Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Reclaiming my time, the Rules Committee will consider it today, and then we would vote on it tonight? Is that the plan?

Mr. McGOVERN. If I can reclaim my time, will that be in the next hour? Will that be today?

Mr. McGOVERN. Let me reclaim my time and repeat the question. The question is that the gentleman on a number of occasions referred to that the bill provides this for the American people and that for the American people when the bill before us is a martial law rule. We haven't seen the continuing resolution. When do we expect to see it? Are we voting on it today?

Mr. McGOVERN. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. McGOVERN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. McGOVERN. Is that 1 hour or 72 hours?

Mr. McGOVERN. Will you give me 1 hour, or 72 hours as was promised?

Mr. McGOVERN. My understanding was that one of the pledges of the new Republican majority was that we were going to have a 72-hour layover to be able to read the bill.

Mr. McGOVERN. If I could reclaim my time, I thought in the rules of the House it was 3 calendar days.

Mr. McGOVERN. I want to thank the gentleman from California, Chairman Dreier, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McGOVERN. Here we go again, Madam Speaker. Republicans are, once again, going back on their promises for a more open, more transparent House of Representatives--another martial law rule designed to fix problems of their own doing, another effort to break the rules just to fix their own mess. And it didn't have to be this way. For months, we've known that more disaster assistance was needed to address the aftermath of the tragedy in Joplin and, more recently, to address the damage caused by Irene as it made its way from North Carolina up the east coast into New England. Americans respond to natural disasters. That's what we do. We always have. We rise to the occasion when our neighbors are in need. The problem is when politicians start playing politics with people's lives, and that's where we find ourselves today. Yesterday, the Republican leadership brought a continuing resolution to the floor that not only provided less disaster assistance than that of the Senate, it also offset that funding by cutting a green jobs initiative. It's not enough that we've been in session 261 days without a single jobs proposal from the Republicans. With yesterday's continuing resolution, Republicans actually proposed cutting a jobs program just to make political points with their Tea Party base. Yesterday, Democrats said enough--enough to the job-killing Republican agenda, enough to the notion that fiscal austerity means turning our backs on people in need, enough to the ``my way or the highway'' attitude that seems to make up the ideology of the Republican leadership. Yesterday, 48 Republicans joined 182 Democrats in defeating the continuing resolution. According to Politico, it was ``an embarrassing setback.'' Yesterday, Republicans and Democrats said, Don't play games with the lives of Americans. It's almost as if the Republicans blame the victims of the hurricane and tornado for having the audacity to live in the paths of those natural disasters. So here we are again, forced to consider a martial law rule in an attempt to fix the problems that the Republicans, themselves, created, a martial law rule that not only waives the rules of the House but that also allows for the immediate consideration of a new continuing resolution. No time to read the bill, even though the Republicans started out the year by promising 72 hours to look at any legislation voted on in the House. No time to read the bill. No ability to amend the bill. So much for the new open Congress. It wasn't too long ago that my colleagues on the Rules Committee were touting the new open Congress. Look how far this new Republican House has fallen. Madam Speaker, it is disappointing that we're here today. It's disappointing that the Republicans are making a mockery of the legislative process. It's disappointing that they continue to choose politics over the American people. The American people deserve better than this. With that, Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN

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

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, today the Republican majority has made a mockery of both the process for and the content of this short-term continuing resolution. Over the past several weeks, wildfires, floods, tornados, and earthquakes have brought tragedy to so many Americans, and, as it always has, the United States Government is responding with vitally needed resources and support. The Senate has already passed a disaster relief bill twice as large as the package contained in this CR and with the appropriate emergency designation. But House Republican leaders have decided to cut the Senate amount in half and tie it to an ideologically driven offset that takes modern technology off the table for U.S. car and vehicle manufacturers and which could cost thousands of current and future jobs. And please don't tell me that it's all about balancing the budget and ending emergency spending that isn't paid for. The continuing resolution that we're debating today includes money to continue the misguided war in Afghanistan to the tune of $10 billion each month. None of it is paid for, not a penny. It's never been paid for. It's always been borrowed money that each week adds billions to the deficit. If my Republican friends believe we don't need to offset billions of dollars for war, then why are they demanding that we offset disaster aid for families who were flooded out by a hurricane or whose homes were burnt to the ground by a wildfire? Mr. Speaker, we've been in Afghanistan for 10 years. We know how much it costs. Its funding is as predictable as it gets, yet each and every year money for the war receives a so-called ``emergency'' designation, but responding to unpredictable natural disasters does not? It makes no sense. And if the Republican leadership has figured out a way to accurately predict the next tornado or earthquake, I would like to hear it. The American people are tired of the hypocrisy and tired of the Republican priorities that make it easier to invest overseas and nearly impossible to help people here at home. I urge my Republican friends to put the American people first. I urge my colleagues to oppose this closed rule and oppose the underlying bill.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Reverend Judith E. Wright, who is serving as the House guest chaplain today. For the past 9 years, Reverend Wright has served as the minister of the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Northborough, Massachusetts. During this time, Reverend Wright has played an integral role in our community, engaging her parishioners and encouraging their support for vital safety net programs in central Massachusetts. Under her leadership, the First Parish has directly supported many social action programs, including the Community Meals Program and Habitat for Humanity. As we continue to emerge from a damaging recession, it is more important than ever to encourage support for these organizations that assist our neighbors by helping to provide food for those who are hungry and shelter for those who are homeless. Reverend Wright's dedication to assisting the most vulnerable members of our community is laudable, and I am deeply inspired by her work to better the lives of the people of central Massachusetts. It is one of Reverend Wright's parishioners, Stephanie Sullivan, who first approached my office about the possibility of Reverend Wright serving as the guest chaplain. Stephanie's profound respect and admiration for the work of Reverend Wright motivated me to nominate her to serve as our guest chaplain today. I ask my colleagues to join me in welcoming Reverend Wright to the Chamber and in celebrating her lifetime of service.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Sutton), who believes that it is wrong for the Republicans to pass legislation to make it easier for U.S. corporations to ship U.S. jobs overseas.

