Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Reschenthaler), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am a little bit surprised that my friends are complaining about the process. Senator Shelby, a Republican over in the Senate, said I was surprised that they, meaning the House Republicans, didn't enter into negotiations because they are the Republicans in the House, they should have been at the table, but they chose not to come, which is kind of typical of what they do on everything is they say ``no'' and do not want to be part of a constructive solution. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), the chairman of the Democratic Caucus and future Democratic leader.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I love my friends on the other side of the aisle. They complain they are going to vote ``no,'' and then they are going to go home and do press conferences announcing all the Members' projects that they got, but that is what we have come to expect from my Republican friends here in the House. They don't want to come to the table. They don't want to be constructive. They are just no, no, no, no on everything. They are more interested in Twitter followers than they are in actually legislating. That is their problem, but that is not going to be the problem today. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I remind the Members that the microphones are working. People don't have to shout. But, in any event, let me say that it wasn't I who said that Republicans didn't come to the table. That was Republican Senator Richard Shelby. I mentioned that earlier. Mr. Speaker, there are people who come to the floor and yell and scream about the process, and, yet, what is their plan? Their plan is vengeance. I would take a moment to thank the 18 Republican Senators, including the senior Senator from Texas, Senator Cornyn, who voted for this bill. I don't think the senior Senator from Texas voted for the omnibus because he thought it was bad for Texas or that it would destroy the country. Quite the contrary. I thank him for his vote. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the names of the Senators-- Republican Senators--who voted for the omnibus in the Record. List of R Senators That Voted YES on Omni 1. Blunt (R-MO) 2. Boozman (R-AR) 3. Capito (R-WV) 4. Collins (R-ME) 5. Cornyn (R-TX) 6. Cotton (R-AR) 7. Graham (R-SC) 8. Inhofe (R-OK) 9. McConnell (R-KY) 10. Moran (R-KS) 11. Murkowski (R-AK) 12. Portman (R-OH) 13. Romney (R-UT) 14. Rounds (R-SD) 15. Shelby (R-AL) 16. Thune (R-SD) 17. Wicker (R-MS) 18. Young (R-IN)

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I heard some of my Republican colleagues on the other side threatening to vote against any legislation in the future sponsored by Republicans in the Senate sent over to the House because they don't like their vote. In fact, the leader, Leader McCarthy, said, ``when I am Speaker, their bills will be dead on arrival in the House.'' Well, some of the 18 Republican Senators who voted for the bill yesterday actually had some incredible legislation signed into law; for example, Senator Cornyn's bill, S. 4834, the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022 was signed into law just a couple of days ago. That is protecting our children. Would that be dead on arrival now? Senator Boozman's bill, S. 2102, which expands access to mammograms for veterans, was passed in June, and it is now law. Is that not important, providing mammograms to our veterans, and that would be dead on arrival under this new rule my Republicans are saying they want to enforce? Senator Inhofe is the lead sponsor on S. 1790, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 Act. I just complained about how big the defense budget is. I don't like the fact that it is so overblown and bloated, but I know my Republican friends do. But would they have blocked that bill because Senator Inhofe voted for the omnibus? Imagine if veterans or children didn't get the aid they needed because of petty politics. That is no way to govern, Mr. Speaker. This legislation that some of these Republican Senators have brought forward will not only keep the lights on but provide aid to thousands of Americans. It is important that the President sign it. It will make life better for people in this country. So I get it that this is the time when everybody is yelling and screaming and trying to score political points, but at the end of the day, let us reflect what our purpose here is, and that is to get stuff done and to improve the lives of the American people. If you don't like the priorities in this bill, then you can vote against it. But 18 Republicans--pretty conservative Republicans--voted for it over in the Senate. They put people ahead of politics, and I applaud that. This is not a perfect bill. There are a lot of things in here I don't like. But rather than yelling and screaming and threatening revenge, maybe people should sit down and talk and work things out and come to some sort of a compromise. That is what they did in the Senate. I hope that some of my friends will learn from that example. