Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1519 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam 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. 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. This shouldn't be controversial. We are not deciding the fate of Puerto Rico. We are setting a process in place so that the people who live on the island can make that decision. Listening to my colleague's speech, as he mentions Democrat, Democrat, Democrat, Democrat, you would never know that this compromise was actually written in conjunction with the Republican--let me repeat that--with the Republican Delegate from Puerto Rico. So I don't understand what the big fuss is about. But if my friend believes that the people of Puerto Rico should decide their future, then he should support this bill which will set in place a process so they can determine their future. If the gentleman doesn't, if he continues to believe that we should act like a colonizer, then vote ``no'' on the bill. But this is the commonsense thing to do. One other thing we heard him say, they are taxpayer-funded elections. All of our elections proceed with the support of taxpayer funds. I don't understand what that is all about. But the bottom line is that people of Puerto Rico do pay taxes. In any event, this really is about self-determination, and it is that simple. I hope that my colleagues will not only support the rule but also the underlying bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I will close.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I don't even know where to start in response to all of that. Let me, first of all, inform Members about what the legislative history of the bill that we want to bring to the floor is because if you listen to the gentleman, Madam Speaker, you would think that it just came out of nowhere. On July 15, 2022, Chairman Grijalva introduced H.R. 8393, the Puerto Rico Status Act, with original cosponsors Chairwoman Velazquez, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon--I will remind my friend, again, that she is a Republican Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico--and Representative Darren Soto of Florida. The Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on April 14, 2021, titled: ``Insular Affairs Legislative Hearing on Puerto Rico Political Status,'' and a hearing on June 16, 2021, titled: ``Office of Insular Affairs Legislative Hearing.'' On July 20, 2022, the full committee met and held a markup of the bill and favorably reported it with an amendment in the nature of a substitute by a vote of 25-20 with Resident Commissioner Gonzalez-Colon joining the majority. So the idea that somehow nobody has been talking about this doesn't reflect what the legislative history is. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record an AP article from June 4, 2022, titled: ``Puerto Ricans speak out on U.S. territory's political status.'' Puerto Ricans Speak Out on US Territory's Political Status (By Danica Coto) San Juan, PR (AP).--Hundreds of Puerto Ricans crowded into a convention center Saturday where federal legislators held a public hearing to decide the future of the island's political status as the U.S. territory struggles to recover from hurricanes, earthquakes and a deep economic crisis. One by one, dozens of people ranging from politicians to retirees to young people leaned into a microphone and spoke against the island's current territorial status, which recognizes its people as U.S. citizens but does not allow them to vote in presidential elections, denies them certain federal benefits and allows them one representative in Congress with limited voting powers. The hearing comes two weeks after a group of Democratic congress members including the House majority leader and one Republican proposed what would be the first-ever binding plebiscite that would offer voters in Puerto Rico three options: statehood, independence or independence with free association, whose terms would be defined following negotiations. Congress would have to accept Puerto Rico as the 51st state if voters so choose it, but the proposal is not expected to survive in the Senate, where Republicans have long opposed statehood. ``Everyone, even congress people themselves, know that the possibilities of this becoming law are minimal and maybe non- existent, but it doesn't stop being important,'' former Puerto Rico governor Anibal Acevedo Vila told The Associated Press. About an hour into the hearing, a small group of people including a former gubernatorial candidate who supports independence burst into the ballroom, pointed fingers at the panel of U.S. legislators and yelled, ``120 years of colonialism!'' The majority of the audience booed the group and yelled at them to leave as U.S. lawmakers called for calm. ``Democracy is not always pretty, but it's necessary,'' said Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, chairman of the U.S. House of Natural Resources Committee, which oversees affairs in U.S. territories. The proposal of a binding plebiscite--a measure that has not yet been introduced in committee--has frustrated some on an island that already has held seven unilateral, nonbinding referendums on its political status, with no overwhelming majority emerging. The last referendum was held in November 2020, with 53 percent of votes for statehood and 47 percent against, with only a little more than