shutdown of the government: 368 national park sites were closed; 200,000 applications for passports went unprocessed; $3.7 billion of $18 billion in local contracts went unpaid. My state of Texas would be hit very hard and suffer unnecessarily if a government shutdown is not prevented. Within days Texas would begin experiencing the impact of cutbacks in the $64.7 billion in Federal spending that it receives annually, including the loss of: $518 million in Federal highway funds, $411 million for interstate highway maintenance, $130 million in home energy assistance for the poor, $71 million in Homeland Security grants, $55 million in coordinated border infrastructure, and $97 million in Federal adoption assistance. As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am particularly concerned over the impact of a government shutdown on operations and activities that protect and secure the homeland Impacts of shutdown in Texas on homeland security. For example, a shutdown would adversely affect the following: Law Enforcement and Other Training: Law enforcement training would cease, including those conducted through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Secret Service's J. Rowley Training Center. This would impact CBP, ICE, Secret Service, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and would delay their ability to bring new hires into operational service. TSA would also not be able to conduct training for screeners, Behavior Detection Officers or canine units. Frontline Personnel Hardships: The majority of the workforces in Custom and Border Protection's (CBP) Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE) enforcement efforts, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) aviation passenger screening, and the Coast Guard, who are heavily reliant upon receiving biweekly paychecks, would not be paid biweekly during a Federal funding hiatus. Grant Programs for State and Local Preparedness: All DHS and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel working on grants programs would be furloughed, ceasing any further activity intended to help build state and local resiliency. Should a Federal funding hiatus be prolonged, state and local communities may have to eliminate jobs that are dependent upon grants funding. Further activity under the Securing the Cities program would be suspended. In addition, a government shutdown will hurt children, seniors, working families, and the economically vulnerable: Military Readiness: In Texas, approximately 52,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $274.8 million in total. Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and Prosecution: Funding will be halted to Texas on an annualized portion of the $1,103,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness initiatives. Vaccines for Children: In Texas around 9,730 fewer children will not receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, and Hepatitis B due to reduced funding for personnel who administer programs that provide funding for vaccinations. Nutrition Assistance for Seniors: Texas would lose approximately $3,557,000 in funds that make it possible to provide meals for seniors. For these reasons, we should be working to pass H.J. Res. 59 as amended by the Senate. That is the best way to keep faith with all persons who serve the American people as employees of the Federal Government, and those who depend upon the services they provide.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for the great work on an issue that so many of us have noted and advocated for over the years. As a former member of this committee during the time of the Democratic majority, I still continue to have a great sense of the importance of the work. Having traveled to a number of countries and engaged with our diplomatic staff and the State Department, let me put on the record the crucial work that our diplomatic corps--our diplomat staff, the staff at the State Department, the Secretary of State--does and is engaged in for the safety and security of the American people. Their work is vital. They are partners with the defense; but more importantly, they are partners for reconciliation and coming together. It is evident by their great work of where we are in Syria, along with the President, and of course, most recently, some of the outreach that has gone on with Iran. But my main point for speaking today is, having physically visited a number of the diplomatic sites in high-risk and high-threat posts, I am ecstatic about this legislation that provides a matrix, along with working groups for security measures and funding, along with the review of a diplomatic security, with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy, which, when I went to oversee the Algerian election, they were very much involved, as they are and as they were in Egypt, and as they were in many other places where there are difficult circumstances. And then of course to be able to enhance security for the diplomatic staff and security, to protect the civilian, but also the military. Our marines are very able, as those who are there at posts; they provide enhanced security for those particular posts.