Mike Quigley

Mr. QUIGLEY

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, I urge opposition, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, pursuant to section 5 of House Resolution 460, as the designee of the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), I rise to offer amendments en bloc which are at the desk.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, the amendments included in the en bloc were made in order by the rule, and they have been agreed to by both sides. They improve the bill. I appreciate the collaborative approach that my friend from Georgia and I were able to take in constructing this package. I am particularly pleased to see amendments highlighting the important work being done with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the CDFI fund, and the HIDTA and Model Acts programs at the ONDCP. Importantly, the amendment also calls attention to unfortunate delays in placing Harriet Tubman's portrait on the $20 bill. This historic change in American currency would represent the first African American and the first woman featured on paper currency since Martha Washington. Another amendment speaks to the importance of combating unwanted robocalls intended to scam seniors. This aligns perfectly with the committee's direction in this bill to the FCC to provide a detailed plan to create a robocall division dedicated to holding fraudsters accountable as well as ensuring timely collection of penalties. The package also includes an amendment that addresses growing concerns regarding tech companies abusing the privacy of their customers, including the collection of data from children under the age of 13. Finally, I couldn't agree more with the importance of including postal delivery in rural areas. This is a priority that I also share and hope to continue having the cooperation of the Postal Service as we continue to rectify issues in my home district in Chicago and throughout the country. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, I always like being lectured on how I don't understand the debt and deficit. As one of, I think, 38 Members of this House to vote for Cooper- LaTourette, I understand those concerns, but any attempts to be serious about our debt and deficit must include a big, balanced, and bipartisan effort to address those matters, not going after one of the 12 smaller spending bills and saying, See. There, we did it. It would have to include appropriate revenues. It would have to include addressing all elements of this government, including the sacred cow of the defense budget. If you are going to address our Nation's debt and deficit, you have to look at the government as a whole. This is a similar measure to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin, only it is more destructive to the cuts it proposes to make across the board. I will not repeat the same talking points that I previously stated regarding the harm that such indiscriminate cuts would have on American families, businesses, and communities. I would just note this amendment proposes to cut more than $2 billion from this bill. This reduction would bring the bill below the funding level provided in fiscal year 2012 under a Republican-controlled Congress. Mr. Chair, this amendment is harmful. I urge my colleagues to oppose it. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch).

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I am going to begin by quoting an eminent Republican from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, because this argument and the timing of it reminds me of what took place in Illinois some time ago. One morning, Abraham Lincoln argued before the Illinois Supreme Court, and he made a point on a case. In the afternoon, arguing for another client, he spoke in exact opposition to the point he had made in the morning. When one of the justices pointed this out, he said: I have had time to reflect on that, and I changed my mind. Mr. Speaker, we have just witnessed the same thing. How in the world can we take their MTR seriously? Just a few moments ago, on an amendment proposed by Mr. Banks from Indiana, they voted ``yes'' on two amendments that would cut this account by 14 percent, a cut of $23.5 million. Apparently, they have had time to think about it and realized, perhaps, the error of their ways. In addition, I would say--and I loved working with the ranking member when he was chairman last year--he funded the same bill, as the chairman, wrote the bill and funded it by millions less than we are proposing today in our bill. Apparently, time changes our minds. I don't know where the gentleman will be 5 minutes from now or whether his passion for this will be as strong as it was a half an hour ago, but the underlying bill includes an increase of $8.7 million above FY19, where my friend from Georgia proposed this. I started with the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. I am going to end talking about this bill with the eminent philosopher from London, who I saw last week in Chicago, Mick Jagger. He said: You can't always get what you want, but if you try real hard, you get what you need. This bill isn't perfect, but it is a really good bill under trying circumstances. And what do you need if you try? We are funding the IRS up to $12 billion. We included $600 million for election security. Rather than eliminating, as the President proposed, Community Development Financial Institution grant programs, we boost them by $50 million. Instead of slashing funds for the Small Business Administration, we are increasing those funds. We are also boosting the ability to protect consumers and police bad actors by providing sorely needed additional funding to the agencies that need them. Finally, I think the most timely, important point is, when Mr. Mueller spoke to the American public for the first time about the report, he said this was a systematic attack on our democratic process by our adversary, and it has to be a bipartisan approach. This bill does that with $600 million to protect against an assault on who we are as a democracy. My colleagues need to support this bill and oppose this MTR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. QUIGLEY. I object.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the instructions of the House in the motion to recommit, I report the bill, H.R. 3351, back to the House with an amendment.