half of registered voters participating. Luis Herrero, a political consultant, said during the hearing that even if enough people support statehood, there are not enough votes in the Senate to make Puerto Rico a state: ``Not today, not yesterday, not tomorrow. Since 1898, Puerto Rican statehood has been a mirage, lip service to score cheap political points or to raise a few dollars for a campaign.'' Saturday's hearing comes amid ongoing discontent with Puerto Rico's current political status, with the U.S. Supreme Court further angering many in April after upholding the differential treatment of residents of Puerto Rico. In an 8-1 vote, the court ruled that making Puerto Ricans ineligible for the Supplemental Security Income program, which offers benefits to blind, disabled and older Americans, did not unconstitutionally discriminate against them. As a result, many of those who spoke at Saturday's public hearing welcomed the proposed binding plebiscite. ``We finally see the light at the end of the tunnel,'' said Victor Perez, a U.S. military veteran who lamented the current political status. ``Even after all our service and sacrifice, we come back home and we are denied full voting rights and equality. . . . We cannot vote for our president, our commander in chief, (but) they send us to war.'' Grijalva said the testimonies given Saturday will help him and other legislators revise the proposed measure, which he said is a way to make amends. He said he hopes it will go to the House floor by August. If eventually approved, it would be held on Nov. 5, 2023. Acevedo, the former governor, said he hasn't lost hope despite numerous attempts throughout the decades to change the political status of Puerto Rico, which became a U.S. territory in 1898 following the SpanishAmerican War. ``A solution to this problem of more than 120 years has to happen at some point,'' he said. ``When will conditions allow for it? That's unpredictable.''

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, it is clear something needs to change. Puerto Ricans don't want to continue under the island's territorial status for many reasons--namely because while the status recognizes its people as U.S. citizens, it doesn't allow them to vote in Presidential elections, denies them certain crucial Federal benefits, and limits their congressional Representative's voting power. The Puerto Rico Status Act is a good solution that will allow Puerto Ricans to decide themselves what the next steps should be. We should give them that opportunity. The gentleman talked about process in terms of how this House is being operated. Let me remind the gentleman--and let me remind all my colleagues--that the last time the Republicans were in charge of the House, the Senate, and the White House--they controlled everything, and I mean everything--the last time they did that, do you know what they did? They shut the government down and walked away. That is not responsible governing. That was unconscionable. And leading up to that government shutdown in the Rules Committee we had an emergency meeting, on what? Cheese. Don't even ask me to explain that, but that is what they did. They had an emergency meeting in the Rules Committee, and it was a meeting on cheese. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a HuffPost article titled: ``House Republicans Called Emergency Meeting On Cheese As Shutdown Approached.'' [From HuffPost, Dec. 22, 2018] House Republicans Called Emergency Meeting on Cheese as Shutdown Approached (By Amy Russo) As the federal government was heading for a shutdown Friday night, House Republicans called an emergency meeting. Plot twist: it was about cheese. During her broadcast that evening, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow appeared astonished while reporting on the gathering, which was arranged so that lawmakers could discuss the Curd Act, a proposal to allow some cheeses to be advertised as ``natural'' despite having artificial ingredients. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) was clearly irked, feeling the timing was pretty inconvenient. ``This is an emergency meeting that we're having here and I've seen some surreal things around this place, but this is really something,'' McGovern said. ``Vital parts of our government are about to shut down in just a few hours, and the Republicans have called an emergency meeting on cheese.'' Venting his frustration with Republicans in the room, McGovern wondered whether his colleagues had thought about how the meeting would look to the public, which would soon be faced with the third shutdown of the year. ``I mean, has anybody considered how ridiculous this is or how bad the optics are as the American people are watching what's going on here?'' he asked. ``By all means, if you think the most important thing we have to discuss right now is cheese, I'll let you have at it.'' Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) eventually jumped in to defend the meeting, calling the cheese bill ``important to small business,'' then eventually segueing into the issue of funding for the southern border wall, the key matter that prompted the shutdown. ``We are being overrun on our southern border,'' Sessions declared. That's when McGovern piped up, appearing confused, asking, ``There's no wall in this bill, right?'' ``It is important,'' Sessions argued back, clarifying that he was ``not talking about the wall of cheese.''

