Lucille Roybal-Allard

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise again to urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question on the rule, amend it, and make in order H.R. 861. We are just 3 days away from the Department of Homeland Security being without the funds it needs to protect our Nation. Secretary Johnson and agency heads have warned us that if the continuing resolution to fund the Department expires, national security operations will be disrupted and essential personnel will be required to work without pay. They also warn that passing another CR will not address the uncertainty of being able to meet our long-term security needs. Democrats have a responsible solution. Two weeks ago, Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Nita Lowey and I introduced H.R. 861, which contains the precise language of the November 2014 bipartisan bill negotiated in good faith by the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittees. H.R. 861 is cosponsored by every House Democrat. This bill would pass the House, pass the Senate, and be signed into law by the President. All it needs is for the Republican leadership to do the responsible thing and bring H.R. 861 to the floor for a vote. By doing this, we will demonstrate to the American people that we know our Nation's security takes priority over politics and unrelated policy debates. To let funding for Homeland Security expire or, instead of a full- year funding bill, take the easy way out by kicking a viable solution down the road with a continuing resolution, is to fail the American people and the trust that they have placed in us as Members of Congress to protect them and our country from harm. Let's pass H.R. 861 today.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, in December of 2014, as leverage against the President's immigration executive order, the Republican leadership irresponsibly decided to hold hostage the 2015 funding for the Department of Homeland Security. We are now 147 days in fiscal year 2015, just 4 days away from February 28, when the continuing resolution currently funding the Department will expire. The serious consequence of inaction by the Republican leadership is that it will leave the Department without the funds needed to effectively fulfill its mission of protecting our homeland. It is unbelievable that given the urgency of our national security, House Republicans continue failing to put forward a realistic plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Mistakenly, some Republicans believe the Department is doing just fine under the continuing resolution. Some even say it is okay to let DHS funding expire. Other Republicans suggest the preliminary Texas district court injunction, which blocks implementation of the President's executive action on immigration, is reason enough to continue holding hostage the funding for Homeland Security. These are dangerously wrong conclusions. Secretary Johnson and agency heads have warned that if the CR is allowed to expire, national security operations will be disrupted, and essential personnel will be required to work without pay. They also warn passing another CR will not address the uncertainty of being able to meet our long-term national security needs. Our national security cannot wait for the unrelated issue of the President's executive actions on immigration to work its way through the judicial process which, at best, is likely to take several months. By contrast, Democrats have a responsible solution. Two weeks ago, Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Nita Lowey and I introduced H.R. 861. It is a clean appropriations bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security for the remainder of fiscal year 2015. It is not a Democratic bill. If it were, it would more closely reflect Democratic priorities. Rather, H.R. 861 contains the precise language of the November 2014 bipartisan bill negotiated in good faith by chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittees. This is the bill that was intended to be part of the 2015 omnibus legislation that funded the rest of the Federal Government. It is the bill that will enable the Department of Homeland Security to address our Nation's current and most pressing security needs. I am pleased that H.R. 861 is cosponsored by every Democrat in the House, and we urge our Republican colleagues to join us. This bipartisan, bicameral bill will pass the House, pass the Senate, and be signed into law by the President. All it needs is for the Republican leadership to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Surely our Nation need not experience attacks like those in Paris and Copenhagen before we show our resolve to fund our Department of Homeland Security. Let us not wait around and hope Senate Republicans do the responsible thing. House Republicans should lead by bringing H.R. 861 for a vote and making it clear to the American people that our Nation's security takes priority over political and unrelated policy debates. Failure to do so and letting funding for Homeland Security expire or taking the easy way out by kicking a viable solution down the road with a continuing resolution represents a failure in fulfilling our most basic responsibility as Members of Congress: to protect the American people and our country from harm. Let's pass H.R. 861 today.