Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

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

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in advance of the 300th Anniversary of the First Congregational Church and Meeting House in Shrewsbury. The Congregation will celebrate this tremendous milestone on Monday, December 4. Mr. Speaker, the history of the Church spans almost as far back as the town itself. In October 1717, the General Court of Massachusetts permitted Shrewsbury as a township, as long as 40 families would settle there, build a meeting house, and settle an ordained minister within three years. With little delay, Reverend Job Cushing was ordained, and the original church covenant was adopted on December 4, 1723. For 109 years, the meeting house was the site for both church and town affairs, until the two separated in 1832. Since its inception, the Church has undergone moves, repairs, remodels, and expansions. Nevertheless, the Church remained a steadfast community center. During its long history, the Church has remained a site of social responsibility. The Church championed a Vigilance Committee to support the Underground Railroad. Its ministries outreach to those in need. And today, the Church is an open and affirming Congregation. In 1961, the First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury became part of the United Church of Christ. Since then, the Church has opened its doors to all, supporting the diverse needs of the Shrewsbury community. Mr. Speaker, the First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury strives to keep adapting to be in service to all people. I look forward to celebrating this crucial community organization on their 300th Anniversary. Please join me in paying honor and tribute to the First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, this holiday season, I am thankful for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts for once again organizing a 43-mile march through Western Massachusetts to raise awareness about hunger and fundraise for families in need. I am proud to announce that this year's march, the 14th annual, raised $500,000. I couldn't be more grateful to all the marchers, fundraisers, and community organizers who made this happen. I was so proud to join them on November 20 and 21 as we walked sunup to sundown, traveling from Springfield to Greenfield. We stopped at crucial community centers that work hard to feed anyone who is hungry. A huge thank you to our fearless leader, radio personality Monte Belmonte, who has been the inspiration for the march for the past 14 years. He pushed an empty shopping cart all 43 miles and stopped to pose with roaring crowds every chance he could. He is a true local icon and hero. We were joined by dozens of hunger advocates who marched on against freezing Massachusetts winds but kept their heads up the whole way. We were fed by the brand-new Holyoke Culinary Arts food truck, Wake the Dead Donuts, Berkshire Brewing, Richardson's Candy, and, finally, a hot meal from pay-what-you-can Stone Soup Cafe. Of course, there were countless volunteers who made sure we had plenty of Dunkin'. We peeked into community action centers like Lorraine's Soup Kitchen in Chicopee, Kate's Kitchen of Holyoke, and Amherst Survival Center. I also thank the rest stops set up by the MLK Family Services Center, Fame of Holyoke, the WRSI and NEPM radio stations, Adventure East, Hawks and Reed, and Home Depot. I thank Congressman Richie Neal for joining us at the kickoff. I thank Congressman Joe Kennedy for keeping me company for several hours on Route 116, and Governor Maura Healey for being the first-ever Governor to join this incredible event. I was proud of the many State legislators who joined the march, including State senators, Jo Comerford and Jake Olivera; and representatives Natalie Blais, Mindy Domb, Dan Carey, and Lindsay Sabadosa. Special thanks to Andrew Morehouse, the executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts; Tim Garvin with the United Way; the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Dave; Jamie Hoag, and the amazing staff at Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office, who marched with us; as well as District Attorney Dave Sullivan, and so many more. Although the march was hard, we all know being hungry is harder. Across the country, 44 million people are food insecure. In Massachusetts, one in five families don't have reliable access to affordable, nutritious food. That is a disgrace. As I say every week on this floor, hunger is a political condition. In this Congress, we have seen House Republicans attack antihunger programs every chance they get, from advocating for onerous--and let me just say, ineffective--work requirements, to slashing programs that feed hungry moms, infants, and children. It appears this extreme MAGA majority will stop at nothing to turn the clock back on the progress we have made to fight hunger. That is why the March for the Food Bank in Western Massachusetts is so critical. It is a display of care and generosity, in spite of the fact that some here in Washington are hell-bent on taking food from people who need it most. With the half a million dollars that these volunteers raise, the food bank will serve 1.5 million meals, but charity alone will not address the root causes that plunge people into hunger. Food banks are a Band-Aid, but we in Congress should be pressing for deeper, enduring solutions. People shouldn't have to turn to a food bank every month. They should just have enough money to be able to buy groceries. Programs like SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, keep hardworking families from having to choose between buying food and paying rent. SNAP gives participants the dignity of shopping for their own food. We ought to fund, not cut, these programs. By the way, even if you don't agree with me that ending hunger is a moral imperative, you ought to still get on board because it saves us money in the long run. SNAP lifted 2.8 million Americans out of poverty in 2021 and can generate almost double the economic output for each dollar invested in it. Why do so many on the other side insist on cutting it every chance they get? Let us instead choose to invest in SNAP, in WIC, and in our whole antihunger safety net. Instead of cutting services for those in need, we need to invest in our people, in our communities, and in our country. We can end hunger now. What we need is the political will, and the people who marched with me on November 20 and 21 have the political will. They are counting on us here in Congress to live up to the promise of our country and make sure that nobody, absolutely nobody goes hungry. If we do that, we can end hunger now.