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, my Republican colleagues seem to be confused about why we are moving quickly here. Let me explain that simply in the last few hours that they were in charge, as I said, they called an emergency meeting on cheese. Don't get me wrong. I love cheese just as much as everybody else in this Chamber does. But I think the systematic disenfranchisement of millions of American citizens is a little bit more important than cheese. Maybe my Republican colleagues disagree. I also point out that this is not the last day of this Congress. We will be here to complete our business on an omnibus appropriations bill. But I want the American people to understand how my Republican friends have acted in these last few days. We are still trying to work out the details of this government spending bill. We are working with Republicans and trying to come up with some sort of an accommodation. We need a little bit more time. What we voted on yesterday was a continuing resolution to keep the government running a few more days so we don't have a shutdown and to work out the details. It is not the final package. Lots of stuff still remains to be figured out. But what we said is that we need to pass a short-term continuing resolution for a few days so that we can work out those details and so we don't shut the government down and cause all kinds of chaos because we know what government shutdowns do. I think it is really interesting for people to understand that 201 Republicans voted to shut the government down. If they succeeded, then the government would shut down tomorrow. They voted to shut the government down-- Who does that? What are they thinking? All because there is a small group of people here in the House whose allegiance to Trump and the hard-line rightwing fringe of the Republican Party say they don't want to have any kind of deal. They don't want to govern. They would rather shut the government down costing the economy billions and billions of dollars, causing all kinds of uncertainty, and hurting the American people. They did that before. If they had their way, then the government would be shut down tomorrow. Talk about irresponsible. So I also should point out that every Democrat--215 Democrats--who voted yesterday voted to keep the government running. So apparently, Members of the Republican Party do not think they are responsible for governing. They vote ``no'' on everything--on everything--and they criticize us for the way we do the job that they won't do. We heard the gentleman criticize President Biden for dealing with the drug crisis at the border, for actually seizing fentanyl. He is getting criticized because we are seizing it at the border. Really? Madam Speaker, this is simple. The legislation that this rule will bring to the floor gives the people of Puerto Rico a choice--one that they deserve--to determine their status. It is past time we provide them this opportunity to decide for themselves what kind of relationship they want with the United States moving forward. So that is what this rule will do. It will bring that bill to the floor. Before I close, Madam Speaker, I would just, again, urge my Republican friends: stand up to the Freedom Caucus, stand up to the hard-line rightwing in your conference who says ``no'' to everything. Put the American people first. Put people over politics. That is something that I think is not an unreasonable request. The idea that over 200 of my friends voted to shut the government down yesterday? Give me a break. So we are going to do our work, and we are going to pass this bill today. We are going to get to an agreement on an omnibus bill that will help the American people. That will be next week. And we are going to do our job because we believe our job is to govern. That is the responsible thing to do, not shut the government down. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1156) expressing the commitment of the House of Representatives to building on the twenty years of success of the George McGovern-Robert Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1156. Today, we are considering this legislation, calling on Congress to build on the 20 years of success of the George McGovern-Robert Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. McGovern-Dole is one of America's signature child nutrition and food security programs. It is named after Senators George McGovern and Bob Dole, both of whom worked tirelessly and in a bipartisan way to end hunger among children in the United States and around the world. They continued their work together after leaving the Senate, living examples of what can be accomplished when Members of Congress put partisanship aside and make the welfare of children and families their number one priority. In that bipartisan tradition, I am proud to stand here today with my Republican colleague and co-lead on this resolution, Congressman Tracey Mann. I am grateful to each of the 86 bipartisan cosponsors of this resolution. I also want to honor and recognize our former colleague, the incredible Jo Ann Emerson, who was my co-lead in 2001 when the McGovern-Dole legislation was first introduced and later established by Congress in the 2002 farm bill. Over the past 20 years, McGovern-Dole has provided lifesaving meals in a school setting to over 31 million of the world's most vulnerable children, providing U.S. and international organizations with American commodities, grants, and technical assistance to strengthen child nutrition and education. Working through partners like the World Food Programme, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, Save the Children, Counterpart International, and many more, McGovern-Dole has reduced hunger and increased school enrollments, attendance, literacy, and the support of families and communities for education, especially for girls. America's farmers are vital to the success of the McGovern-Dole Program. Over the past 20 years, more than 1.3 million metric tons of U.S. commodities have been used to create nutritious, culturally appropriate school meals in over 48 countries. But just as important as the statistics, perhaps even more important, are the stories. I remember in Colombia, I visited a program in Soacha, on the outskirts of Bogota. On barren hillsides, surrounded by shanties housing thousands of internally displaced families, children were receiving school breakfast and lunch. Mothers and grandmothers were training as