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise to urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question on the rule so it can be amended to make in order House consideration of H.R. 861, the clean, bipartisan Homeland Security Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2015. As we have been reminded by previous speakers, today is February 12, 135 days into fiscal year 2015, and there are only 16 days remaining until the current CR expires. Of these days, the House is scheduled to be in session only 5. If some of my colleagues have a sense of deja vu when they hear that, I can sympathize. I get the same feeling when I wake up each morning and find that Congress is still spinning its wheels on a full-year funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. I know some of my colleagues believe the onus to act now lies with the Senate, as we have heard. I agree, the Senate should act. While it has had multiple failed attempts to bring up the House bill containing the poison pill riders, the Senate Republican leadership has not tried to bring up the clean, bipartisan funding bill. I feel confident that a majority of the Senate would support the bill without the poison pill riders added to the House on the floor. There is only one way to find out. The real question is why isn't the House Republican leadership willing to bring the clean Homeland Security bill for a vote? Why wait? Why not take the initiative and make H.R. 861 in order today? We can quickly resolve the funding dilemma facing the Department of Homeland Security, and the House could then work its will on immigration policy and border security by debating the legislation reported to the House by the authorizing committees. That is the way our process was intended to work by our framers. The fact is, Mr. Speaker, the clean full-year DHS funding bill was negotiated in good faith on a bicameral, bipartisan basis, and it addresses the most pressing needs of the Department to protect this country from harm. The President would sign that bill today, and we should send it to him. I urge my colleagues to put the safety of our country first and defeat the previous question to make in order the consideration of H.R. 861, the clean Homeland Security funding bill.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question on the rule, to amend it, and to make in order the House consideration of the clean, bipartisan Homeland Security Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2015, negotiated in good faith last November. Today is February 11, 134 days into fiscal year 2015. With only 17 days remaining until the current CR expires, the House is scheduled to be in session only 6 more days. Yet this Congress is no closer than it was last December to carrying out its basic responsibility to appropriately fund the Department of Homeland Security, whose primary mission is to protect us from terrorist attacks. Secretary Johnson has warned us over and over again that the Republican leadership's refusal to allow a vote on the clean, bipartisan funding bill is threatening the national security of our country. He tells us that, without a full-year budget, he is unable to move forward on key homeland security priorities, including new investments in border security technology; more aggressive investigations by ICE, related to drug smuggling, human smuggling, and trafficking; preparedness for responding to surges in illegal migration; security upgrades at the White House complex; and grants for State and local terrorism prevention and response capabilities; and the list goes on. I am truly perplexed as to what it will take to convince the Republican leadership to do the right thing. Surely, before taking appropriate action, we don't need to experience attacks like those in Paris. If my colleagues on the other side of the aisle believe the President has overreached, the answer is not to jeopardize our national security by delaying the 2015 funding for Homeland Security. If Republicans wish to circumscribe the President's discretion on immigration policy, the Constitution provides a clear path of action that runs through the authorizing committees, not through an appropriations bill. Last week, the Senate definitively demonstrated three times that there are insufficient votes to bring up the DHS funding bill with the House-passed poison pill riders. Even if the Senate were to take up the bill, it would be vulnerable to a budget point of order because the poison pill riders have been scored by the Congressional Budget Office as having a net cost of $7.5 billion. Republicans control majorities in both the House and the Senate, and they control the agenda. By allowing a vote on the clean, full-year, bipartisan DHS funding bill, the leadership today has the opportunity to make clear that the Nation's security takes priority over unrelated policy debates over immigration enforcement strategy. This bill addresses the most pressing needs of the Department of Homeland Security's to protect our country from harm. It would pass both Houses and would be signed by the President today, and we should send it to him. I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question to make in order the consideration of a clean Homeland Security funding bill.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, the primary responsibility of Congress is to keep our Nation safe. However, we are 133 days into the 2015 fiscal year, and the Department of Homeland Security is without a budget. The Department is trying to fulfill its mission under the uncertainty of a continuing resolution that is set to expire in 18 days. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security submitted its fiscal year 2016 budget, but unlike every department and agency, DHS was at the disadvantage of not having a current funding level for its essential security functions. There is the mistaken impression that the Department of Homeland Security is doing just fine under the continuing resolution. Some feel that, if DHS funding expires, no problem exists since approximately 85 percent of DHS personnel are deemed essential and are required to work. While it is true that frontline agents and officers, like those at the CBP, ICE, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service, would continue working, they would do so without being paid. Is this fair to expect these dedicated Americans to put their lives on the line without pay and the ability to care for their families? I think not, and I believe the American people would agree on the unfairness of this proposal. A greater concern is that the Secretary of Homeland Security has warned us that not having an appropriation for 2015 is threatening our national security. Without a full year's budget, the Department is limited in its ability to advance the Secretary's unity of effort initiative to improve interagency coordination, making it more effective in achieving its security missions. It limits the Secretary's ability to implement aggressively