Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham), who is the head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Torres) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Carbajal) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I have nothing but the highest respect for my colleague from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), and I know he wants this House to run better. But the fact of the matter is, I feel bad that he has to defend this lousy, restrictive, indefensible process. As I said last night in the Rules Committee, regular order in this House is dead. The current Republican leadership has made it very clear that they have nothing but contempt for regular order, and today's appropriations package is only another example of that fact. Instead of considering bills one by one, and allowing thoughtful debate and Member input, Republican leaders decided to call up eight appropriation bills all at once this week, and even set amendment deadlines while Members were back in their districts for the August work period. Last night, in the Rules Committee, Republicans blocked 229 amendments from even coming to the floor on the four bills we are talking about today alone. Those are Democratic and Republican ideas that won't be heard and won't be debated. Who knows how many more they will block on the next set of appropriation bills? That is not the open process that we were promised by Speaker Ryan. That is not regular order, my friends. What is even worse than this terrible process is the substance of the bills that are being brought before us. They are filled with funding cuts and poison pill riders that attack women's health, attack poor people, attack healthcare rights; repeal important financial reforms that protect our constituents and our economy; undermine the Affordable Care Act; make our land, air, and water dirtier; make our roads less safe; and undermine important civil rights protections. I could go on and on and on and on. These bills are political documents, Mr. Speaker. They are red meat for the Republican base which, I think, is at around 15 percent of the American people the last time I checked. That is right, Mr. Speaker, the majority's ideas are so unpopular that over three-quarters of the American people disapprove of what they are doing here today. That is not coming from any liberal or leftwing source. That poll was released last week by FOX News, you know, the network that you guys always watch. We all know we will need a continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown on October 1, so why are we wasting the House's time on this partisan exercise when we should be dealing with the CR? And oh, yes, we need to raise the debt ceiling, pass a budget, continue to fund hurricane relief, and so much more we need to do. Mr. Speaker, I am sick and tired of playing to the extremes. I am sick and tired of this President picking a fight with a different group of people every week, constantly trying to divide Americans, rather than unite us for the common good. And the latest target are the DREAMers. The DREAMers are our coworkers, our relatives, our neighbors, and our children's classmates. They have lived nearly their entire lives in America. They are part of the very fabric of our country. The decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is a cruel betrayal of their trust in the United States. It needlessly and stupidly robs us of the enormous talents, hard work, and ingenuity of these 800,000 young people. Ending DACA is a lose-lose proposition for America and for us all. President Trump vowed to show great heart in his decision and declared that DREAMers could rest easy. That is a lie, and that is a betrayal. And shame on the Republican leadership of this House that has avoided making DACA a permanent program for nearly 7 years. Shame on the Republican Party for voting against the DREAM Act in 2010, even though it ultimately passed the House. Shame on the Republicans in the Senate for blocking cloture in 2010, when it was clear that there were plenty of votes to pass the DREAM Act then. Shame on the Republican leadership of this House for not making DACA a permanent law when President Obama first initiated the program in 2012. Shame on the House Republican leadership for failing to take up the Senate-passed comprehensive immigration bill for the past 4 years, which included DACA and a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship for the DREAMers and so many other immigrants caught in legal limbo in our country. Shame on the Republican leadership for being such political cowards that they have failed time and time again to actually demonstrate leadership and resolve these problems. 800,000 young people, who are totally American in every way that matters, put their trust in the United States Government and in us here in this Congress, not just to protect them, but to be proud of them. They have been cruelly betrayed. The memo issued yesterday by the Department of Homeland Security even says that they should be prepared to pack their bags and be deported to their countries of origin. But, Mr. Speaker, the simple truth is, America is their home. It is unconscionable that the President pardoned radical racist Sheriff Arpaio, who actually is a criminal, while punishing 800,000 law-abiding, hardworking DREAMers. I stand with the CEO of Microsoft and hundreds of other business leaders who said to the President: ``To deport a DREAMer, you'll have to go through us.'' I stand with the thousands of religious leaders, college and university presidents, mayors, State attorneys general, and civic leaders who demand that we reject the President's decision and have Congress pass the DREAM Act immediately. This Congress cannot and must not continue to fail these 800,000 young