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me just say that I am proud of the work that the Rules Committee has done over the past two sessions. I just want to contrast where our focus has been and what we have accomplished to the Party of No. When we took over, we passed a new rules package that actually had bipartisan support for the first time in over a decade. We had the first-ever House Office of Diversity and Inclusion to recruit, train, develop, promote, and retain a congressional workforce that reflected the diversity of the American people. We established a Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress which has already led to real changes to improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of our congressional community. We required a Member Day hearing so that all Members had a chance to be heard across the Congress. We implemented a Consensus Calendar to expedite consideration of ideas with broad, bipartisan support. We had remote voting by proxy and remote committee proceedings to keep Congress functioning during a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic, over a dozen hearings, roundtables, site visits in at least eight cities, and numerous interactive discussions on social media exploring what it will take to finally end hunger in America, which led to the first White House conference on hunger, nutrition, and health in over 50 years. We held the first-ever congressional hearing on Medicare for all and the first-ever congressional hearing on seating a delegate from the Cherokee Nation. We passed landmark legislation that President Biden signed into law that will have a positive impact for generations to come: the American Rescue Plan, the bipartisan infrastructure law to rebuild America and reinvest in our communities; the Inflation Reduction Act to lower prices for consumers and invest in clean energy to address the climate crisis; the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to reduce gun violence; the Respect for Marriage Act to guarantee and expand civil rights for all Americans; the CHIPS and Science Act to turbocharge American manufacturing, and requiring legislation to have a hearing and a markup before being considered on the floor. We set an example to disagree without being disagreeable, even during polarized times like two Presidential impeachments. One journalist praised our hearing in the Rules Committee as a master class in what civility and respectful disagreement should look like in Congress. I would just say that none of these accomplishments would have been possible without the incredible staff on the Rules Committee. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the names of all staff, Democratic and Republican, who have spent countless hours at the Rules Committee over the last 4 years working late at night, early in the morning, and every time in between to help bring legislation to the floor to improve the lives of the American people. Committee on Rules Staff in the 116th, and 117th Congresses Chairman James P. McGovern Matthew Bonaccorsi Cindy Buhl Jennifer Chandler Kim Corbin Eric Delaney Adam Duffy Jeff Gohringer Caitlin Hodgkins Lori Ismail Rose Laughlin Ana Martinez Lale Morrison Lauren Mueller Allie Neill Liz Pardue Nate Perkins Allie Polaski Matthew Price Samantha Russell Don Sisson Jessica Suh Dan Turton David Vince Ranking Republican Tom Cole Emily Ackerman Jennifer Belair Kelly Chambers Sarah Corley Matt Diller Chris Erb James Fitzella Hannah Gill Eric Shepard Steve Waskiewicz

Mr. McGOVERN. I also thank the House and Senate clerks who have been working around the clock trying to get the omnibus text to us as quickly as possible. Their work has not gone unnoticed. I think it is important for us to reflect on the hard work of the people who served all of us in this Congress, and I am proud to have worked with all of them on both sides of the aisle. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, after listening to that, it is clear he doesn't have the votes yet. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, for the record, the minority leader came to the floor and was criticizing community projects, and maybe he doesn't know this, let me inform him: that over 100 of his Members on the Republican side requested and received community projects, all of which I am happy to say were vetted. Maybe he is suggesting that they should all give them back because I know they are going to vote ``no'' on this bill and go home and do a press release and a press conference, but he ought to understand that. There is that saying, ``physician, heal thyself.'' The bottom line is that over 100 Members on that side requested community projects that were fully vetted--I am not questioning whether they are good or not--their communities requested them and they have community support. That is on your side. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House.