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I think I am beginning to understand the logic of the gentleman from Kentucky. He thinks that we have an open process as long as amendments that he agrees with are made in order, but any amendments that he doesn't agree with it is okay to block them. I don't have any problem with some of the crummy amendments that the gentleman and the Republicans have made in order that, in my opinion, are really bad for this country. We will have those debates, and we will vote on them. I have no problem with that. I don't know why my friends are afraid to have a debate on women's reproductive rights, whether or not we should protect a woman's right to choose, whether we should protect a woman's right to abortion in this country. They blocked it. They added language in that curtails women's rights, but they won't allow an amendment so we can have those 10 minutes of debate. I don't know why the gentleman is afraid to have a debate on whether or not we should end bigotry against the LGBTQ+ community. If they believe that it is okay to continue prejudice and discrimination against that community, they can vote ``no'' on our amendment. Let's have the debate. On climate change or even on--we have a different position on assault weapons. The gentleman can offer his amendment. We have a different amendment. Why is it that the amendment that we offered is blocked? It is just a strange view of the world when you come up here and say we have a very fair and open process here. We block all your amendments, but we are making all the amendments that we agree with basically in order. I don't really think that is a fair process. Mr. Speaker, House Republicans are a minority party that is masquerading as a majority party. I say that because I think my friends on the other side don't want to actually be in charge anymore. It is easier to be in the minority when you are a Republican. They think all you have to do is vote ``no'' on everything. It is harder to be in the majority. It is especially hard because the Republican Party no longer represents a coherent political ideology that seeks to solve problems or govern. They just want to scream and yell about how this place is broken--when they are the ones that broke it. They want to use crisis and scandal to mask their own selfishness and sedition, and to cover up their own incompetence and ineffectiveness. The American people see through it. They know this Republican majority is a disaster--a national embarrassment. They have normalized dysfunction. We have Republican Members of Congress literally assaulting each other in the hallways. They are threatening to punch people in committee hearings. They are getting into fights on the House floor and having their supporters threaten each other's families with violence. That is the truth. They have wasted away their majority fighting among themselves and acting like babies. They focus on retaliation and revenge. They are pursuing ridiculous impeachment inquiry sideshows. They are conditioning aid to our allies on tax cuts for billionaires here at home. They scream about the deficit when they keep passing bills that blow up the deficit. Mr. Speaker, I say to the people watching this at home, you might not agree with Democrats on everything, but we are team normal. The Republicans are team totally off-the-deep-end nuts. I cleaned that up for the floor, Mr. Speaker, for civility. Democrats ran this place like professionals. Republicans are running it into the ground. Democrats fight for the people. Republicans only care about fighting with each other. Democrats behave like adults. I hope rational, reasonable, moderate Republicans, if any are left, will join us and reject the MAGA extremists who behave like spoiled rotten children. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``hell no'' on this rule and a ``no'' vote on the underlying bills. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, you heard the gentleman from Kentucky purport to describe what is in the bills that we are considering today. I think his description of these bills is somewhat inaccurate. The so-called No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act--and I say so-called because this bill does not actually do what the title suggests. It is really just about Republicans going after President Biden because they are mad he secured the release of American hostages. It is as simple as that. Some Members of Congress would rather let these American hostages stay imprisoned in Iran than give credit to President Biden for bringing them home. This is a bad bill. It undermines America's credibility in future negotiations. The money the United States unfroze--Iranian money, not American money--can only be used for humanitarian needs. That is the truth. The money doesn't even go to the Iranian Government; it goes to a restricted account in Qatar where it can only be used for approved purchases. Those are the facts, and I won't waste any more time on this foolish political messaging bill. The other bill contained in this rule is H.R. 5893, another extreme MAGA Republican spending bill. It is no shock that this radical Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriation bill couldn't even get a markup and a vote out of the full Appropriations Committee because it is nuts. It defunds the police, which is ironic, but let's not even go there. It guts programs that help small businesses, slashes services that help missing and exploited children. I mean, really? It also makes it easier for criminals to get their hands on guns. Madam Speaker, the truth is that the Republican Party is completely and totally broken. They are unable to govern themselves, let alone a country. The two extreme MAGA messaging bills that we are considering today are just the latest examples, just the tip of the iceberg. Now, our job on the Rules Committee is to help run this place like professionals, to advance legislation in a thoughtful, orderly, deliberate manner, and to do it in a way that reflects well on the Congress and the country. Since Republicans took over, we have seen nothing but dysfunction and disaster in this Chamber. There has been chaos, confusion, and crisis at the hands of MAGA extremists who have turned this place into a circus. Republican incompetence over the last 11 months takes my breath away. As this chart shows, Madam Speaker, we have a timeline up here that speaks for itself. There was a week wasted on 14 failed votes for Speaker while Kevin McCarthy agreed to shady backroom deals with MAGA extremists so he could win the gavel. There was a month wasted on MAGA extremists threatening to default on America's debt unless Democrats agreed to draconian spending cuts. We had an entire summer wasted after Democrats came to the table and negotiated a budget deal, but then Republicans didn't bring a single spending bill to the floor. Finally, days before a government shutdown, Republicans brought to the floor appropriations bills they couldn't even pass. They had to call on Democrats to get a continuing resolution over the finish