Kevin McCarthy

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, before we get started, I would like to discuss a matter of deep importance to the gentleman and myself, of a dear friend, John Stipicevic. He is a trusted aide for many years on this floor, and he will be departing us. He wants to spend more time with his wife, Kristin, and their new baby, Lucy Grace. I would like to thank him for his service to this country and his service to this conference. I know he is a good friend, also, to the gentleman across the aisle.

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding again. Yes. As the gentleman knows, we just passed a CR moving into next Wednesday. It is our intention to have our work done and to not need to pass any further CRs.

Mr. McCARTHY. Yes. It is my intention that we will stay until we get our work done, but when we get our work done, we will depart for the holiday season.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, looking ahead to next week, Members are advised that no votes are expected in the House on Monday. Members are further advised that first votes of the week are expected on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., and it is my intent to stay until we get our work done.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I move to lay the appeal on the table.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I want to remind Members that there will be votes in the House on Friday, which I expect to end by early afternoon. Having said that, I want to advise the Members that votes are no longer expected in the House this weekend. However, Members should continue to keep their schedules flexible for possible votes in the House on Monday, and I will let Members know more details about that for next week as soon as possible.

Mr. McCARTHY. Yes. There will be no votes before 6:30, and I will let the gentleman know prior to departing on Friday whether we are in on Monday. Parliamentary Inquiries

Mr. McCARTHY. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, Members are advised that votes are expected in the House on Friday. Members are further advised that additional votes are possible through the weekend and as well on Monday. All Members are encouraged to keep their schedules flexible. I will provide more detailed timing information as soon as possible so that you may make necessary travel arrangements.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. As the gentleman knows, wrapping up legislative business in December is always unpredictable. In knowing that the omni is a larger bill, we want to allow plenty of time for Members to be able to see it and read it, but it is our intention to get it done by the deadline. If we have to move it a few days later, we shall. We are scheduled to be here until the 18th, but we will get our business done.

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. As the gentleman knows, negotiations are ongoing. The appropriators are working hard in trying to wrap up the bill, and I will advise the Members as soon as action is scheduled in the House.

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. No votes are expected in the House in order to accommodate Members going to the White House event. On Tuesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. Members are advised that the first votes of the week are expected mid-afternoon on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. On Thursday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes of the week are still to be determined, but Members are encouraged to keep their schedules flexible as we approach the end of the year. Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business tomorrow. Included will be a bill to make urgent and necessary changes to the Visa Waiver Program. H.R. 158, sponsored by Representative Candice Miller, will close loopholes in the visa waiver system to prevent terrorists from exploiting the system to come to America to wreak havoc. The House has identified a host of recommendations to improve the visa waiver system in a bipartisan way. I do want to thank the gentleman for his work and cooperation on this critical bill. In addition, the House will consider H.R. 2130, the Red River Private Property Protection Act, sponsored by Representative Mac Thornberry, which will provide legal certainty to property owners in Texas. Mr. Speaker, the House may also consider the conference report to H.R. 644, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, as well as a bill to extend certain provisions of the Tax Code. Additionally, it is possible that the House will consider an omnibus appropriations act. Finally, Mr. Speaker, the House may also consider budget reconciliation, if the Senate acts on that measure.

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Only if necessary. I would rather get it done by the 11th.

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. As the gentleman knows, this side of the aisle did not want to wait on tax extenders, and many times we have passed the bills here to make them permanent. There are ongoing negotiations. There is good movement, and I hope to see that done very soon. When it is, I will advise the Members of the action to be taking place.

