José Serrano

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, does that mean that the Members cannot state why we should end this charade?

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee).

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO. Oh, just checking what I was being charged with.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO. We have two.

Mr. SERRANO. Charged with what?

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I just wish that in the 23 years I've been fighting on behalf of the District of Columbia I had heard so much love from the other side for the District of Columbia. This is a game, this is a ploy. It is such a ploy that even when they had an opportunity to get by under the screen yesterday, they didn't do it. Let me just end briefly by repeating this. There was a vote call on the floor. No one from this side called for a vote. The Speaker said that the bill had passed. Someone--they are denying now who it was-- from that side called for a vote. We had a vote on this bill yesterday which resulted in what it resulted in because that side called for a vote. Why? Because they wanted to show a vote on the board. They wanted to make this a show, a trick, a ploy, and a sham. They didn't want that bill to really pass, and I am not sure they want the bill to pass today. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Barber) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of New York (Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. For the people watching at home, this debate may seem familiar, and it is, because we just considered this same bill yesterday. Unfortunately, nothing has changed in the past 24 hours, so I continue to oppose this bill. Our Nation still finds itself in the midst of a completely unnecessary government shutdown caused by the Republican Party. And we all know the solution--passing the Senate version of the continuing resolution, which would reopen our Nation's government totally for everyone. Doing anything less than a full CR is simply a political ploy. It is a false process designed, strangely enough, by a member of the other body to deflect attention from the harm that the shutdown is causing. Now, for 23 years that I've been in Congress, I've been, at times, begging Members of the other side of the aisle to help the District of Columbia. I've spent years getting rid of riders that they imposed on the District of Columbia. All the things that you just heard today from the chairman of the committee, who I have a lot of respect for--and I know the public listens to this kind of debate and then says, but they say they respect each other. We do. We care for each other. But a lot of this is just simply politics. All of the things that he just said are things that for 23 years his party refused to do for the District of Columbia. This is only to make it look good now so they can find yet another way to go after ObamaCare. In fact, this bill continues that meddling by continuing a harmful and controversial rider that prevents the District of Columbia from spending its own funds on abortion services. No other State in the Nation has such a restriction. Although I support D.C. being able to spend its own money, I do not understand why this bill is not being considered as part of the full Financial Services appropriations bill. Many agencies under our jurisdiction have suffered, or will suffer, devastating problems as a result of the Republican Federal Government shutdown. Let me recap briefly some of the problems that I mentioned yesterday. The Republican shutdown has required the Small Business Administration, our committee, to furlough almost two-thirds of its workforce. The agency has had to shutter almost all of its loan programs for our Nation's small businesses, including loan programs for veterans, women-owned small businesses, and small businesses located in underserved areas. The Federal defenders currently have enough money to continue operations for just a couple of weeks. However, once that time is up, they will be unable to fulfill their constitutional duty to uphold the Sixth Amendment rights of criminal defendants. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is going down from 540 employees to only 22, putting all of the American people at risk. The IRS, a favorite target of the other side, has been forced to lay off most of their workforce, preventing the agency from providing taxpayer assistance to those who have questions, to examine questionable tax returns, or even to accept paper tax filings. The IRS brings the vast majority of our Nation's revenue, and the Republican shutdown is harming our ability to pay our bills. All of these agencies need and deserve a continuing resolution so they can perform the many functions of government that remain essential to American consumers, investors, taxpayers, and small businesses. Let me close by saying that I have a lot of respect for the Members on the other side, but you've been caught up by a small group in your party and one person in the other body who is running this show and telling you that this shutdown has to go down for as long as it can-- until the public tells you not to do it any longer. And they will do that soon. And so rather than now open up the government totally by approving a proper resolution, you're going to start nitpicking little pieces--not necessarily because you have now developed this great love for the District of Columbia, but because you know that it can divide people on this side and on your side. And division is what is best for this situation right now for a lot of folks on your side. I hope that we can see this for what it is--which is a sham, a trick, and more of the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO. Not allowing them to use their local funds is something that has been said on that side many, many, many times. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the dean of the House. (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop) for a unanimous consent statement.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Kilmer) for a unanimous consent request. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey) for a unanimous consent statement. I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) for a unanimous consent request. Parliamentary Inquiry

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Just two quick points. First of all, the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa), the bill yesterday passed on a voice vote, and then he interrupted the Speaker and asked for a vote, which then led to a recorded vote. Secondly, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Lowey), my colleague and ranking member on the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I'd now like to yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), the greatest State in the Union, the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.