cooks, preparing the meals. Clearly visible in the cafeteria were USDA and USAID bags of grains, beans, and lentils. One mother came up to me and said: ``Please thank the American people when you go back home. I couldn't feed my children. I couldn't send them to school. I was afraid my son was going to join the paramilitaries or the guerillas just to get food. Now, my son is getting fed, and he is staying in school. Please tell the American people thank you.'' In Nairobi, Kenya, in the largest slum in the world, I went to a McGovern-Dole breakfast and lunch program. The school principal showed me how they store and prepare the U.S. commodities that feed her students and how all the students know that this is a program from the American people. I ate porridge made from American yellow peas. The kids dug into the food like it was manna from heaven. One little boy would take a bite and then scoop a small amount out of his bowl and put it in his pockets. He was taking food home to his younger siblings who don't get anything to eat. Madam Speaker, McGovern-Dole represents the very best of this country. It is something the American people should be proud of, a powerful message to the world about who we are and what we stand for, not only freedom of speech, freedom of religion, or freedom of the press, but also freedom from want, freedom from fear, and freedom from hunger. There are many ways to advance our national security and economic interests abroad. This program ought to be at the top of the list. As we confront the global challenges of war, pandemic, and climate change, food security and nutrition programs must remain at the forefront of international development and humanitarian work. I urge my colleagues to visit McGovern-Dole programs when they travel abroad. I urge them to support funding that expands and builds upon these 20 years of success. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 1156, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the distinguished chair of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Hayes), my distinguished colleague.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I have one additional speaker, but I don't see her. I yield myself the balance of my time to close. First of all, let me thank the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann) for his support of this resolution and for his advocacy on behalf of the McGovern-Dole program. As we listened to the back-and-forth here today, it is really quite inspiring to see the breadth of the bipartisanship here, that we are all dedicated to trying to deal with this horrific problem of childhood hunger around the world. Hunger is a political condition. We have the resources, the funds, and the infrastructure. We have everything we need to eradicate hunger in this country and across the planet. What we have lacked is the political will. The McGovern-Dole program was inspired by George McGovern and Bob Dole, a liberal Democrat from South Dakota and a conservative Republican from Kansas. Their efforts together have made a dent in childhood hunger. It has made a huge difference. It has allowed more young kids, especially girls, to go to school, to become literate, to be able to get an education, to be able to succeed in their countries. It is so incredible when you travel and you see a McGovern-Dole project anywhere in the world, how grateful people are to the people of the United States for supporting this. Parents are the same everywhere. We all want to make sure that our kids are safe, that they are fed, that they have a good future. What this program does is, it helps parents ensure that their kids' future is bright. I believe that when we talk about national security, it has to be more than just about the number of bombs we have. It has to be about how we alleviate these global challenges like hunger, and in this case, childhood hunger. That is the way we build a more secure and a more stable world. I am proud of all the organizations that have participated in the McGovern-Dole program. I am proud of all those who have helped administer the McGovern-Dole program, and I am proud to serve with colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, who support this important initiative. I will close simply by saying, this is not only a good program, it is a great program. At a time when people wonder where the bipartisanship is in Washington, here is an example where we can bring people together. I know I mentioned her briefly in the beginning, but I do want to acknowledge our former colleague, Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson from Missouri. She was a strong partner in this effort early on, in getting the legislation that established McGovern-Dole up and running, and I can't ever thank her enough. To all my colleagues, please support H. Res. 1156, and please let us all commit to doing more to eradicate hunger and food insecurity here in the United States and around the world in the year to come. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1508 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. 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. 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. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 1508, providing for consideration of two measures: H.R. 3648 and H.R. 7946. The rule provides for consideration of both H.R. 3648 and H.R. 7946 under structured rules with 1 hour of debate each equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary, self-executes a manager's amendment from Chairman Nadler for H.R. 3648, makes in order one amendment for each bill, and provides one motion to recommit for each measure. The rule provides the majority leader or his designee the ability this week to en bloc requested roll call votes on suspensions. The rule also provides that roll call votes on suspension bills considered on December 5 may be postponed through December 8. Lastly, the rule provides same-day authority for any rule reported through the remainder of the 117th Congress. Mr. Speaker, today we will consider two bills to reform our immigration system. Our current laws that govern employment-based and family-sponsored immigration visas desperately need updates. Estimates suggest that more than 880,000 people are in the green card backlog because of how broken our system is. H.R. 3648, the Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment, or EAGLE, Act of 2022 begins to address the extensive green