Nita Lowey

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), a distinguished ranking member on the Appropriations Committee.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mrs. LOWEY. I just want to thank my friend, the gentleman, Mr. Kingston, for making a good case for the Affordable Care Act. You want to turn it back over to the insurance companies who are raising these rates in your district and my district. I'm very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), the distinguished ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished whip from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Mrs. LOWEY. I yield an additional minute to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mrs. LOWEY. I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), the distinguished ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee. (Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews), the distinguished leader of the Steering and Policy Committee of the House of Representatives. (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison).

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman).

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal). (Mr. NEAL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel).

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

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

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman).

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, my friend, Mr. Rogers, and I have been trying to pass a bill that would reflect the needs of the people of the United States of America. My friends know that this bill is delusionary. It just reflects the dysfunction of my friends on the other side of the aisle. To allow the extreme wing of the Republican Party to control this debate does not make sense at all. The truth is we are 2 days away from a shutdown. My friends know that this bill is not going to be accepted by the Senate. They sent over a bill that we could have all passed, sit down and work together, and keep this government from shutting down. The dysfunction that is occurring because of the Republican wing of the party does not make sense to me at all. You're bowing to the extremists, the Tea Party, who really don't want to see this process move forward. We know that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. We know it's been affirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States. Let's move on. Let's not waste time. People are out of work. Children are not getting what they need in school. The National Institutes of Health are not getting the resources that they need. Let's stop this game. Let's stop the dysfunction. Let's stop playing games. This is the reality. Let's work together and pass a bill, a continuing resolution, and then I'm sure Chairman Rogers and I could pass an omnibus bill with the Senate to move forward with the work that we are elected to accomplish. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, it is 48 hours, 30 minutes before the Republicans plan to shut down this government. Of course, there will be bipartisan support for this bill. However, this bill to continue funding the military is a farce. The bill claims to support the troops, but fails to provide the materiel essential to support forces and maintain the readiness of our deployed forces. In FY 2014, the administration requested funds for operation and maintenance and procurement accounts that provide supplies, maintenance, ammunition, and equipment needed for the troops. The bill by the majority to fund the troops would not provide this materiel to support the troops. So, again, I say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Aren't we embarrassed to be part of this dysfunctional Congress, with all the work that must be done in our districts back home? We should begin to work together, not just say that it's inevitable that we're going to close the government down. Let's do it. We can do it. And do it now.

Mrs. LOWEY

Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I will oppose this continuing resolution. On September 10, Chairman Rogers introduced the CR, and his statement noted, ``This bill is free of controversial riders and does not seek to change existing Federal policy.'' How things have changed. Unfortunately, this new package will attach not one, but two politically motivated, ill-conceived, doomed provisions. One directs the President to pay certain debts but not others in case House Republicans are determined to default on America's obligations. The other would defund the Affordable Care Act. Defunding the Affordable Care Act has far-reaching consequences for all Americans. If the House CR is enacted, no funds could be used to administer payments calculated on the basis of ACA provisions. Patients, doctors, hospitals, medical suppliers, and other health providers would all experience significant disruptions. Many of the improvements to Medicare made by the ACA would also have to be suspended, such as better coverage for preventive services, lower costs for drug benefits, and stronger tools to combat health care fraud. Most importantly, undermining the implementation of the ACA only gives our medical choices back to the insurance companies and keeps health insurance costs much too high for too many families. The House Republican default plan is flawed as well. The majority proposes that if they force default on Federal debt, the U.S. should prioritize payments to Treasury bondholders, of which 47 percent are foreign owned. So while we pay back China, the following Americans would be pushed to the back of the line: 1.4 million Active Duty troops; 780,000 troops in reserves; 3.4 million disabled veterans who served their country with honor; 1.1 million doctors and others who provide health care to seniors with Medicare; 32 million children in schools that need payments to continue serving nutritious lunches; 44,000 National Institutes of Health grantees conducting lifesaving medical research and providing an estimated 500,000 jobs. We, my colleagues, should be focused on jobs, putting people to work. Instead, the Republicans want to play games of brinksmanship on the budget and the debt limit, even though the foreseeable consequence will be plummeting stock markets and businesses freezing their hiring. The Republican budget plan itself shortchanges American jobs and infrastructure, results in education and defense layoffs, closes Head Start and after-school programs, and divests in health research; and the sequester, CBO tells us, will cost the United States economy up to 1.6 million jobs over the next year. I hope, at some point, we are able to agree on a bipartisan CR that can be enacted. The one before us, unfortunately, is not it. Unfortunately, we'll be back here again next week facing the same crisis. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee. (Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

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