Nita Lowey

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I reiterate, the Democrats have said all year there must be a deal to raise spending caps in order to enact appropriation bills. Instead of heeding that advice, the majority is once again stumbling from crisis to crisis trying to fund the government 2 weeks at a time. Without a path forward to keep our country secure and make investments to grow our economy, we should immediately lift the caps on defense and nondefense spending. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my longtime friend and colleague, Maurice Hinchey, who passed away this month at the age of 79. A lifelong public servant, Congressman Hinchey was a steadfast champion for New York's Hudson Valley and never wavered in his commitment to the people he served, the communities he represented, and the causes in which he believed. Over his 20 years in the Congress, Congressman Hinchey helped shape the course of his environmental movement and record, and as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, he always put the Hudson Valley and New York State first, ensuring that our priorities were reflected in the Nation's spending policies and securing New Yorkers' fair share of Federal resources. Congressman Hinchey inspired and influenced not only a generation of public servants and community leaders, but also those of us who had the good fortune to serve alongside him in this body. We will miss him deeply. My thoughts are with Congressman Hinchey's wife, Ilene; his children, Michelle, Reese, and Josef; and the countless people in the Hudson Valley and beyond whose lives he enriched.

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the ranking member of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. (Ms. McCOLLUM asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Speaker, since Hurricane Harvey wrought historic flooding in Texas, 12 major disasters have been declared. From a hurricane that damaged large swaths of Florida, storms that annihilated Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and wildfires burning in the West, Americans deserve certainty the Federal Government will stand by them in their time of need. This is particularly important after the President threatened to abandon Puerto Rico in his latest Twitter this morning. Congress cannot turn its back on recovery, no matter how reckless the President's outburst may be, as Americans are suffering and simply trying to survive. This package provides critical disaster relief, flood insurance aid, and help for communities devastated by wildfires. Puerto Rico would be aided by provisions to address its liquidity crisis by facilitating recovery, not paying creditors, and providing additional nutrition assistance. Additionally, the bill would continue aid to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands from the Department of Defense. However, more must be done to provide medium- and long-term investments, including rebuilding ports, coastlines, airports, roads, bridges, repairing the electrical grid and other infrastructure, and ensuring the health needs of American citizens are met. I urge your support for this bill and your continued focus on ensuring the full recovery of American communities devastated by natural disasters. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano), the distinguished ranking member of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee. (Mr. SERRANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard), the ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the ranking member of the Military Construction, Veteran Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), the ranking member of the Small Business Committee.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the Democratic whip.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett), who I believe just returned.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Maxine Waters), the ranking member of the Committee on Financial Services.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here with my partner, our chairman, Mr. Frelinghuysen. I know that he understands, as we all do, this is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is our responsibility, to face the tremendous challenge that we see: people are suffering, schools are closed, more than three-quarters of the island does not have any energy, no clean water, need for food, need for basic services. I am very pleased to work with the chairman of the committee, Mr. Frelinghuysen, and I know that we will both be going to the island of Puerto Rico to actually see firsthand what has to be done, and it is clear it has to be done now. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chair, I thank Ranking Member Yarmuth for the time to speak in opposition to the Republican budget. As ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, I am really perplexed as to why the majority continues their assault on American excellence, following President Trump's lead and divesting from investments in American global leadership, science, and infrastructure. This budget would cut $5 billion for domestic and international investments, while violating the Budget Control Act for defense spending and triggering a $72 billion sequester of all defense accounts. My Republican colleagues might argue that slashing nondefense investments is necessary to reduce the debt, but this is a false choice. Why would the Republican majority give tax cuts to the very wealthiest if it means this country has to take a backseat to China in research and development or let our own workforce go without the training to fill 21st century jobs? We know there is a role for government where the private sector has left voids. Many in the private sector believe we should be investing more in basic research, STEM programs, and public transportation. This budget and the appropriations bills that enact this budget have fallen short in these areas. Given the budget is 6 months late and the appropriations process has actually moved before the budget, we do not have to guess the implications of the budget. We have seen what the Republicans would do under these draconian levels. Just look, Mr. Chairman, at the Labor, Health, and Education bill that passed the House last month. That bill eliminated entire job training programs like apprenticeship grants, cut the Pell grant surplus, and eliminated Supporting Effective Instruction State grants, a $2 billion investment that reduces class sizes and improves classroom instruction. This cut would cost 8,500 teachers their jobs. The transportation spending bill eliminated the Department of Transportation's major infrastructure grant program, TIGER, a direct contradiction to the President's promise to improve our Nation's infrastructure and which Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao confirms ``funds innovative projects that improve the safety of America's passengers and goods.'' Mr. Chairman, we can and should--we must--do better than this. I urge a ``no'' vote on the Republican budget.

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, first I would like to join my colleague in sending our thoughts and condolences to the DeLauro family. Ranking Member DeLauro's mother, Luisa, passed away this weekend at the age of 103. The family is together this week in New Haven, Connecticut. Luisa DeLauro was an inspiration to her daughter, Rosa, to the city of New Haven, and to us all. Luisa was the longest serving member of the New Haven Board of Aldermen in the city's history, serving 35 years. She set an example for women everywhere as she fought to ensure that women's voices were heard in the male-dominated arena of politics. As Rosa has said, her mother understood that politics was an avenue for change, a way to help people who were struggling, and she dedicated her service to issues involving seniors, the working poor, and her beloved neighborhood of Wooster Square, which she helped to designate as New Haven's first historic district. Luisa was a beloved local leader with an open-door policy, who developed friendships that lasted a lifetime, but she was also well known as a strong-willed fighter for issues she believed in, and it is clear that her dedication and fierce passion will live on in her daughter, our friend, Rosa. Even though Luisa DeLauro passed away at 103, for Rosa and her family, it still feels like she was taken too soon. My thoughts are with my good friend, Rosa DeLauro, and the entire DeLauro family. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee).

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.