card backlog. The legislation eliminates per-country caps on employment-based visas and raises per-country caps for family-based visas to 15 percent. The other bill up for consideration today is H.R. 7946, the Veteran Service Recognition Act. It improves naturalization for noncitizens who served in our country's military. It seems straightforward to me. If you have risked your life to protect and defend this country, you and your family deserve every opportunity to become U.S. citizens, if desired. Now, while these two bills offer important reforms to our immigration system, I still personally believe there are also other urgent immigration issues that need to be addressed before the 117th Congress adjourns. We need residency for Dreamers, these young people who have known no other home but the United States. We must provide secure, stable immigration for agricultural workers who ensure food reaches our tables. We should recapture existing visas that have gone unused so we can really make a sizable dent in reducing immigration backlogs. And we need to regularize the status of long-term TPS holders who have been here for decades and are important members of our local communities. Republicans always talk about issues within our immigration system, but so far none have come to the table with any meaningful, realistic, or productive solutions that would help fix it. They can't get to ``yes'' on anything. They demonize immigrants. They scapegoat immigrants, and rather than fix the challenges of our system, they use immigration as a wedge issue. Democrats, on the other hand, want comprehensive immigration reform. We are ready, willing, and able to work with anyone who seriously wants to get something done. It is time for our colleagues across the aisle to join us in this effort. These bills today are just the start, and my hope is that we are able to make more progress on this front before the end of the year. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me just say that here is the problem: We just heard from my colleague from Minnesota that Republicans are more interested in gimmicky amendments and sound bites as a way to try to get people to do nothing. I mean, they are the party of ``no'' when it comes to immigration. My colleague says somehow that the Democrats are blocking attempts to ban people associated with communist or totalitarian parties, that somehow we want to admit them into this country. Well, here is the reality, and this is the fact, and people can check this: Current law says individuals associated with a communist or totalitarian party are already inadmissible under section 212(a)(3)(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. That is the current law. At some point maybe my friends on the other side will want to help fix the immigration system, rather than just demagogue the issue over and over and over again. This is an issue, by the way, that is important to our economic well- being. Our business community wants these bills passed in part because they are having a tough time trying to fill current jobs. So we can demagogue the issue, and if that is what you want to do, fine; or you can actually legislate and get something done. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, again, on traffickers and gun smugglers, and you name it, those things are already illegal, but whatever. It is not worth getting into it. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers on my side, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Let me remind all my colleagues that the Veteran Service Recognition Act is actually supported by the American Legion, one of our leading veterans' organizations in this country, but I guess that is not enough for some of my Republican colleagues again saying ``no'' to everything. Mr. Speaker, the EAGLE Act and the Veteran Service Recognition Act provide necessary reforms that will improve our immigration system. I know so much more can be done--as I said before, we need to do more-- but these two bills are small steps that we can take now to help clear backlogs and ensure that those who not only have played by the rules, but have sacrificed in the service of our Nation can become citizens. They are important policies that should become law. I read today that some of my friends on the other side of the aisle are urging their next leader--I don't know who it will be--to use the debt ceiling not only to cut Social Security and Medicare and a whole bunch of other programs that are vital, including nutrition programs, but they want to use it as leverage to go after immigrants to mess up our immigration system even more. What a rotten way to legislate, to use the debt ceiling as an excuse to try to derail government. We already know what the Republicans are capable of doing. The last time they were in charge of the House and the Senate and the White House, they shut the government down and they left. That is their idea of responsible governing. Well, we shouldn't be using the debt ceiling as leverage. We should actually be paying our bills that we have accumulated. If you don't like the spending--I didn't like Donald Trump's tax cut that benefited mostly wealthy people in this country; I nonetheless voted to increase the debt ceiling because we had accumulated all of that debt because of that terrible tax cut geared to the rich. It is the responsible thing to do. It really is kind of disturbing to hear some of the priorities of my Republican friends. As I said before, their policy on immigration has been consistent. Demagogue, demagogue, demagogue. Fix nothing. They blame immigrants for everything. It is raining out today; they will blame immigrants. Having a fight with their spouse; well, it must be the fault of immigrants. Having a bad day; let's blame immigrants. That is their MO. That is what they have done, and it really is offensive. It betrays the highest values of this country. The two bills before us are modest. There is much more we need to do. As I said, we need to help the Dreamers. We need to fix the issue for our TPS holders. We owe that to them. Mr. Speaker, let me close by saying that we are going to spend the next few weeks legislating and delivering for the American people, and I urge some of my colleagues to join with us in getting things done, or they can simply do what they usually do and complain and complain and demagogue and demagogue. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and on the previous question.