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman. As the gentleman knows, at times, we have philosophical differences. I think the greater certainty we can give to the American public, the more they can keep in their pockets and the stronger the economy is. I do not believe that if we solve tax extenders that that harms us in any way in getting overall tax reform. But I do look forward to working with you on overall tax reform, and hopefully we can work in the same manner that we were able to on the Visa Waiver Program.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet on Monday, December 7, 2015, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank those who have worked on the bill, Congressman Richard Hudson, Chairman Mike McCaul, a number of other committee chairmen, Chairman Goodlatte, and others. Mr. Speaker, this is not an issue that comes before us just because of action that happened recently--a horrific action. Mr. Speaker, our duty is to protect the American people. Without security, we cannot have freedom. Without security, we cannot help others abroad. The American people are generous, and we want to help those in the world suffering from terrorism and civil war. The fact that America gives far more in foreign aid than any other country in the world is a testament to our generosity. In 2014, we gave over $6.5 billion in humanitarian foreign aid alone. That doesn't even count the millions of dollars that privately have been offered by American people. But, Mr. Speaker, being generous does not mean we have to have a weak screening process for refugees, especially for those coming from Iraq and Syria where we know people are there who seek to do us harm and are looking to exploit a weak process. It is wrong to condemn a strong screening process using the language of charity and morality. When we allow refugees into this country, we must be guided by one single principle: If you are a terrorist or you are a threat to our country, you are not getting in, period. The bill before us increases the standards to keep those who want to do us harm out. But America is not saying ``no'' to refugees. America always stands as a beacon of hope for everyone fleeing oppression and terror. Nothing will stop us from protecting the innocent while continuing our fight against evil. Instead, this bill puts a pause on our refugee program until we are certain that nobody being allowed in poses a threat to the American people. To those who do not even want to consider increasing accountability in our refugee process--and to the President, who announced that he wants to veto this bill--let me tell you this: It is against the values of our Nation and the values of a free society to give terrorists the opening they are looking for to come into our country and harm the American people, and we have an obligation to stop that from happening. In the debate we are having on the refugee crisis, we should not lose sight of the root of the problem. The real problem is ISIL and our lack of strategy to destroy them. It astounds me that the President refuses to face reality and admit that his strategy is failing. ISIL controls territory the size of Maryland. Attacks in Paris, Beirut, and Egypt show that ISIL is not contained to Iraq and Syria. Every day ISIL continues to exist is another day they can train, recruit, and radicalize more people to continue their war on the civilized world and threaten the safety of the American people. Mr. Speaker, this danger is real, and nothing can replace a winning strategy. Here in the House, we will not accept half measures. We are committed to keeping America safe. That is why I ask all in the House to support this bill.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, today America stands at the beginning of a new era of innovation and adventure. Scientists, engineers, astronauts, and entrepreneurs are working in the deserts of California to embark on the next phase of our journey into space, and today we have the opportunity to aid them in that journey. Completing consideration of the SPACE Act in this Chamber today will help ensure America remains the leader in space exploration and innovation in the 21st century. Mr. Speaker, we are here today thanks to the hard work of Chairman Smith, his committee and their staff, especially Chris Wydler and Tom Hammond. I want to especially thank George Caram from my staff for his work as well. Because of their commitment after months of negotiations following the House passage of the original bill earlier this year, the SPACE Act passed out of the Senate unanimously. I look forward to the passage of this bill on the House floor today with similarly strong bipartisan support, and I urge my colleagues to vote with me to move America into the future. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), the chairman of the Space Subcommittee.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the esteemed chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 2262) to facilitate a pro-growth environment for the developing commercial space industry by encouraging private sector investment and creating more stable and predictable regulatory conditions, and for other purposes.

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

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Posey).

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. America is a Nation uniquely called to explore the final frontier. We are born adventurers with a spirit of freedom and curiosity unmatched in human history. And that spirit is aided by the wealth of intelligence so deep that we continue to lead the world in advancement of technology and science. When the Wright brothers flew over the beaches of Kitty Hawk and Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, they were supported by the spirit of freedom and a structure of laws that urged them to realize their dreams and change the world at the same time. But the work of realizing our full potential is only just beginning. We are still paying Russia $70 million every time we send one of our astronauts to the Space Station. Our commercial pioneers can and want to fulfill this role, but they need our help. The SPACE Act will help. This bill will unite law with innovation, allowing the next generation of pioneers to experiment, learn, and succeed without being constrained by premature regulatory action. It ensures that anyone or anything impacted by flight or flight experiments are protected, and it keeps us competitive by providing much needed flexibility in permitting and licensing, facilitating an environment that allows for swift and effective improvements in safety and reliability. With this law, I have great hope for the future of space exploration. Whenever I visit the Mojave Air and Space Port, where so many of our advancements are happening, I am overwhelmed by the feeling that the future is now. Upon the firm foundation of the SPACE Act, I know they and others will lead us far and that our limits are only bounded by what we can imagine as we continue our journey to the stars. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Bridenstine).