line, and then they kicked out their own Speaker for the terrible crime of keeping the government open. All because the MAGA extremists had a temper tantrum. There were 20 days wasted while Republicans argued amongst themselves until they finally settled on someone who evidently everybody in their Conference disliked the least. Here they are today, Mr. Speaker, right back where they started, with nothing to show the American people except dysfunction and disarray. We heard promise after promise from Republican leaders that this Congress would be different: more open and more accommodating, we kept on hearing. Those promises have been broken. There have been over 40 closed rules on the floor, blocking 68 percent of bipartisan amendments. By the way, they even blocked over half of all Republican amendments. Twenty percent of Mr. Massie's own amendments have been blocked, never even considered on the floor. I have a radical idea that in the world's greatest deliberative body we should, I don't know, deliberate? Yet time after time, despite their promises, Republicans are blocking amendment after amendment. Again, two-thirds of bipartisan amendments and over half of their own amendments have been blocked. Don't worry, though, they found a way to make in order every single MAGA culture war amendment to ban abortion and go after women's reproductive rights. They tucked those into nearly every appropriations bill. You would think that after all of that, at least they would have something to show for it, right? You would be wrong. At this point in the 116th Congress, when Democrats were in charge, during divided government, we had already enacted 68 laws; not just passed the House, but enacted into law, signed by the President. So far this Congress, Republicans have enacted 19 laws. That is it. Let that sink in. Democrats enacted over three times the number of laws at this point in our majority. Here is an idea: Maybe they would have had more bills signed into law if they didn't waste all their time fighting with one another. Instead, they wasted an entire month, 26 days so far, fighting with themselves, holding midnight seances trying to revive the dead bills that divided their Conference and fighting a MAGA civil war about who should be in charge. Fourteen percent of all legislative days this Congress have been focused not on the American people, but on which one of them gets to be in charge. That is a national embarrassment. Do you know how many days it took Democrats to pick a Speaker when we were in charge, Mr. Speaker? One. One. Americans expected us to govern, not fight with each other. That reminds me, it's not like we don't have a recent example of what it looks like when Congress gets stuff done in a productive and bipartisan way. Now, let's compare their record this Congress with our record last Congress. Republicans have made fewer bipartisan amendments in order. They have even made fewer majority amendments in order, and only 19 bills signed into law. Again, we have a recent example of what this place looks like when it works. Democrats enacted 58 laws last Congress, signed by the President at this point. I said a moment ago that it was 68 under divided government. It was 58 in the last Congress. We get things done, no matter who is in the White House. We take our job seriously. The facts speak for themselves, and the contrasts could not be more clear. This right here, this is what Democratic leadership looks like in Congress. It looks like results for American families. Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan, ending the COVID crisis and reopening our economy. Democrats passed the CHIPS and Science Act, bringing jobs back from China and supply chains back from overseas. Democrats passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a historic investment that will rebuild our infrastructure for generations and generations to come. What did almost every single Republican do on every single one of those bills? They voted ``no.'' Guess what, though? They are in charge now, and instead of rising to the occasion, they have totally, totally, totally failed at governing. They are running this place like babies. Actually, I think that is an insult to babies, Mr. Speaker. Their incompetence is staggering. Their infighting is so immature that it is stunning. All the American people want, Mr. Speaker, is for Republicans to work with Democrats to get things done. It is that simple. It is that simple. Republicans barely control one-half of one branch of government. Democrats control the Senate and the White House. To get anything done, anything at all, we all have to work together. We have to compromise. We have to do things in a bipartisan way. That is, quite frankly, what the American people want. They want us to put people over politics to get stuff done, and that is what Democrats are focused on. I can tell you, people are fed up with this Republican dysfunction and disarray. They are fed up with Republicans fighting with each other instead of for the people. They are fed up with Republican leadership caving to the MAGA extremists time after time after time. I am telling you right now, this majority will not be in the majority for long if things keep going like they have been. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I think the viewing public who is watching this may take note that the gentleman didn't respond to anything that I said in my opening remarks. I will point out for the record so people understand that over half of the amendments that were offered to this bill were rejected. Actually, they were blocked. They were blocked by the Republican majority on the Rules Committee. Mr. Speaker, 170 amendments, many of them Republican amendments, I should point out, were blocked. It was not because they added to spending. They were just blocked. The point I was trying to make, and I will make it again, is that my friends on the other side of the aisle, my complaint with them is they have accomplished absolutely nothing. They have wasted their time in the majority. The gentleman talks about all these deep cuts. Some of these appropriations bills, I will be honest with you, I object to them because they are going to hurt people, people I represent. He talks about all these cuts. None of these are ever going to become law. We spent all of last week debating two appropriations bills, the Transportation bill and the Financial Services bill. We worked overtime, late into the night, debating all these amendments, and guess what? They pulled them. They are in the majority. They can't even pass the crummy bills that are being sent from the Appropriations Committee to the Rules Committee. It is mind-boggling. The bill we are talking about today, I am not even sure this is going to pass. I wouldn't be surprised if they pull this and the Labor-HHS bill, as well. This is not how you run Congress. We are supposed to bring things to completion. The bill before us today was so bad that the full Appropriations Committee didn't even mark it up. Why? Because they probably couldn't get votes to get it out. My friends have accomplished absolutely nothing in their majority. That is a tragedy. They barely struggle to do the basics, like keeping the lights on, but they need Democratic help to do that. They have blocked the majority of their own Members' amendments. You can't make this stuff up. The gentleman, who is on the Rules Committee, had a big chunk of his amendments blocked, as well. In any event, Mr. Speaker, we are going to urge our side to defeat the previous question. If we do, I will offer an amendment to the rule to provide for consideration of a measure that unequivocally states that the people's House will keep its promise to American workers and seniors and that we will protect and preserve Social Security and Medicare and fight against any Republican cuts to these essential programs that so many of our constituents rely on. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with any extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. McGarvey) to discuss our proposal.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me again point out that my friends on the other side of the aisle blocked most of the amendments that were brought before the Rules Committee. In fact, they have a habit of even blocking a majority of their own Members' amendments. Even with this rigged process that we have been operating under that the Republicans have put in place, even under this rigged process--and they have yet to rebut this--they have accomplished nothing. They have accomplished nothing. They have normalized dysfunction. A win for this majority is having Democrats keep the lights on for them so that we don't shut the government down. I brought this chart out before, but this is a contrast of what we accomplished when we were in charge. I can go right down the list: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Honoring our PACT Act and helping our veterans to get additional healthcare, the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the Chips and Science Act, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act. These are things that passed the House and the Senate and were signed by the President. These are real things. Here we are today doing what we did last week, bringing up all these rightwing MAGA amendments with appropriations bills that are so bad that even Republican members on the Appropriations Committee do not want to vote for them in full committee, so we bypass that. They come to the floor, and we are going to debate the amendments they made in order all day and all night, only to have them pull the stuff at the end of the day. That is what they did last week. Two bills, after all the time on the floor debating, were just pulled. I get it. We signed up for this, but I will be honest with you that I think it is a disservice to the staff who work up here and who take this job seriously to go through all of these kinds of gyrations for no reason at all. It is just ridiculous. This majority, as we come to the close of this week--hopefully, we will break for Thanksgiving--has accomplished nothing. This has been a waste of time. Do you want to talk about a waste of taxpayer money? It is the Republican majority in this House. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I don't even know where to begin. What we are witnessing here is called smoke and mirrors. The gentleman says we are not going to sneak things into a bill at the last minute. A whole bunch of stuff was snuck into this bill at the last minute. In fact, I repeat, this bill did not go before the full Appropriations Committee. It was not reported out by the full Appropriations Committee. Why? Because it is so extreme and so awful that they didn't have the votes. The same thing last week, two appropriations bills, we wasted all of this time on the floor talking about those bills and then they pulled them because they didn't have the votes. Here we are again voting on another extreme bill that will probably, in all likelihood, be pulled. When the gentleman is making the case that somehow amendments are blocked because they are not rule compliant, okay, all right, that is an argument to be made, but that is not the case with the overwhelming majority of the amendments that were blocked. I say to my Republican friends who are watching, a majority of your amendments were blocked, and you guys are in charge. I get it. They blocked 72 percent of the amendments I offered, which by the way are rule compliant, but they blocked the majority of Republican amendments. The gentleman says: We were just blocking amendments that were not rule compliant. Last night in the Rules Committee, we offered amendments to strike out language that is in the bill. It is totally rule compliant. We offered an amendment to strike the anti-abortion riders. We had a vote, and the gentleman voted with the majority of Republicans to block us even being able to offer an amendment to strike the anti-abortion riders. I guess they are afraid they would lose or afraid of the debate or afraid to put vulnerable Members in a tough position, whatever. We had an amendment striking anti-LGBTQ riders. Again, all the Republicans, the gentleman included, voted to block it. It was totally rule compliant. We had an amendment striking the anti-gun safety riders that were added into this bill. They were totally rule compliant. Every Republican, including the gentleman, voted to not make our amendment in order. This is what you call smoke and mirrors. We had an amendment striking their anti-climate riders. Again, it is in the bill. We are not putting something new in the bill. This is their bill, totally rule compliant. Every Republican, including the gentleman, voted to block that. Let's not have this kind of fantasy debate where we are saying, oh, all we did was we kept out amendments that were not rule compliant. The bottom line is: You are afraid of the debates. My friends are afraid that they may lose on some of these issues. They also know that the majority of the American people do not like their position on women's reproductive rights where they want a national abortion ban. They also know that a majority of people in this country are sick and tired of bigotry against the LGBTQ+ community. They know that a majority of Americans are sick and tired of the rising level of gun violence in this country. They also know that a majority of Americans believe climate change is for real, and they want us to do stuff to try to reverse the current trends. They blocked all of these amendments. I have the report from the Rules Committee last night with all the votes and the amendments. They are all rule compliant. Let's get real here. We are here today to, again, talk about an appropriations bill that is not only extreme, that probably at the end of the day, they are not going to be able to pass it with Republican votes. It will certainly never become law. It is a joke of a bill. They wouldn't even bring it before the full Republican-controlled Appropriations Committee and then--or they are going to pull it. That is it. You want to talk about wasting money, all of the money we wasted last week debating bills that are going nowhere. What about the money that we wasted while for 26 days we had no Speaker of the House but had to keep everybody here while they tried to fight amongst themselves on which member of the Republican Conference they disliked the least so they could move that person forward as Speaker. Give me a break. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the Biden administration for meaningfully updating the Thrifty Food Plan as Congress mandated in the last farm bill. Before the Biden administration took action, the Thrifty Food Plan had not been updated in 50 years. That is absurd. Needy families were having to make purchasing decisions based on data from one-half century ago. Nevertheless, thanks to their updates, SNAP recipients now get an extra $1.40 per day. It is a small increase, but it means more people can make ends meet. Guess what, Madam Speaker? It is something that is real that is already helping families buy groceries. I am so sick and tired of hearing my Republican friends play the inflation blame game, but then, when it comes time to actually do something to actually help families pay for groceries, Republicans are floating the idea of rolling back the Thrifty Food Plan update. Really, that is a rotten thing to do. As Congress works to complete the 2023 farm bill, I strongly urge all of my colleagues to join me in rejecting this cruel and cynical approach. Enough for God's sake.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, we should reject this resolution for a few simple reasons: first is protecting this institution. I don't agree with a lot of what people say around here. I think a lot of what my Republican friends say is offensive and even racist, but I don't go around introducing censure resolutions. If we are going to start censuring anybody who says something we don't like, all we will do from now on is censure each other all day. The second reason is freedom of speech. My Republican colleagues go on and on about cancel culture, and here they are today trying to cancel someone. I don't want any lectures from people who are trying to create a 1984-style thought police. I don't know what is wrong with them, Mr. Speaker. If this is not the high point of Republican hypocrisy, I don't know what is. Mr. Speaker, I say to my Republican colleagues that they are unleashing something very bad here. They are setting an awful precedent for this institution. This is a very slippery slope. I strongly urge a ``no'' vote on this resolution to protect this institution, to protect freedom of speech, and to reject this majority's cynical attempts to divide and distract America. Mr. Speaker, I would say that if my Republican friends don't like listening to people they disagree with, they should get a new job.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear about something. Democracy is messy, and, yes, at times it can be very frustrating. However, what happened in this Chamber last month, putting everything on hold for 3 weeks as House Republicans failed time and time again to elect a Speaker, was not democracy. All the drama and all the chaos of the Republican Conference over the last few weeks was not democracy. Shutting down one-half of the United States Congress and immobilizing our national legislature at a time of global turmoil is actually the exact opposite of democracy. I keep hearing my colleagues across the aisle claim that not having a Speaker for 3 weeks was somehow democracy in action. That is a bunch of baloney. Some of them even said that this impasse made our country look good on the world stage. Are you kidding me? What planet do they live on? Their dysfunction makes us look like idiots. The American public elected all of us to come here and to represent their interests and their ideals. That is democracy. They didn't send us here to play student government. They didn't send us here to sit around and yell at each other about who gets to be Speaker as if this were ``Lord of the Flies.'' They sent us here to work, to govern, to get things done, and, yes, when necessary, to compromise. Republicans have a slim majority in the House, Democrats have a slim majority in the Senate, and Joe Biden is President of the United States. To get anything done--anything--Republicans need to come to the table and work with us in a bipartisan way. That is what democracy is. It is compromise. It is consensus. However, the spectacle that we saw last month of this Chamber sitting empty for weeks on end while Republicans fought with each other, or even the idea that they should be fighting over which member of their conference would compromise with the Democrats the least--let that sink in--is not democracy. That is a national embarrassment. Now, even after 3 weeks of self-inflicted chaos, the House GOP still doesn't seem to get it. Instead of working across the aisle, they are digging in their heels, and they are continuing to advance their extremely partisan appropriations bills that will never become law. There have been no lessons learned over the last few weeks at all. The GOP's Interior and Environment funding bill for fiscal year 2024 profits polluters while endangering the health of Americans. It cuts EPA funding to its lowest level since 1991. The bill additionally slashes funding for arts programs and, once again, shoves MAGA culture wars down the throats of the American people. They can't help themselves. The Republican Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development funding bill for fiscal year 2024 would also keep us from meeting our Nation's infrastructure and housing needs. It cuts funding for housing and transportation programs by 28 percent, putting Americans' safety at risk while, once again, attacking vulnerable communities. Now, I don't know how often this needs to be said before it sinks in: These draconian cuts to essential programs will not become law. If these bills manage to make it off the House floor, then the Senate will vote them down. It will be a bipartisan vote in the Senate, by the way. Even the Senate Republicans can't stomach this garbage, and if they ever made it to the President's desk, he would veto it. What I am gathering is that Republicans would rather press forward with these unreasonable bills instead of coming together to form a funding plan that serves all Americans. We are just over 2 weeks out from a government shutdown, and all Republicans are doing here is wasting more time. This is a complete waste of time. It is ridiculous. Mr. Speaker, I haven't even got to how