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

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

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I would tell the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins) that his veterans bill is included in this omnibus package. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, the decision before us today is clear. Either we choose to do the job the American people elected us to do and vote for a good bipartisan, bicameral bill, or we shut down the government 2 days before Christmas as a massive storm wreaks havoc on Americans' holiday travel plans. It is as simple as that. Games like the one House Republicans are playing by using this bill as a political wedge to threaten their counterparts in the Senate is equal parts dangerous and destructive. As Republican Senator Kevin Cramer said: ``The reality is this kind of chest-thumping and immaturity doesn't instill confidence in their ability to lead.'' You hear it all the time: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I will be one of the first to say that this bill isn't perfect. It doesn't address everything I wanted, nor does it address everything in the way I wanted. But it is a good bill. It was put together through hours of hard-fought negotiations that involved Members in both Chambers from both sides of the aisle. It is not anyone's fault but their own that House Republicans chose to walk away from the negotiating table. At the end of the day, we are here to legislate, to get stuff done. We are here to help the American people, and that requires us to keep the lights on. The last time Republicans held the majority in the House, they left us in a prolonged government shutdown that cost our country and taxpayers over $11 billion. I can promise you that the Democrats have no plan of letting that happen under our watch. We must pass this rule and the underlying bill and get it to the President's desk. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and the previous question. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1529 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Mrs. Fischbach), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 1529, providing for consideration of H.R. 9640 under a closed rule. The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means and one motion to recommit. The rule also provides for consideration of S. 1942 under a closed rule. It provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Natural Resources and one motion to recommit. The rule deems as passed House Resolution 693 and House Resolution 1434. It also provides the majority leader or his designee the ability to en bloc requested roll call votes on suspension bills considered on December 21 through December 23. Finally, the rule provides standard recess instructions starting December 23 through the remainder of the 117th Congress. Madam Speaker, it is a simple idea with profound implications, that no person in this country, regardless of the position you hold or the power you wield, is above the law, even perhaps especially the President of the United States. Today, we are considering H.R. 9640, the Presidential Tax Filings and Audit Transparency Act of 2022 to ensure that the great power of the Presidency is subject to proper oversight and public scrutiny. Frankly, we are codifying into law something that I and many other Americans thought was already happening, mandatory tax audits for the most powerful person in the country, followed by public disclosure of those taxes in the interest of transparency and public scrutiny. Look, this is not about Donald Trump. In fact, the only person right now who would be audited here is Joe Biden. This is about the simple idea that with great power comes the need for oversight and transparency. The bill we are considering today, H.R. 9640, codifies this mandatory audit program to give the American people faith that the President has to follow the same rules as everyone else. We are also considering S. 1942, the National Heritage Area Act. America's 55 national heritage areas are some of the greatest cultural, historical, natural treasures of the United States. In Massachusetts, we are lucky to have two, the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, which tells the epic story of the birth of the industrial revolution in America and the Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor, which preserves natural wonders and expansive forests and farmland within the Northeast corridor. The House version of this bill has overwhelming bipartisan support. I am pleased to say that last night the Senate cleared their version for our consideration. I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. McKinley) for their leadership on this issue and for their work to make sure the Congress doesn't lose sight of this bill before the end of the session. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I have no requests for time, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, as I said previously, S. 1942, the National Heritage Area Act should have been able to pass under suspension. It passed under a UC in the Senate. It is a straightforward bill. But the bottom line is that noncontroversial, bipartisan, bicameral bills that are brought under suspension oftentimes get defeated because my friends on the other side engage in some sort of a tantrum. We have just witnessed on the floor a series of suspensions that will get overwhelming support when members of their Freedom Caucus are demanding votes where bills will pass unanimously or maybe two contrarians on their side will vote ``no.'' A total waste of time. So, yes, we are bringing this National Heritage Area Act to the floor under a rule because it is important, and we want to get it passed. That is why we are utilizing this process. On H.R. 9460, the Presidential Tax Filing and Audit Transparency Act, this is about codifying something that, frankly, we all thought was happening already: the mandatory audit of Presidential taxes. The President of the United States is the leader of the free world, the most powerful person on this planet. The people of this country deserve to know what is in his or her taxes. If you don't want people to know what is in your taxes, it is simple: Don't run for President. This isn't about party politics. It isn't about Democrats versus Republicans, and it isn't about Donald Trump. In fact, the only person who would be audited as a result of this bill would be Joe Biden, unless of course, my colleagues plan to use their new majority to once again try to overturn the 2020 election and reinstate Donald Trump. This is about upholding the simple idea that no person is above the law and that the American people have a right to know whether or not their leaders are telling the truth on their taxes. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this rule and on the underlying bills. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, when the Committee on Rules filed its report (House Report 117-630) to accompany House Resolution 1518, the Committee was unaware that the waiver of all points of order against consideration of the motion to concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1437 included waivers of the following: Clause 10 of rule XXI, which prohibits consideration of a measure that has a net effect of increasing the deficit or reducing the surplus over the five- or 10-year period; Section 302(f) of the Congressional Budget Act, which prohibits consideration of legislation providing new budget authority in excess of a 302(a) or 302(b) allocation of such authority; and Section 306 of the Congressional Budget Act, which prohibits consideration of legislation within the jurisdiction of the Committee on the Budget unless referred to or reported by the Budget Committee.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Madam Speaker, if you go out behind almost any restaurant, hotel, grocery store, catering company, or even at some farms in America, you will find a dirty little secret that is as offensive as it is solvable; food waste. This bill, the Food Donation Improvement Act, has a simple goal: Make it easier for people with extra food to donate it to people in need. It has been a long and winding road to get here today. This was supposed to be a part of the omnibus bill. We have very broad bipartisan support from Democratic and Republican leaders on both sides of the Capitol. All four corners on the committees of jurisdiction, Senators Boozman and Stabenow, and our colleagues, Representatives Virginia Foxx and Bobby Scott signed off on this. Due to a clerical error, the text of the bill was left out, so we are trying to pass this as a freestanding bill. All we are doing here is making sure this truly bipartisan bill moves forward and gets to the President's desk. Hunger is not inevitable. We live in a land of abundance. There is plenty of food for everyone; so much so, in fact, that close to 40 percent of food that is perfectly good gets wasted in America. We don't have a shortage of food, we have a mismatch between abundance and need, a mismatch we can solve by passing this commonsense, bipartisan bill. This bill is so bipartisan because it is very clear that ambiguous, outdated laws are preventing people who have extra food from donating it to people who need extra food. All we are doing here is expanding protections to increase the quantity and efficiency of food donation efforts. Madam Speaker, after decades of work, we are moving in the right direction on hunger. The Biden administration has released a National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, identifying the need to reduce barriers to food recovery as part of their whole-of-government response. The Food Donation Improvement Act is an important step toward making that goal a reality. Again, I thank Leader Schumer, Senator Blumenthal, Senator Boozman, Chairwoman Stabenow, Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Bobby Scott, and my good friend, Ranking Member Virginia Foxx. I also thank Representatives Dan Newhouse, Chellie Pingree, and the late Jackie Walorski, for their support of this effort. I specifically recognize Alex Urry, Dick Meltzer, and Keith Stern, in the Speaker's Office; Carrie Hughes and Andre Lindsay of the Education and Labor Committee; and Caitlin Hodgkins and Jenn Chandler on my own team. I thank all the anti-hunger and environmental advocacy organizations, industry leaders, retailers, and food companies who fought so hard to pass this bill. I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this bipartisan bill that will prevent food from going to waste and get us closer to the goal of ending hunger in America once and for all.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, yesterday, the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 1519, providing for consideration of H.R. 8393, the Puerto Rico Status Act, under a closed rule. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Natural Resources and provides one motion to recommit. Madam Speaker, Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since the Jones- Shafroth Act of 1917. That is over 100 years the Puerto Rican people have been Americans. Yet, for those 100 years and more--in fact, going all the way back to the United States' annexation of the island in 1898--the U.S. Government has not guaranteed our fellow citizens on Puerto Rico the full and equal rights of citizens on the mainland. Puerto Rico has faced multilayered crises rooted in this century-long policy, crises that have been compounded in recent years by natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, and migration. Puerto Rico's current status prevents the island from enjoying full democracy at the national level. Puerto Rico's Delegate to Congress has limited voting rights, and the Puerto Rican people cannot vote in U.S. Presidential elections, even though the U.S. Government enacts and enforces their national laws and residents pay Federal taxes. Puerto Rico also cannot set its own monetary trade or immigration policy. They are unable to join international organizations or enter into international agreements, highlighting the complicated implications of the island's current status as a territory. Puerto Rico's status also limits the island economically. For example, in granting Puerto Rico the ability to restructure its debt in 2016, Congress established an oversight and management board that had the power to override decisions of the Governor and legislature of Puerto Rico. Look, it is time Congress recognizes that Puerto Rico has no interest in being a colony, just as we in the United States should have no interest in being a colonizing power in the year 2022. We are here today to consider a rule that would bring H.R. 8393, the Puerto Rico Status Act, to the floor. This bill details the transition to and the implementation of a nonterritory status for Puerto Rico, finally giving the people of Puerto Rico a choice to determine their own status. It tasks the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission to carry out a nonpartisan campaign to educate and inform voters before holding a referendum for Puerto Ricans to decide between statehood, independence, or independence followed by free association with the United States. I am proud to represent a vibrant Puerto Rican community in central Massachusetts, and many of my Puerto Rican constituents have family members still living on the island. Their family members, just like Americans on the mainland, deserve the right to self-determination. They ought to have an opportunity to carve their own path and build the future that they want. The Puerto Rico Status Act is the result of serious negotiation and careful compromise to clarify available status options and ensure a productive process. I am grateful to Chairman Grijalva, Chairwoman Velazquez, and Congresswoman Gonzalez-Colon, the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, for all the work that they have done to get us to this point. Ultimately, the people of Puerto Rico must decide on the island status, and it is up to us in Congress to help facilitate that process. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.