his Southern Border and Approaches Campaign, and it creates uncertainty regarding ICE's ability to transfer unaccompanied children to HHS for humane treatment and its capacity to detain and deport dangerous criminals. Operating under the lower allocations and uncertainty of a continuing resolution also has the potential of delaying and, ultimately, increasing the cost of needed procurements, including the acquisition of the Coast Guard's eighth National Security Cutter and badly needed security upgrades at the White House complex to prevent fence jumper intrusions. The refusal of the Republican leadership to bring a clean Homeland Security appropriations bill for a vote delays the hiring of Secret Service personnel and the issuing of terrorism preparedness and response grants for State and local governments. This jeopardizes our first responders and other public safety personnel from being fully prepared when responding to a terrorist attack or to a natural disaster. While I do not question the prioritization of my colleagues in protecting our country, I do worry that some fail to appreciate fully the negative impact of inappropriately using the 2015 DHS appropriations bill as leverage to reverse the President's executive actions on immigration policy. If my Republican colleagues believe the President has overreached, then the Constitution provides them a path of action through the authorizing committees rather than through an appropriations bill. Mr. Speaker, when we are increasingly faced with the possibility of terrorist threats, I urge the Republican leadership to let this House vote on the clean, bipartisan, bicameral 2015 Homeland Security appropriations bill, which was negotiated in good faith last November. This bill will pass the House and the Senate, and it will be signed by the President, enabling our Department of Homeland Security to continue to protect our country from harm. To do otherwise is a failure in our most basic responsibility as Members of Congress.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this 56th Republican attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. We have been down this road before, with the same misleading rhetoric that does not reflect the true benefits of the health reform law. This legislation is being brought to the Floor in order to give Republican Freshmen a voting opportunity to repeal the ACA, despite the fact that polls have repeatedly shown high satisfaction rates with the newly mandated coverage opportunities under Obamacare, even among Republicans. My colleagues speaking against the ACA today are not listening to these polls, or to thousands of newly insured individuals in my 40th Congressional District who are thrilled with their new access to health care. In my district and hundreds of other poor and minority communities across the country, the benefits of expanded coverage and provisions to address health disparities are already changing lives. ACA opponents are not listening to women from all economic backgrounds who are no longer paying higher premiums because they are female, and who now have prenatal care as a covered benefit. They are not listening to millions of seniors who love their free preventive services and lower prescription drug costs, or the disabled community that no longer has to live in fear of being denied coverage for pre-existing conditions or because they've reached lifetime limits. Mr. Speaker, the ACA is working for my constituents, for women and minority communities, and for seniors and people with disabilities. It is time for my Republican colleagues to listen to these Americans who DO NOT want to lose these health benefits. This bill is the same misguided legislation Republicans forced through the House in 2011, 2012, and 2013. And like those bills, it has absolutely no chance of passing the Senate or being signed into law by the President. Let's stop wasting Congressional time and taxpayer's money and find solutions to the other complex issues facing our nation such as creating jobs and strengthening our economy. I urge my colleagues to vote no on H.R. 596.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the three Homeland Security bills under consideration today. H.R. 615, the DHS Interoperable Communications Act, is a bipartisan bill which would improve communication between the many components of the Department of Homeland Security. It is critical for our Homeland Security Department to have a state-of-the-art communications infrastructure. The Department needs that infrastructure to ensure the smooth functioning of everything from routine daily operations to terrorism response efforts. To understand the importance of a strong communications network, we only need to look back a few weeks ago, when radio communications failed in a Washington Metro tunnel as emergency officials worked to rescue passengers trapped aboard a smoke-filled train. H.R. 361, the Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act, would use grant funding to enhance our nation's preparedness for chemical and biological events. It is an unfortunate fact of modern life that our nation faces genuine threats from chemical and biological attacks. It makes sense for us to take precautions which will put us in a position to deal with such attacks if they occur. Finally, H.R. 623, the Social Media Working Group Act of 2015, would authorize the Department of Homeland Security to establish a social media working group, which would offer guidance to the emergency preparedness and response community on how to use social media. I have spent years using social media to communicate with my constituents, and have found it extremely effective in rapidly disseminating important information to a wide audience. Emergency services need to be taught how they can best use social media to quickly and effectively communicate with Americans in the period surrounding a terrorist attack or other crisis. All three of these bills take sensible steps to further protect the American people against threats to their well-being. I urge the House to pass these bills.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Chairwoman, how much time is remaining on each side?