cynical--how cynical--and insulting this new supplemental aid package is. Republicans are leveraging the excruciating pain of an international crisis to help rich people who cheat on their taxes and big corporations who regularly dodge their taxes. Are you kidding me? The fact of the matter is the richest people in this country pay less in taxes than teachers, than police officers, than firefighters, than nurses, and than laborers. This is what this is all about? Who came up with this brilliant idea to help rich tax cheats? Who came up with that idea? Was that hatched at a fundraiser in Mar-a-Lago? Did some big donor come up and twist somebody's arm and say, You have to do this. You have to protect us. We want to be able to continue to cheat on our taxes so we can make more and keep more money. This is truly despicable. Here is what I love: The bill's so-called offset cuts $14.3 billion from the IRS which will further increase the deficit. Basically they want to cut funding from those who are responsible for holding big corporations accountable and for going after rich tax cheats. That is their offset. According to CBO, it will add to the deficit. Let me repeat that. This bill adds $12.5 billion to the deficit. Their offset actually needs an offset. Once again, they cry, they cry, and they cry about the deficit, but they have no problem conditioning aid to Israel on another tax break to millionaires, billionaires, and corporations. Representative Chip Roy who is on the Rules Committee said--or maybe he yelled: The aid ``should be paid for, and it should be paid for with real money, not budgetary gimmicks.'' Nonetheless, that is what this is. This is a budgetary gimmick. It is a big, gigantic, and in-your-face gimmick. It is a joke, and they come to the floor with a straight face to say that somehow we are paying for this package. Really? How can they say that with a straight face? It makes sense because they don't like the results of the election and they tried to overturn it. They don't like the math from CBO, by the way, and they pretend it doesn't exist. Republicans say they are friends of Israel. If I were Israel, I would unfriend them. What they are doing here will delay aid to Israel, not to mention there is no humanitarian aid in here for the vulnerable people in Israel or Gaza. Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz came before the Rules Committee last night and asked us and tearfully pleaded with us to make in order her amendment for humanitarian aid that the President of the United States requested. This is humanitarian aid for Israel, for Palestinians, and for people in Ukraine. She pleaded with Republicans to unlink their conditions on aid. She offered an amendment to put in the humanitarian aid the Republicans left out, again, and asked that we help some of the most vulnerable people who are caught in the middle of this conflict. These are people in Israel, people in Gaza, and people in Ukraine. By the way, one-half of the people in Gaza are children, for God's sake. They need food, they need medicine, and they need water. They need it now. They need help now. I offered Ms. Wasserman Schultz's amendment, and it was voted down. It was voted down by every single Republican. I have to tell you, Mr. Speaker, the ease and the indifference with which they rejected even making her amendment in order was, quite frankly, chilling. By the way, there is no aid for Ukraine in this supplemental package. There is nothing. This is what the President asked for. So Vladimir Putin is happy. I am always amazed at how my friends on the other side of the aisle fall over each other to try to make Vladimir Putin happy. He is happy with the package they are bringing to the floor today. There is no aid for any other national security priorities that the President asked for. To sum it up, Mr. Speaker, the House is back, but Halloween has been extended. These people are scary, and there is no saying what will happen next. I hope and I pray for the sake of the Nation that House Republicans come to their senses soon. This is no way to govern. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again, let's make no mistake about it, my Republican friends are deliberately delaying aid to Israel. They are deliberately delaying aid to Israel. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the Statement of Administration Policy for the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, despite a clear bipartisan path to assisting Israel, House Republicans have decided to go at it alone, alienating Senate Republicans, Democrats, and the President. The President has indicated that he will veto this supplemental in favor of a bipartisan approach that he knows Congress is capable of. A bipartisan approach is what our allies deserve. A bipartisan approach is what the American people expect, not playing politics with an international crisis to be able to satisfy their richest donors. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an article by The Hill titled: ``GOP plan to `offset' Israel aid with IRS cuts would backfire, budget experts warn.''

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have promised the American people that they won't cut a single dime from Social Security and Medicare. However, this past September, Budget Committee Republicans passed a budget that favors the wealthy and well connected over working families and makes massive cuts to critical programs that Americans rely on. They even rejected amendments to protect Social Security and Medicare earned benefits. Madam Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer a resolution to state unequivocally that the House won't cut a single cent from these crucial programs that so many of our constituents rely on. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record along with any extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, aid to Israel should not be conditioned on giving greater tax breaks to the rich, let alone a fake offset that adds to the deficit. Again, it is not me who is saying that their budgetary gimmick, their fake offset, is a fake offset. It is the Congressional Budget Office that says it will add $12.5 billion to the deficit. It doesn't pay for anything. It adds to the deficit. That is according to CBO. That is the office we use to figure out how much things are going to cost. They know that, and they come here and they deliberately distort the facts and distort the truth. They are conditioning aid to Israel on helping out the richest tax cheats in America. I mean, it is mind-boggling. It is mind-boggling. Again, maybe they will raise money at a fundraiser or something, but it is not the way we should proceed here. By the way, it is going to delay aid to Israel. The Senate, in a bipartisan way, wants no part of this. The President wants no part of it; therefore, we are wasting time. We are spinning our wheels for no reason at all. When people come down here, like the gentleman just said, oh, we want to stand by our ally Israel, you know, we are a friend of Israel, I will repeat what I said before: If I were Israel, I would unfriend you because you are delaying the aid package. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Look, the decision here is simple. The two appropriations bills that we are talking about today literally strip billions and billions of dollars that fund essential agency functions and services. Members are either for these extreme funding cuts or they are not. I would say to my friends on the Republican side who like to masquerade as moderates that they can't get away with saying, oh, I just wanted to move the process along. The bottom line is, you vote for these bills, you own what is in them. Please understand that. On the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, they cut $26 billion below the 2023 levels. It raises costs while threatening to damage our Nation's economy. It makes travel and communities less safe. Who does that? It further harms our environment and ignores the impact of climate change. I mean, open your eyes. I would say to my Republican friends: If Republicans don't believe that climate change is real now, then they are hopeless. They are hopeless. They should go retire. They are not fit to be here. It strips away equal access to housing and community development investments. Who does that? On the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, again, there are deep, deep cuts. Cuts aimed at trying to undo attempts to deal with the climate crisis. We are having wildfires all over the world and in this country; extreme weather conditions, floods and droughts. I mean, talk to your farmers, talk to people in your community. Everybody gets it, except the Republican Conference here has its head in the sand. On these appropriation bills, it is clear. I mean, read the bills. Read the bills. I don't know how anybody could come here with a straight face and say that this is good legislating. The only thing that is good is the fact that they are so extreme that even Senate Republicans are not going to take any of this garbage seriously. The supplemental aid bill is as disastrous as it is disgraceful. Everybody in this House, everybody is horrified by the events of October 7. A terrible tragedy occurred that day. Israeli civilians were massacred that day. My Republican friends say they want to help Israel, and so what do they do? They condition the aid to Israel on essentially a tax break for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations that cheat on their taxes. Really? That is what they are thinking about? That is the focus? Don't miss an opportunity to help the well off and the well connected. Don't miss an opportunity to help tax cheats. Let's not miss an opportunity to help millionaires, billionaires, and big corporations to try to cheat on their taxes. They may be big donors, but I am going to tell you what they do is not right. It is illegal. They ought to be held accountable, the same way that average working people are held accountable. Rich people in this country do not pay taxes anywhere near as much as average workers in this country. Rich people don't pay as much taxes as nurses, teachers, laborers, and people who work hard every day just to make ends meet. Come on, we ought to be able to agree on that. However, to condition any aid on helping protect these tax cheaters? Boy, that is cynical. It tells you where their priorities are, Madam Speaker. The question is, Members either want to provide the aid to Israel or they don't. If Republicans really were serious about this, they wouldn't politicize it. If Republicans were really serious about this, they would be working in a bipartisan way not only with Democrats in the House but with Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and with the White House, and let's get this thing done quickly but they can't do it. They decide that they can't bring themselves to support any kind of humanitarian aid. Half the people who live in Gaza, half the people are children. Children. They are not Hamas. They are just innocent children. The idea that we will get to a humanitarian aid package, oh, whenever we feel like it, I mean, really? Are you watching the footage on TV? Are you reading anything about the reports, about the suffering? These children need help now. They needed help a week ago. The idea that, oh, we just can't talk about that right now, is inhumane. It is inhumane. There is nothing in here to help Ukraine. By the way, there is a humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine as well. That humanitarian aid package would help those innocent people caught in the crossfire in Ukraine, but can't be bothered. We have to help protect tax breaks for rich people. That is the priority. Not the suffering people of Ukraine. No security package for Ukraine, nothing. Vladimir Putin is celebrating as we speak. That is exactly what he wants. I am sure my friends will get great coverage on Moscow TV because this is exactly what Putin has been hoping for, that Congress will walk away from helping the Ukrainians defend their sovereignty. Russia attacked Ukraine, tried to invade Ukraine with only provocation, and you are acting like it is no big deal; and the people that are being caught in the crossfire, well, we can't be bothered with giving you any humanitarian aid. Other national security priorities the President asked for will be put on the back burner. What is this Republican majority thinking? What world are they living in? Again, please don't repeat the lie that the majority is paying for things with these offsets. These offsets are not real. The Congressional Budget Office says it. I get that Republicans don't like that the CBO says it, but CBO tells the truth. The majority can either ignore it or not, but don't say that somehow we are offsetting the costs of our foreign aid package here. We are not. It is a joke. It is an insult to the intelligence of the American people. It is an insult to the Members of Congress who serve in this institution. Plus, my Republican colleagues say it with a straight face. What is going on here? The chaos of the Republican Party is no longer just about the Republican Party. It has become an international embarrassment for our country. The way they are handling legislation today is an international embarrassment for our country. The insensitivity that is being demonstrated for innocent civilians being caught in the crossfire of these conflicts is an embarrassment for this country. It is a failure of government, and this is a national security threat. The Grand Old Party, the once-great party of Lincoln and Eisenhower, is no longer fit to govern. They are no longer fit to govern. It no longer represents a coherent political philosophy or ideology. It relies on scandal and spectacle to mask sedition, selfishness, and