Mr. QUIGLEY

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Leor Torchman Auerbach for receiving the 2019 CityPAC Scoop Jackson Award. Her service for over 20 years as an advocate and leader in Chicago's pro-Israel community make her an ideal recipient for this honor. Since the 2000s, Leor has served as a long-time CityPAC board member, and her organizational and fundraising approach set the standard that CityPAC continues to emulate. She has served as the AIPAC Chicago co-chair of the Young Leadership Council and is AIPAC's Illinois council member. She leads Americans United in Support of Democracy which has organized more than 1,000 events to cultivate support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. As a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Leor is a friend and supporter to the entire community, and her activism is an inspiration and model for us all.

Mr. QUIGLEY

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As chairman of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, I first want to thank Ranking Member Tom Graves, the gentleman from Georgia, who I now have had the privilege of working with for a third year managing the bill. Our discussions have always been both valuable and productive, and I thank him for his partnership throughout this process. Of course, I always like to take the opportunity to thank the staff on both sides for all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. In my personal office, that includes Doug and Juan. On our committee staff on the majority side, that includes Laura, Marybeth, Elliot, Aalok, Parker, and Lisa, and for the minority, John Martens. The committee staff, in particular, sacrificed many long nights and weekends to get us to this stage. I am truly grateful, and I know Members on both sides share the same sentiment. The bill before us today provides $24.95 billion in total discretionary resources, including $400 million in adjustments for tax enforcement program integrity activities. The FSGG bill encompasses a wide range of programs, everything from the Internal Revenue Service to the Federal courts to the District of Columbia to the Small Business Administration. In total, the bill includes $12 billion for the IRS, an increase of more than 6 percent above the President's request, a good first step toward restoring cuts this agency has suffered for almost a decade. Notably, the bill almost doubles the amount provided in FY19 to the systems modernization account to support the IRS IT modernization efforts. Investing in the IRS will support more effective and efficient enforcement activities to help close the tax gap, improve taxpayer experience by reducing wait times, and increase support to those trying to navigate the complex Tax Code. My friend across the aisle speaks a lot about deficit reduction, and as a fiscal moderate, I understand and agree. But underfunding tax enforcement for all these years has been penny-wise and pound-foolish. The IRS generates $4 in revenue for every $1 in enforcement expenses. That is fiscally sound policy that we should all support. On the national security front, the bill also provides increases totaling $15.6 million for Treasury Department offices and programs focused on combating money laundering, enforcing sanctions, and countering the financing of terrorism. The bill includes funding for numerous important independent agencies critical to the operation of the entire Federal Government, as well as communities throughout the country. Let me highlight just a few of the many investments provided in this bill. One of the top priorities this year has been to help States and local governments meet the challenge of restoring the security and integrity of our elections. To this end, the bill includes $600 million in funding the Election Assistance Commission. Just last month, Special Counsel Robert Mueller described Russia's concerted attack on our political system in 2016, saying, ``There were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election.'' He detailed the Russian efforts and specified that they were designed and timed to interfere with and damage a Presidential candidate. It was a purposeful strategy involving sophisticated cyber techniques to influence the outcome of our election, the underpinning of American democracy whereby American citizens alone decide who represents them in government. Mr. Mueller concluded with a call to action, that the efforts to interfere in our election ``deserve the attention of every American.'' I couldn't agree more. This is not a partisan matter. If anything, the challenge of securing our election systems should unite all Americans. Another major priority in this bill has been to support the regulatory agencies funded in this bill, especially the financial regulatory agencies that protect consumers, taxpayers, and investors, and to help police Wall Street and prevent another financial meltdown. We boost funding for the Securities and Exchange Commission by $148 million above 2019, $104 million above the budget request. We also provide increases for the Federal Trade Commission to help refocus on preventing anticompetitive practices and for various inspector general offices that deal with financial matters. We give an $8.5 million increase to the Consumer Product Safety Commission to better protect our families from potentially dangerous products. The bill also makes targeted investments to make sure that small businesses on Main Street and low-income communities in too-often forgotten neighborhoods, both urban and rural, have access to the capital and assistance needed to thrive. For instance, this bill increases entrepreneurial development programs at the Small Business Administration by $34 million above 2019, to $280 million. Just as significant, this bill rejects the President's proposal to eliminate grant programs under the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, which directly supports the expansion of affordable housing, small business creation, and infrastructure growth in underserved and rural areas, in addition to supplying credit to revitalize neglected communities. Instead, the bill boosts funding by $50 million for this extremely successful and broadly bipartisan program. Ultimately, I am a capitalist who believes in the power of the free market economy. But I also believe there needs to be reasonable measures and checks in place to make sure our economy is benefiting everyone and not just a select few at the top. If you believe, as I do, that fraudsters shouldn't be able to manipulate markets and scam seniors of their hard-earned savings, and that you shouldn't have to be a Fortune 500 company to access affordable financing for your business, then you should support the investments this bill makes to empower everyday investors, consumers, and entrepreneurs. Finally, the bill takes significant steps toward reducing undue congressional interference in local D.C. affairs and eliminating restrictions on the District that do not apply to other parts of the Nation. Importantly, it ended the uniquely restrictive prohibition on the use of locally raised funds for abortion, thereby placing the District in the same position as the 50 States, in that regard. It also discontinues the ban on Federal funds for local needle exchange programs and allows the District to implement local law legalizing marijuana, as has been done in most States. In closing, I would like to reiterate how grateful I am to all the staff who helped put this product together. It is a bill that we all can be proud of, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano), the chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee and a member of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), the chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee and a member of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.