Mr. McGOVERN. I yield myself an additional 30 seconds. Rather than bringing up a bill that makes it easier and more likely for U.S. corporations to send U.S. jobs overseas, they ought to be bringing to the floor the President's jobs bill that he talked about here in the United States Congress about putting people back to work. He came up with a series of bipartisan initiatives that will help stimulate and jump-start this economy. Rather than doing that, which will put people back to work, we're debating an anti-worker bill that's going to make it more likely that U.S. corporations will ship U.S. jobs overseas. It is wrong, and I would urge my Republican friends to stop your assault on American workers. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, let there be no mistake. The Republican bill creates open season for CEOs to punish workers for exercising their basic rights. My friends on the other side fight tooth and nail to protect all these corporate tax loopholes that actually encourage companies to move their jobs overseas. We can't touch them. They fight with passion on the floor to protect them. But when it comes to protecting American workers, they're AWOL. I don't know what it is that they have against American workers, but this bill undermines the rights of American workers to be able to stand up and ask for a decent wage for an honest day's work. It undermines their ability to ask for benefits like a good retirement benefit. This is about taking away rights and powers of workers. Granted, these workers don't give big PAC checks. They're not the leaders of the Fortune 500 companies. But these people are the backbone of our economy. We should be standing up for American workers in this Congress. We should be fighting to protect American jobs to keep them in the United States. This bill makes it easier, in fact, more likely that corporations and companies will retaliate against workers who stand up for their rights by sending their jobs overseas to places like China. Why in the world are we doing this? We should be trying to find a way to empower workers in this country. It shouldn't be about a race to the bottom. And it shouldn't be about States competing for existing jobs. This is a bad bill. This is a bad precedent. And quite frankly, again, it is typical of what the Republican agenda is all about when it comes to the economy. It's about a race to the bottom. It's about lowering the standard of living for American workers while protecting the big CEOs, the heads of the Fortune 500 companies. Their rights are always protected. But when it comes to the little guy, my Republican friends are on the opposite side. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I just want to clarify a few points. I would remind my friend from South Carolina that he and every single Republican in this House voted for the Republican line budget, which basically destroys Medicare as we know it, voucherizing the entire system. I also will remind him that it is his party's leading Presidential candidate right now who is advocating eliminating Social Security. And now we have a bill on the floor that my Republican friends are supporting that will make it easier and more likely that U.S. corporations will ship U.S. jobs overseas. Stop the assault on American workers. At this time I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch).

