Nita Lowey

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. A fifth CR--a fifth CR--while one party controls all levers of government, shows the Republicans' inability to govern. Even more upsetting is their refusal to put a bipartisan DREAMer bill on the House floor. While there are provisions in the Senate amendment that Democrats support, we implore our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to do what is right and to permit a vote on a bipartisan DREAMer bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Democratic leader.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Since President Trump's draconian FY 2018 budget was released last year, Democrats have warned Republicans that a bipartisan budget agreement was needed to adequately invest in American families and communities. Without a budget agreement, programs as diverse as Head Start, job training, and terrorism prevention grants are in danger of inadequate funding, at best. Instead of engaging with Democrats to reach a budget agreement, the majority is seeking to advance a full year of funding for only the Department of Defense, busting budget caps, while punting every other Federal service and investment to an uncertain future. Mr. Speaker, the most powerful country in the world now being completely run by a Republican government can't keep the lights on more than weeks at a time. How did we get here? Democrats will not go along with any plan that neglects critical national security and domestic needs. If this bill were to become law, the majority would have no workable plan to make the investments that are necessary for priorities, including biomedical research, infrastructure projects, Pell Grants, homeland security, assistance for local communities, veterans health, opioid funding, job training, the FBI, and other Federal law enforcement and more. This is not a serious bill. We know that it will be quickly rejected by the Senate. It is the furthest possible cry from regular order that the majority so frequently discusses yet rarely follows. It is nothing more than a political ploy that will place us on the brink of another shutdown. It is well past time to increase budget caps and enact responsible spending bills. The majority displays a lack of urgency regarding reaching a budget agreement and enacting appropriations law, choosing instead to advance partisan measures that fail to lift unmanageable budget caps for both defense and nondefense. Republicans must abandon these partisan short-term bills and work with Democrats to fund the entirety of government for the remainder of the fiscal year to serve the American people. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the ranking member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Connecticut an additional 1 minute.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is the latest example of Republicans being completely incapable of governing. We must finish our work. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), who is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from California an additional 1 minute.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), who is the ranking member of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

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

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

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

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to say a few words about the retirement of my chairman, Rodney Frelinghuysen. Chairman Frelinghuysen has carried out his responsibilities with fairness and earnestness, and it has been such a pleasure to serve as ranking member during his chairmanship. I look forward, however, to working together for the remainder of this year on our shared goal: bipartisan and responsible full-year funding for all discretionary investments. Today, we are considering the FY 2018 Defense Appropriations bill for the third time, a time-wasting consequence of an agreement between the Speaker and rightwing Republicans--the third time. Last week, Republican leadership kicked the can down the road and passed yet another continuing resolution delaying investments in our military, education, infrastructure, biomedical research, and so much more. Yet again, the bill before us removes Congresswoman Barbara Lee's amendment to debate a new Authorization for Use of Military Force which received bipartisan support in the Appropriations Committee markup. This undemocratic maneuver, which the majority has repeated once again, is outrageous. In addition to the many procedural inequities, the majority's effort to increase defense spending is a mirage because the bill would turn off sequestration for defense in FY18, allowing Republicans to violate the spirit of our budget laws and increase defense spending while ignoring other investments that grow our economy, create jobs, and further provide for our security. This is hardly about fiscal responsibility. If it were, the majority would eliminate the seven slush funds in this bill that equals $28.6 billion for a department that would receive far more than it requested. Four months into the fiscal year, the Federal Government is irresponsibly operating on the fourth continuing resolution. We do not have an agreement on top-line spending numbers, let alone an omnibus spending package ready when the current CR runs out next week on February 8. So, my friends, this is not the time to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. On the contrary, we should be settling down and working together to pass spending bills for FY18. If the majority were serious about funding our military, then they would move forward toward a full-year, bipartisan omnibus that could pass both Chambers. Instead, they continue to show their inability to govern by leading us down a path that will require another CR that is detrimental to our men and women in uniform. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the well-informed ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Since President Trump's draconian budget was released, Democrats have warned Republicans that a bipartisan budget agreement was needed to adequately invest in American families and communities. Without a budget agreement, programs as diverse as Head Start, job training, and terrorism prevention grants are in danger of inadequate funding at best, yet Republican leadership and the White House have no appropriations strategy other than endless continuing resolutions. Mr. Speaker, the most powerful country in the world now being completely run by a Republican government can't keep the lights on longer than 4 weeks at a time. How did we get here? If this bill passes, is there any reason to believe we will not be back in the same place next month? Stumbling from one crisis to another is an irresponsible way to govern. Attempting to avoid a shutdown every month denies Federal agencies budget certainty and wastes taxpayer dollars. Several of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have lamented the damage that the CRs inflict on our military. I agree with them, yet time after time, they vote for the exact same strategy they bemoan. I encourage my colleagues to take action; hasten agreements on immigration and spending caps that would lead to responsible funding bills that keep Americans safe. It is also unconscionable that, instead of helping advance a solution to this impasse, the President personally reneged on his word and rejected a bipartisan compromise on immigration. Protection of American teens and young adults from impending deportation to a country they don't know is the key to unlocking a responsible, bipartisan spending agreement. How can we expect to ever fund the government responsibly when the President cannot be trusted to keep his word? The majority has failed to address a number of high-priority items, like funding to combat the opioid epidemic, pension protections, and funding for community health centers. The continuing resolution lacks an important anomaly requested by the administration to provide additional disaster loans for the Small Business Administration while the disaster supplemental is stalled in the Senate. Without this language, the Small Business Administration will run out of funds by the end of January and will be unable to continue approving loan applications from Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, this is not how the appropriations process is supposed to work. It is time to protect young Americans, lift budget caps, and allow Chairman Frelinghuysen and all of our committee members to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Instead of wasting dollars on time, on further CRs, we should, instead, immediately pass a budget agreement and help DREAMers, which would facilitate full-year funding bills the committee could begin writing today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland.

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

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the ranking member of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee.

Mrs. LOWEY. I yield the gentlewoman from Ohio an additional 30 seconds.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the ranking member of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), who is the ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.