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. One of the things that I am most excited about--and I thank the author of the amendment--and that is the issue of best value for security. That is a crucial bipartisan agreement that makes common sense; that on the security of our men and women who leave these shores to be instruments of peace, diplomatic engagement, and be the face of the American people in very difficult posts--whether it's Iraq, Afghanistan, or whether it may be Egypt, whether it may be Pakistan, and other places beyond--that it is our duty to ensure that the posts that they are in have the highest level of security quality, both from technology and also from the physical bricks and mortar. So I rise today because I wanted to first acknowledge the valiant service of all of those who have served. I also want to make note of those who we have lost, who have served in the diplomatic corps in places far beyond our borders, and to thank them and thank those who serve in the State Department and who are serving as we speak; and the United States Marines, who across the world secure these very valiant public servants. I support the legislation.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the gentlelady from New York. Mr. Speaker, I would like to announce breaking news. Texas happens to be a very diverse State, and my good friend from Texas just stood up and made an absurd proclamation--absolutely absurd. In coming from a State where there are 6 million-plus uninsured individuals, he knows full well that tonight, when we vote to shut down the government, he will, in fact, also eliminate the Affordable Care Act, not delay it. What he will do is he will then tell those who have a preexisting disease that the law is delayed. He will tell children who need preventative care that the law is delayed. Further, he will tell our creditors that we are irresponsible as a country, and he will tell the American people, whose jobs depend upon the government operating, that you don't count. I don't want to live in a Nation where someone can say to the Nation and say to the people that you don't count. I have said it before, and I am saying it again: When we vote tonight, we will be voting to shut down the government. You will be voting to ignore the States and the responsibilities of this country in paying its debt. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment, which is another attempt to veer away from the responsibilities of running the country and into the ditch of selfishness and bitterness which is truly the realm of the un-Patriotic! I oppose this amendment because it puts an anchor on a clean continuing resolution which unnecessarily and perniciously weighs down the hopes and dreams of my constituents in Houston and the American people. It conditions the funding needed to avoid a government shutdown on a repeal of the excise tax on certain medical devices that helps defray the cost of the affordable, quality healthcare made available for the first time to millions of Americans by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). I oppose this rule because the amendment it makes ``in order'' to the ``clean'' continuing resolution passed yesterday by the Senate will, if approved, result in a shutdown of the government. Both President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Reid have it crystal clear that they will not accept any continuing resolution containing any provision to delay, defund, or weaken the Affordable Care Act. The ACA was carefully crafted so that it will not add to the budget deficit. To help pay for the expansion of health coverage to 27 million uninsured Americans, the ACA either reduces Medicare payments or increases taxes for a wide range of industries that will benefit from health reform, including hospitals, home health agencies, clinical laboratories, health insurance providers, drug companies, and manufacturers of medical devices. The concept of ``shared sacrifice'' is something that every American should embrace; and the medical device tax is part of that sacrifice in which we all share--a true embodiment of this sacred notion. A 2.3-percent excise tax is imposed on the sale of any taxable medical device by the manufacturer or importer of the device starting in 2013. Eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, or any other medical device that the public generally buys at retail for individual use are exempted. Sales for further manufacture or for export are also tax-exempt. Last year the House passed H.R. 436, which would have repealed the tax, and bills to repeal the tax have been introduced in both the House and Senate this year. Nobody likes higher taxes but--this tax was thoroughly debated--and let us be clear--it is not as if the medical device industry did not have its voice heard--and it is clear that they still have some influence since bills have been introduced to repeal. As the end of the fiscal year quickly approaches, the sad truth remains unchanged: the Speaker has surrendered the gavel to the tea party's desperate attempts to force a Republican government shutdown to put insurance companies back in charge of Americans' health care. Democrats have an alternative, introduced by my colleague, Mr. Van Hollen, to fund the government and end the devastating, across-the- board cuts of the sequester with a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases in order to reduce the deficit in a responsible way. I agree with President Obama that the full faith and credit of the United States is non-negotiable. The United States has been the worldwide standard bearer for many years and many other nations have been comfortable holding our paper, but now our preeminent financial status is in jeopardy. Mr. Speaker, you may recall that two years ago the Nation's credit rating was downgraded for the first time ever because of politicized negotiations and the initial failure to reach an agreement--and now we risk that and more because an odd lot of Members in this body and one, perhaps two in our bicameral twin, wish ill on the American people out of some misguided principle. Refusing to raise the debt ceiling poses a cataclysmic danger to the stability of our markets and the economic security of our middle class and complete devastation for the poor. As Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated last week: ``A government shutdown, and perhaps even more so a failure to raise the debt limit, could have very serious consequences for the financial markets and for the economy . . .'' Here are some of those consequences: Higher interest rates for mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and credit cards. Higher interest rates and less access to business loans needed to finance payrolls, build inventories, or invest in equipment & construction. Families' retirement savings in 401(k)s dropping as the stock market plummets. 