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Chairwoman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano). (Mr. SERRANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1 minute.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Chair, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Chairwoman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairwoman, I want to make it clear that I support the original bipartisan Homeland Security bill and oppose the majority's radical anti-immigrant amendments. These amendments pollute the bipartisan bill both Republicans and Democrats have carefully crafted to protect the American people. Our clean Homeland Security bill provides the funds needed to protect our country. It invests in border security and prioritizes the detention and deportation of dangerous criminals. The clean, bipartisan Homeland Security bill provides funds for new grants to State and local first responders, who are our first line of defense against homegrown terrorism. It invests in the Coast Guard's eighth National Security Cutter and additional Fast Response Cutters to help protect our ports. The bill also provides critical funds to hire new Secret Service agents to make essential security improvements at the White House. These are just a few examples of why this bill is so important. Unfortunately, instead of bringing the clean, bipartisan bill for a vote, the majority is proposing several poison pill amendments that will jeopardize the bill's ability to become law. It is unconscionable to put our Nation's security at risk simply for the purpose of appeasing those who want to undermine President Obama's reasonable and lawful executive action to fix our broken immigration system in light of the fact that this House has not acted. Current funding for DHS is set to run out at the end of February. The recent horrors in Paris are the latest reminder of why America needs Congress to pass the negotiated bipartisan Homeland Security bill that can become law and defeat the anti-immigrant poison pill amendments being proposed by the majority. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the amendments and to vote ``yes'' on the original bill to protect the homeland, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Chairwoman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr).

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren).

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz).

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, the security of the United States and the American people must be our top priority. I urge the majority to defeat the poison pill amendments that will prevent this bill from becoming law and to support a clean Homeland Security bill that will provide the resources that are needed to provide our great Nation with the protections that they need. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I oppose H.R. 3, which grants approval to build the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline. The public has been misled by the pipeline's advocates, who have played down the pipeline's potentially devastating effects on our nation's environment and on the American people. For starters, this bill allows a foreign company to take property from U.S. landowners through eminent domain. The taking of private land for public purposes has always been for local government or local interests. We cannot allow a foreign company to take our private property to feed its corporate profits. In addition, the bill exempts TransCanada Corp. and any other company producing, shipping, or refining tar sands oil for this project, from paying into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which helps to finance the federal government's response to spills. This exemption essentially reduces the companies' liability for spills from the pipeline and makes the U.S. taxpayers pay to clean up those spills. That's outrageous, especially when you consider the pipeline will go over the underground water supply for eight of our states. The legislation also gives this project special regulatory treatment by exempting the pipeline from all federal permitting requirements. Our federal permitting process exists to ensure worker safety, and to provide health safeguards and environmental protections for the American people. It is irresponsible to give this project a blanket exemption from these critical safety measures. This is particularly true given that the tar sands oil to be transported is more destructive than any other oil in the world. Converting a barrel of tar sands into synthetic crude oil emits three times more greenhouse gas emissions than are emitted by producing a barrel of conventional crude oil. If this pipeline leaks, the health of thousands of Americans will be at risk--and Americans, not the Canadian company, will be held responsible for the cost of the clean-up. Considering this foreign-built pipeline takes private property and poses serious economic and safety risks, I stand in firm opposition to this bill.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and was not present for three roll call votes on Monday, January 12, 2015. Had I been present, I would have voted in this manner: Roll Call Vote #17--Clay Hunt SAV Act--YES. Roll Call Vote #18--Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act--YES. Roll Call Vote #19--Journal Vote--YES.