greed. How else do we explain the giveaway to tax cheats in their Israel aid package? I am pleading with normal Republicans, traditional Republicans, with courage, integrity, and guts. We need them to retake their party. I want a strong Democratic Party, but we need a strong, principled Republican Party if this country is going to work. Right now, we do not have that. What is happening here today is wasting our time on appropriations bills that are so extreme in terms of what they cut that they are going nowhere. We are wasting our time on that and the cynical attempt to help big donors who cheat on their taxes by conditioning aid to Israel on protecting them. Who thought that one up? I don't even know where that idea came from. Who thought it was a good idea to do this? At a time of an international crisis, it would be nice if we all spoke with one voice. Wouldn't it be great if everybody could stand up here and say we are together and meeting the challenges appropriately, properly, and decisively? That is not what we are doing today. I have to say, Madam Speaker, just when you think it can't get any worse around here, it does. I will close with this: I still can't get out of my head the ease with which my Republican friends on the Rules Committee voted to not even allow us to consider the amendments by Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, especially the one on humanitarian aid. There was no discussion. There was no debate. Let's quickly all reject it as if it was no big deal. Look at those pictures. Look at those pictures of not only what is happening in the Middle East but what is happening in Ukraine. We have to start asking ourselves why we are here. We are supposed to be about helping people in this country. We are supposed to be about standing for human rights all around the world. Yet, we are dealing with these garbage appropriations bills that are a disgrace. We are dealing with a supplemental aid package that is insufficient in so many ways in terms of what it doesn't fund, and it is so cynical. It is so cynical. Again, I urge my colleagues, Madam Speaker, to vote ``no'' on this rule. I urge them to vote ``no'' on all the underlying bills. I urge my Republican colleagues to go to one of their many conferences that they seem to have five times a day to try to work out their problems within their Conference and actually come to an agreement that maybe we ought to put the country and doing what is right ahead of everything else. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the recognition by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce as the 2023 Chamber of the Year. I am so proud that the North Central Chamber of Commerce is the first Chamber of Commerce in Massachusetts and New England to be recognized with this prestigious national honor. The Chamber will be celebrating this success at their Congressional Luncheon on November 1, 2023. Congresswoman Lori Trahan and I will jointly celebrate this monumental achievement. The North Central Chamber demonstrates excellence in operations, member services, and community leadership. The Chamber provides immeasurable support to budding and established entrepreneurs in the region, which helps our businesses thrive. From new programs supporting Latinx small business, to revamping highly trafficked tourism destinations, the Chamber tirelessly works to improve the life of residents and guests to Central Massachusetts. This recognition affirms what my constituents already know: the North Central Chamber of Commerce goes above and beyond for all. The Chamber's commitment to continued improvement is what makes them so successful. And, of course, Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the countless partners that help the Chamber excel at their work. North Central Massachusetts's educational, economic, non-profit, cultural, and governmental organizations each have seamlessly integrated into the Chamber's purview. The over 700 businesses and organizations the Chamber assists rightly trust the Chamber to help them serve the twenty-seven communities across North Central Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to celebrate the remarkable contributions of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations to such a great organization for another year of phenomenal work.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, let me say to the gentleman from Pennsylvania that nobody has been tougher on China than yours truly here. I take a back seat to no one, and I don't want to be lectured. Madam Speaker, I wasn't going to speak on this rule today, but I feel compelled to say something because I see a pattern developing that I think needs to be called out. It needs to be called out, plain and simple. They are taking their awful appropriations bills on agriculture and foreign policy, and now energy and water and the legislative branch, and as the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania pointed out, they all have these deep cuts, and then they are loading them up with MAGA culture war crap. I think people ought to understand in plain terms what they are doing. Let's focus on some specifics. They say it is about woke Democrats this and woke Democrats that. I mean, give me a break. They want to get rid of an office here on Capitol Hill that promotes staff diversity and inclusion. Who wants less diversity? If you want everyone here to look the same, just say so. They want to make it illegal to put up a Pride flag next to a U.S. flag, by the way, at an embassy during Pride Month. That is woke? What is wrong with them? In one of these bills, they want to make it so that you can use taxpayer money to fire people for being gay. I mean, really? I mean, with all the problems in the world, this is what they focus on? This is what keeps them awake at night? This is nuts. This isn't about religious freedom. This is about giving people freedom to discriminate. If they want to be bigoted, so be it, but don't use the United States Government and taxpayer dollars to reinforce and spread your backward views. The reason I wanted to come down here is that this isn't just about politics. Hate crimes against the LGBTQ community are going up. My colleagues come to the floor not only failing to denounce that but advancing ideas which signal to people that it is okay to discriminate, that it is okay to hate. It is sick. I get it. This is popular in the extreme MAGA world, but I thought there were some moderate voices on the other side that might find this as offensive as I do. I guess I am wrong because Republicans continue to blindly come down here and support these hateful policies and vote for them time after time. I hope that the next Speaker, whoever that may be--maybe we will find out today--will do a better job of preventing this garbage from coming to the floor, but looking at the Republican Party in 2023, I won't hold my breath.