people. This morning, this House passed emergency aid for Hurricane Harvey. A DREAMer died in Houston attempting to rescue victims of the floodwaters. Another DREAMer, who is a Houston paramedic, and who worked night and day in rescue and relief efforts, just found out yesterday that his country, the only country he has ever known, has turned its back on him. Well, I refuse to turn my back. Mr. Speaker, we all know that the DREAMers need a permanent legislative fix. We can do that this very day. If we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up Representative Roybal-Allard's bipartisan, bicameral bill, the DREAM Act. It is time to do what is right. You know, earlier today, Speaker Ryan said: Well, we have time to work this out. Really? The Speaker seems totally content to have 800,000 people continue to live with uncertainty and fear. I think that that is sad and that is cruel. He also said: We need to develop some sort of compromise. I don't know what he is thinking about. Maybe he is thinking about trying to add more border security money or add this stupid wall that the President keeps on talking about. Well, here's the deal. There is nothing to compromise on. You either support the DREAMers or you don't. They are not political pawns. They are people like you and me and our kids. They deserve better from us. Stop screwing around with their lives. Defeat the previous question. We can pass the DREAM Act today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), my friend, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say to my good friend from Oklahoma, who I respect a great deal, that if he wants to defend this process, he can go right ahead and do so. But I think most people watching this, the fact that two-thirds of all discretionary Federal spending is going to be decided in, like, a week's time, I don't think is a good process, and I don't think it is one that the American people have much confidence in. I don't think it is reasonable to expect that any Member, really, has read all 1,305 pages of the eight bills that my friend is bringing to the floor, and I am not sure everybody has had time to read all the 970 amendments that were proposed--many of them that were not made in order by the Rules Committee. So this is not a process I think anybody wants to defend. The final point I want to make with regard to the President's decision on DACA, as the gentleman knows, this Congress and the previous Congresses could have acted on this any time they wanted to. When the Democrats were in control here in the House, we did. We passed the DREAM Act. Unfortunately, many of you wouldn't support it, but it actually passed the House, and we had Republican obstructionism in the Senate. Now, if you want a legislative fix, we have the solution for you. Vote ``no'' on the previous question, and we will bring up Ms. Roybal- Allard's bill to pass the DREAM Act. We will get this done today. We will actually have a day of consequence where we are doing something to help people in this country. So, Mr. Speaker, as I said, I am going to ask my colleagues to defeat the previous question. We will then offer Representative Roybal- Allard's bipartisan, bicameral bill, H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act. The legislation would help thousands of young people like the ones whose heroic stories my colleagues will highlight today and who are Americans in every way except on paper. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I also include in the Record a statement signed by over 1,300 Catholic educators who call on President Trump and his administration to save DACA and protect the DREAMers. [From Faith in Public Life, Ignatian Solidarity Network, and the Jesuits] Over 1,300 Catholic Educators Call on Trump Administration to Save DACA and Protect Dreamers Dear Gen. Kelly: As educators at Catholic institutions, we write to convey profound concern for our vulnerable immigrant students. In your new position as Chief of Staff, you are now one of the most prominent Catholics in the Administration. Your direct line to President Trump and recent experience as Secretary of Homeland Security provides an opportunity for you to be an influential champion for the children and youth who are the next generation of American leaders. We ask that you protect the dignity of our nation's immigrant youth by advocating for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program until Congress passes the Dream Act. We stand with our students who are DACA beneficiaries. Their perseverance, hard work and hopefulness is an example to us as teachers. We witness the obstacles they overcome each day as they pursue their dream of a better life for themselves and their families. In facing adversity and uncertainty with grace and hope, they embody the best of our schools, our country and the Catholic tradition. It is a moral and policy failure when our government targets children and young adults who simply aspire to live the American dream. Breaking up families and communities undermines the best values of our nation. Bishop Joe S. Vasquez, Chair of the Migration Committee at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Bishop of Austin, Texas, said recently in a statement. ``These young people entered the U.S. as children and know America as their only home. The dignity of every human being, particularly that of our children and youth, must be protected.'' We join Bishop Vasquez in urging you to uphold the DACA program. On several occasions, you have expressed that you would not make changes to DACA. We strongly encourage you to maintain DACA as an essential program for the well-being of young people and our communities. Please know we are praying that you use your power prudently and that we remain committed to constructive dialogue.