3.4 million veterans not receiving disability benefits. 10 million Americans not receiving their Social Security check on time in just the first week. Drug reimbursements under Medicare stopping, and doctors and hospitals not getting paid. Mr. Speaker, let's get to work on behalf of the American people and pass a clean CR and raise the debt limit--now! The people expect nothing less, and time is of the essence. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Blackburn Amendment, which delays for one year any provision of the ACA that takes effect between October 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014. I oppose this amendment for several reasons. First, the amendment will lead to a government shutdown because it imposes a condition that House Republicans know the Senate and the President will not accept. Second, I oppose the amendment because it is bad for America and Americans. The proponents of the Blackburn Amendment claim the amendment only delays the imposition of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate for one year. They are wrong. In fact, the amendment delays the effectiveness of any provision that takes effect between October 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014. Thus, the amendment operates directly on the following benefits of the Affordable Care Act: 1. The ban on pre-existing condition discrimination for adults; 2. The ban on gender rating (charging women more than men for the same policy); 3. The 3:1 age rating, which limits the amount charged to older people for insurance; 4. The elimination of annual limits on healthcare costs; and 5. The availability of health insurance premium tax credits and other provisions that would save millions of middle class families hundreds of billions of dollars. Mr. Speaker, this marks the the 43rd time House Republicans have tried to repeal, defund, or delay the Affordable Care Act. To date the record is: ObamaCare--42, House Republicans--zero. Mr. Speaker, the Blackburn Amendment is misguided, ill-considered, and harmful to America, and especially my constituents in the 18th Congressional District of Texas. Specifically, the Blackburn Amendment would allow insurers to continue denying coverage to those with pre- existing conditions. Were this amendment to become law, up to 17 million children nationally, and 46,000 in my congressional district, could again be denied coverage by insurers due to a pre-existing conditions and it would allow insurers to continue discriminating against women and those with medical conditions in setting premiums. Were the Blackburn Amendment to become law, employers would be permitted to refuse to offer insurance that covers preventive services, including contraception for 50,000 women in my district, that they object to on any religious or moral grounds. Were the Blackburn Amendment to become law, it would take away tax credits and subsidies to help Americans purchase insurance which would adversely affect 446,800 persons in Harris County and more than 2.5 million persons in my home State of Texas. Were the Blackburn Amendment to become law, it would take away tax credits and subsidies to help Americans purchase insurance. This would adversely affect 153,000 persons in my district and 105 million Americans nationally. Were the Blackburn Amendment to become law, it would delay an increase in tax credits to help small businesses buy insurance for their employees. This provision has already helped 360,000 small businesses provide insurance to more than 2 million persons. Mr. Speaker, instead of debating amendments that have no chance of becoming law and will hurt Americans and our economy, let us work together on behalf of the American people and pass a clean CR and keep the government open to do the people's business. I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting against the Blackburn Amendment.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, we're here on a Saturday, and we're probably in the I-don't-believe-it crowd. It's not because we're here on a Saturday, but because the people's business must be done. I hope that the backdrop of the U.N. resolution that dealt with 15 countries that stood together to bind themselves against Syria's holding of chemical weapons may be an example for the coming together of this body. Something historic happened because people listened to each other. I hope that as we move towards some mode of peace, as we work to reconcile the terrible violence in Syria, the killing of Syrians, we first ensure that those chemical weapons do no harm to anyone in this world. I hope the Republicans can listen and understand that it is always the other person's interests that should be promoted and put first. That is to say, this Nation must fund itself and we must pay our bills. A good lesson, for once, from the United Nations. We all would do well to understand that we can work together.