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the thirteenth birthday and Bat Mitzvah celebration of Sarah Elisabeth England. In the company of her parents Lori Slass and Bill England, as well as her grandparents, uncles, classmates, and numerous friends and neighbors, Sarah celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at Congregation KolAmi in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, on December 13, 2014, her thirteenth birthday. Sarah is a wonderful young lady, and the ceremony she led with Rabbi Elliot Holin was rich in both tradition and meaning. Sarah's thoughtful, articulate, and touching comments during the ceremony were a particular highlight of the celebration, and I would like to share them here so everyone can become familiar with this promising young lady. sarah england's dvar torah I enjoy being Jewish because of the feeling that everyone is friends and family. I am proud to be part of a tradition that has been going on for thousands of years. And I am glad that I am learning about the tragedies that have happened to our people. Don't get me wrong, I hate the idea that this stuff has happened to us, but I am glad that we are not trying to hide them from our younger generations. These are things that cannot be allowed to forget. For if the world is to forget, it will be much easier for it to happen again. My favorite holy day is Tu b'Shevat, the New Year of Trees. Even though it's not as popular as say, Rosh Hashanah, it is an entire holiday wrapped around something I love, nature! My Mitzvah Project is helping women get business clothing so they can get back up on their feet to find jobs and other opportunities. I have done a drive to collect clothing and I will be volunteering to separate clothing in the coming months. A particularly transforming personal experience I have had was when I realized how poorly the LGBTQ community is treated, and I was appalled. I could not believe that people would treat each other like this. People complain about something that is racist or sexist, but they overlook how people treat people who just love each other. When I found out that my family members were part of the LGBTQ community, I couldn't stop smiling. I am so proud of them and everyone who keeps fighting. I hope that marrying someone you truly love is soon legal in all states. I chose to chant verses from Genesis 37:5-8 and 19-24 of my Torah Portion. It is about Joseph telling his brothers his dream, and their plans for revenge. The narrative warns us not to talk about something, even a dream, that shows you overpowering someone. It could make them mad and ruin your relationship with them. It also shows that the response of hatred could make you do things that you might not mean to do, but in the heat and anger of the moment, might make you do crazy things. My two favorite prayers are the Avote v'Imahote and the G'vurote. Even though my beliefs in god have changed, I think these prayers truly help us understand how he tries to use his powers for good. If I were to re-write the Avote, it would read, ``Thank You, God, for our mothers and fathers from the beginning. Thank You for creating us. Thank You for being You. Thank You for Your love and kindness. We are forever grateful. Blessed are You, God, helper and shield of Sarah.'' If I were to re-write the G'vurote, it would read: ``Thank You, God, for life. Thank You for creation. Thank You for freedom. Thank You for Your many mighty acts. Thank You for everything. Who is like You: creator and destroyer of life? Who is like You, all-powerful being? As for my relationship with God, it's not that I don't believe in something, it's just that if God really cared about all of their creations, then why are people starving and going to war and committing mass murder? I don't think that God functions in the way that some people think God does. I think that God just created us and said, ``Have fun!'' To quote Rabbi in a note he left me during our time in writing this speech: ``the interesting and fascinating thing about free will is that we make the choices and bear the responsibility, but it is always easier to point our finger outward to blame God or others, rather than inward to take responsibility for what we have done wrong as individuals/ community/society''. I was motivated to study for my Bat Mitzvah by my mother. She has helped me so much during my studies, and even made sure I was listening to the recordings of my portion during my concussion. The idea of being able to say that I have had my Bat Mitzvah is awesome! And I don't mind having my thirteenth birthday party on the same day. Thank you mom, Rabbi, and everyone who has ever helped me with my Hebrew, you are the truly amazing people in this world. Rabbi Holin asked me to talk about some of the greatest challenges facing our country or the world, and I think it is the need for greater gun control. The idea that someone can obtain a weapon capable of murdering men, women, and children with great futures to be had, just makes me sick. It is wrong that people can acquire guns so easily. I would pass a law that states, ``To own a gun, you must undergo multiple mental and physical tests administered by a higher force''. A police member or maybe a new job could be created specially trained in this task. I would also ask that anyone who owns a gun at the moment to also take the test so that we know if they are able to have one. Some personal goals I have are being able to fully recover from my concussion, being able to see the LGBTQ community fully accepted as who they are, seeing gun violence stopping, and getting into a good college. I would like to take a moment now to thank all of the people that have helped me to be where I am today, my mom and dad, Rabbi Holan, Rebecca Schwartz, Mrs. Holtzman, Mr. Monblatt, and anyone else who helped me during this journey and during my concussion.