Mr. QUIGLEY. 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 H.R. 3351.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), the distinguished chairwoman of the full committee.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. QUIGLEY

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Torres), a member of the Financial Services Subcommittee.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, this amendment states that no funds may be used to force the SEC's conflict mineral rules which were required by section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Section 1502 was enacted to help support peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and combat a deadly conflict minerals trade that threatens the security of men, women, and children in eastern Congo. This rule requires that SEC-regulated firms that use tin, tantalum, tungsten, or gold in their products to publicly report whether they obtain their supplies of these key minerals from the Central African Republic region. If so, these companies must report the due diligence they exercised to ensure that these purchases did not benefit armed groups in the Congo. The conflict in this region has spawned numerous militias, some politically oriented and some primarily criminal, but all of which have been characterized by extreme human rights abuses. Since the rule was adopted, we have seen a significant reduction in armed group activity in many mining areas in eastern Congo and unprecedented improvements in the transparency of corporate mineral supply chains. This amendment would reverse that progress while allowing some of the world's deadliest armed groups to profit from lucrative conflict minerals. Let us not forget that conflict minerals are commonly used in the manufacturing of cellphones, jewelry, and airplanes. The goal of the rule is to prevent companies from buying these minerals from armed militant groups that kill and rape people in Congo and neighboring countries. Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment, I urge my colleagues to do the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Michigan.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, again, I want to restate that it has been a pleasure to work with my colleagues across the aisle, particularly the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Graves). In response to a couple of the ranking member's comments, if all we did was write a bill that we were convinced the President of the United States would support, we would just say: Well, what do you want us to introduce and what do you want to us approve? These are separate branches of government. It is our purpose to work on a bipartisan basis, recognizing where the President of the United States is on the issues, but to put together the best product we possibly can. When the Senate does the same, there will be differences, and that is what conference committees are all about. That is what, unfortunately, is somewhat lost in this town, is this sense of compromise and working together. I want to stress a few things. Special counsel has only spoken to this country directly once since he revealed his 2-year work product. And that was to tell us that we need to protect this country from further attack by the Russians on a democratic process. I think this bill does that in an extraordinarily appropriate fashion. As it references the school children of Washington, D.C., all we are suggesting in doing what we are doing, and providing extraordinary amounts of funding to do so, is that all the schools of Washington, D.C. that get Federal tax dollars have to follow the same rules. They have to play on the same level playing field. That is only fair to those children. It doesn't deny anyone access to the best education that is possible. So with those things in mind, I think, in referencing the District of Columbia, the last thing we can say is, just because we can micromanage them doesn't mean we should micromanage them. Nobody here was elected to the D.C. City Council. Unless it has extraordinary national policy implications, let them run their own government. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment. USF is an important and effective funding mechanism to ensure that all Americans have access to the broadband services necessary to fully participate in modern life. Not only does the USF subsidize broadband build-out in areas that would otherwise be too expensive to serve, but it includes Lifeline, a support program that ensures that communication services are not just accessible, but affordable. This FCC proposal was nothing but an unpopular and ill-advised effort to undermine the USF, even as the country continues to face deep and lasting disparities and access to modern communication service. Mr. Chair, for those reasons, I support the amendment.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright), a member of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.

Mr. QUIGLEY

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that in the engrossment of H.R. 3055, the Clerk be authorized to make technical and conforming changes to reflect the actions of the House.