Mr. McGOVERN. 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, yesterday the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 1404, making in order a motion offered by the chair of the Committee on Appropriations, or her designee, to concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 6833. The rule provides 1 hour of debate on the motion equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations. The rule further provides for consideration of H.R. 8987, the Fairness for 9/11 Families Act, under a closed rule. The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary, and provides one motion to recommit. Madam Speaker, I am sure we will have a spirited debate on this rule, but before we do, I want to begin by expressing my heartfelt sympathy for the people of Florida. The catastrophic devastation left behind by Hurricane Ian is unlike anything we have seen in quite some time. Our hearts are with those whose lives have been lost and their loved ones, and we pray for those who are missing that they will be located safely and soon. If there is one thing we know, it is that the people of Florida are strong. This is not their first hurricane. They will recover and they will come back stronger than ever. I want to thank all of the first responders who have sprung into action to save lives: from local police, fire, and EMS, all the way up to our Federal response at FEMA. The people of Florida ought to know that America stands with them. Part of standing with the people of Florida is passing this important legislation to keep the government open during this critical moment. Madam Speaker, with less than 24 hours until the end of the fiscal year, today we are here to do our job. We, in Congress, have a responsibility to the American people to keep the lights on. In addition to preventing the furlough of thousands of Federal employees, averting a shutdown will also ensure that our constituents can continue to receive the vital government services that they need. The last shutdown, when the Republicans were in charge of the House and the Senate and the White House, was the longest shutdown in our history. It cost our economy an astounding $11 billion. In contrast, Democrats are doing our job. We are keeping the government open as we finish up bipartisan, bicameral negotiations on a longer-term fiscal year 2023 appropriations package. This CR also provides Ukraine with the security, economic, and humanitarian assistance that they need to fight back against Russia's brutal invasion. With Russia holding fake elections to annex parts of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people urgently need our support to protect their families and defend global democracy. Finally, Madam Speaker, I mentioned earlier the devastating hurricane in Florida. We also just had an awful hurricane in Puerto Rico. The people of Puerto Rico are still reeling from the damage of Hurricane Fiona. Also, the people of Alaska are recovering from a terrible typhoon. This bill contains money to support communities across the United States as they recover from natural disasters. Madam Speaker, we are talking about hurricane relief for God's sake. I am begging my Republican friends, can we please at least come together on providing relief to communities devastated by hurricanes? Can we all agree that we ought not shut the government down in the middle of a major natural disaster response? The funding in this bill will help families and small businesses get back on their feet and rebuilt from extreme weather events while repairing damage to critical infrastructure. This is a bipartisan bill, Madam Speaker. It earned 72 votes in the Senate. I don't think you can get 72 votes in the Senate on what to have for lunch, let alone on government funding legislation. Madam Speaker, I am going to again plead with my colleagues, do not vote against additional funding to help people recover from hurricane damage, please, especially my Republican friends from Florida. A vote against this CR is a vote against funding for help with hurricane recovery in your own State. I just hope that we are not at the point where we have become so partisan and so polarized that we can't even agree on this. Madam Speaker, this rule also includes H.R. 8987, the Fairness for 9/ 11 Families Act. This bill will ensure thousands of 9/11 families and victims who received some but not all of the compensation that they deserve are made whole. Both of these measures deserve broad support today. Americans are depending on us to get this done. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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