Mr. McGOVERN. I thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Scott) for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this yet another closed rule and in even stronger opposition to the underlying bill. The difference between the two parties could not be any clearer. While Democrats continue to push for legislation that will create American jobs, Republicans continue to attack American workers. After more than 250 days, the majority, House Republicans, have no jobs agenda, nothing. Instead, they have brought forth job-destroying legislation that could cost up to nearly 2 million jobs, and they have voted to end Medicare, cut Social Security and slash Medicaid. Today, sadly, is no different. Instead of bringing the American Jobs Act to the floor, the Republican leadership gives us H.R. 2587, the ``GOP Job Outsourcers' Bill of Rights.'' Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that my Republican colleagues detest the National Labor Relations Board. They have made that crystal clear in the past few months with their amendments to cut the NLRB's funding and undermine its authority. But today they have sunk to a new low. The bill before us guts the very fundamental rights of American workers to fight for better wages and working conditions, and it makes it easier for companies to outsource American jobs overseas. Not a single hearing was held on this bill, not one. No objective assessments were done by the GAO or the Congressional Research Service, not even any evaluation on the impact on wages or job security of the millions of American workers who will be touched by this legislation. If this is the Republicans' idea of a job-creation plan, they are even further off base than I thought. I would like to think that my Republican colleagues haven't thought through the wide-ranging repercussions of this bill. So let me take a moment to educate them. Companies in the United States are free to move their operations as they see fit, as long as it's not in retaliation for workers exercising their right to organize, to demand better benefits and safer working conditions, or to ensure a full day's pay for an honest day's work. And the plain fact is, if a company is allowed to retaliate against its workers simply for exercising their lawful rights, every worker in every other State, including South Carolina, will lose some of their fundamental rights. A year from now, if Boeing decides to move production from South Carolina to China, to retaliate against workers who try to organize a union, the NLRB would have no power to order those jobs to be kept or transferred back to the United States. For many American workers today, the NLRB's authority to restore or reinstate work that has been unlawfully transferred, outsourced, or subcontracted away from workers exercising their lawful rights is the only remedy they have to keep their jobs. By eliminating the power of the NLRB to order work be restored or reinstated, a CEO may simply eliminate the work and thereby the worker. That CEO may even explain to the workforce that he eliminated the work because it was pro-union. Even worse, H.R. 2587 would apply retroactively to any complaint that has not been resolved by the time of enactment, including the Boeing case. This is a terrible, terrible, terrible precedent. Congress has no business sticking its nose into an ongoing legal proceeding. We have no business changing the rules of the game in the middle of the game. Republicans have sent a clear message: if you aren't a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you shouldn't have any rights in the workplace. For the millions of hardworking middle class workers who are struggling to support their families and pay their bills, H.R. 2587 is a slap in the face. Democrats will not stand idly by as this Republican Congress tries to dismantle the rights of American workers. American workers have fought hard and earned these rights. They have sweated and bled and sometimes died to secure them. I am proud to stand with those workers and their families. I find it sad that this Republican leadership, a leadership that routinely fights to protect tax loopholes for corporations that shift jobs overseas, is now bringing this horrible anti-worker bill to the floor. I urge my colleagues to reject this far-reaching legislation and get back to work to bring real and meaningful job creation bills to the floor. Stop this assault against American workers. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. I want to make it crystal clear that this Republican bill does not protect or create jobs. What it does is it forces American workers to fight over existing jobs by giving up their legal rights and underbidding each other. This is about a race to the bottom. The problem I have with my Republican friends is their economic policies are all about lowering the standard of living for working families in this country. We should be trying to increase the living standards for American workers.

Mr. McGOVERN. I'm just curious. When are we going to debate a bill on this floor that helps create jobs? Why don't you bring the President's plan to the floor and let's have it out?

Mr. McGOVERN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. McGOVERN. Then I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, let me state for the record that this bill is not a retaliation against right-to-work States. I'm not a big fan of right- to-work States in terms of how they treat workers and those who want to organize unions; but this bill is really about protecting workers from corporations that retaliate against them simply for demanding their rights and organizing for their rights. The Republican bill changes the rules mid-trial to benefit a particular Fortune 500 company, Boeing; but this bill has wide-ranging repercussions for American workers. This bill does not protect or create jobs. It just doesn't. It forces American workers to fight over existing jobs by giving up their rights and underbidding each other. It's a race to the bottom. The Republican bill makes it easier to ship U.S. jobs overseas. There's no question about that. And the Republican bill creates an open season for CEOs to punish workers for exercising their rights. Again, this is a further assault on the rights and protections that workers have fought so hard for for so many decades, and this bill undermines the duty to bargain in good faith. This is an anti-union bill--there is no question--among other things. The bill also encourages law-breaking and intimidation by employers. It removes a key disincentive against employers who unlawfully threaten employees with job loss during organizing drives. The Republican bill creates a new race to the bottom for American workers' rights, wages, benefits, and working conditions. We're going in the wrong direction with this bill. This bill is one more assault on American workers, on the American middle class. Time after time after time the Republican leadership has stood up for Big Business and against the American middle class. Higher gas prices--Republicans protect Big Oil tax breaks and do nothing to help the average consumer. Health care coverage for our kids through the age of 25--Republicans side with the health care companies that put profits over patients. With this bill, Republicans are promoting job creation overseas by allowing companies to move overseas in retaliation of workers who are exercising their own legal rights. Not only that, this bill goes back in time and applies this bill retroactively. This is just like changing the value of a touchdown in the middle of the Super Bowl simply because you don't like the score of the game. This bill would be a joke if it weren't so serious. I would urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, this is not about protecting right-to-work States. Really, this is not even about unions. This is about the rights of workers in this country. This is about protecting American jobs. This is about urging companies to invest in the United States and not making it easier for them to create jobs overseas. We're in a difficult economy right now, Mr. Speaker. We should be debating on this floor the President's job bill. Every day we should be doing something about jobs. And, instead, here we are in September. My Republican colleagues have done nothing. They've done nothing except continue an assault on middle class families. Today, it's workers. They're going after Medicare in the Ryan budget. Their leading Republican Presidential candidate is talking about eliminating Social Security. All the protections, all the rights that middle class families have fought for and have won that are essential to a decent quality of life they're trying to take away. Enough. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this closed rule and ``no'' on this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.