Steve Womack

Mr. WOMACK

Mr. WOMACK. Mr. Chair, I thank the ranking member for the time. I would have been here a little bit earlier, but previous commitments kept me from speaking during general debate. I rise in opposition to this package of appropriations bills. I am the ranking member of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, and I have a great deal of respect for my chairman, Mike Quigley. We work well together. I appreciate the hard work that Mike and his team put in in trying to get a bill that we can come to agreement on. However, the bill we are debating is packed with unjustifiable spending that ignores the government's unsustainable fiscal trajectory and the historic level of inflation burdening all Americans, and we should be fixing that, not making it worse. As the pandemic wanes and inflation soars, I was hoping that we could begin reducing spending. Instead, the Financial Services division of this bill increases discretionary spending by over 17 percent. Many programs in the bill get double-digit percentage increases; some get triple-digit percentage increases. For example, the bill provides: An increase of 433 percent for election grants; A 20 percent for the White House; A 30 percent for the Federal Trade Commission; A $1 billion increase for the IRS; and A $1.6 billion increase for GSA. These increases are unconscionable when considering the U.S.' historically high debt, now in excess of $30 trillion, and inflation over 9 percent. The combination of debt and inflation places a heavy burden on future generations of Americans. We should be fixing that. There are also several controversial policy changes included in the FSGG division, such as allowing D.C. tax dollars to fund abortions, and removing the prohibitions on Federal employee health benefits funding for abortions. These policy changes are no-goes. They make this bill and minibus, as a whole, dead in the water. They will have to be fixed if we are going to come to some agreement. We need to continue the longstanding legacy riders and drop the poison pills. And we need a top-line spending agreement that reduces nondefense spending and funds national security at an appropriate level. But maybe the larger question about this bill has more to do with how we came up with these top-line numbers. We allowed the four corners of leadership to dictate these top-line numbers. They didn't come out after a budget process. And we have a Budget Committee over here whose purpose is, in part, to do that very thing. But that didn't happen. So we kick out numbers that we won't agree to, wasn't through a budget process where we can define our priorities, the emerging needs of our country, and come to some agreement through a legitimate budget process, but that is not what happened here. So it is long since time that we stop this process of doing deeming resolutions or burying top-line numbers in rule bills and get back to the process that is laid out for us, and that is to do a budget resolution, House and Senate, to get to some kind of an agreement, and then establish an appropriate appropriation process where we can do these bills individually. There are 12. We are going to do six today, and then we are going to do six later, but we ought to be doing them individually, and we ought to give the Members of Congress an opportunity--because it is our Article I responsibility. We need to be giving the Members of Congress the ability to have input on these bills and not just let the four corners of leadership decide what we are going to do or what we are not going to do. So while I oppose this package in its current form, I do look forward to working with my friend Mike Quigley on a bipartisan compromise, at least on the FSGG side, and then perhaps we can do that for the 12 bills completely and then get about the business of funding the government, which is part of our fundamental responsibility. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the Madam Ranking Member yielding time. Amendments En Bloc No. 1 Offered by Ms. DeLauro of Connecticut

Mr. WOMACK

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement of one of Arkansas' most-admired sports journalists, Clay Henry. Clay has retired after decades of covering Arkansas Razorback athletics, notably the publisher of Hawgs Illustrated, the weekly publication dedicated to the coverage of our beloved Hogs. It was natural for Clay, given that he was the son of another sports legend in Arkansas journalism, Orville Henry. I am quite confident his introduction to Razorback sports was while he was still in diapers. Then later as a stat man for the Arkansas Gazette at the age of 14. He was produced by the best, tutored by the best, and like those before him, became the best. Stops along the way at publications like the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway and the Tulsa World helped prepare him for a gig in 1992 with a new Arkansas magazine called Hawgs Illustrated. Leaving the Tulsa World for an upstart might have been a tough decision for a lot of people, but with Clay, it just seemed a natural fit. After all, Clay was a Hog, not a Sooner. Clay partnered to buy the publication with George Billingsley before eventually selling to Stephens Media, then later to the Hussman Company, WEHCO Media, which became the sole owner. In every step, the common denominator that found its way into the mailboxes of Hog fans everywhere was Clay Henry. Lots of contributing writers, amazing photographers, great salesmen, but only one Clay Henry. He served 27 years as publisher. Now, it is off to the Norfork River where the trout now have a full- time enemy--that is, when Jean Ann, his bride of 43 years doesn't have him doing honey-dos, or assuming the Razorbacks don't come calling. Madam Speaker, I congratulate Clay for a journalism career of enormous success and professionalism. The Hog Nation is forever grateful. Canoo

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, more than a half century ago, Americans walked on the Moon for the first time. Now, a new lunar mission is upon us in 2024, and the Third District of Arkansas will support this next step in space exploration. NASA has chosen Canoo, a high-tech mobility company with announced headquarters and facilities in northwest Arkansas, to produce a transportation fleet for astronauts, part of the Artemis program. That is right, as the crew prepares for their historic launch, they will be moved by state-of-the-art vehicles manufactured in Bentonville, Arkansas. A demonstration of ingenuity and the Natural State's focus on harnessing emerging technology and novel ideas, great things can be achieved when the public and private sectors work together. I am so proud that the future of space discovery is being supported by the Third District and our incredible workforce. The pioneering spirit of Arkansas and America will be on display as fully suited astronauts ride to their liftoff location. Madam Speaker, I congratulate Canoo for the role they are playing in such an incredible moment in American history. From Arkansas to the Moon--and eventually on to Mars--their work is driving innovation forward.

Mr. WOMACK

Mr. WOMACK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the remarkable life of an honorable patriot, the late Lois Bouton of Rogers, Arkansas. She died recently at the age of 102. Most know her lovingly as the Coast Guard Lady, but that nickname didn't just stem from 20 years as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla on Beaver Lake in Arkansas. During World War II she enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard Women's Reserve, where she acted as a radio operator. She was discharged in 1945 from the SPARs. That is the acronym reflecting the Coast Guard's motto: Semper Paratus-Always Ready. However, her passion for service never left. Lois made it a point to visit with wounded and recovering military members, always taking particular care to find her fellow Coasties. This was just the start of her mission to uplift others. She tirelessly wrote over 100,000 handwritten letters to greet and encourage personnel. Her words have crossed oceans and seas, reaching legions of Coast Guard members and their families all over the world. Her dedication earned her the rank of Honorary Master Chief Petty Officer, Department of Defense Spirit of Hope Award, the U.S. Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award, and more. But she always maintained that her greatest accomplishment was the joy she helped spread. I want the Nation to know of this extraordinary American. Fair winds and following seas to the beloved Coast Guard Lady from Arkansas.

Mr. WOMACK

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, my thanks to my colleague from Texas for giving me the opportunity to speak on this very important subject. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, though I have to admit that it is easy to be somewhat pessimistic about its potential effectiveness. But I am willing to try anything--anything--that might work in elevating the Nation's debt situation in the minds of the people we all represent. The people I represent in Arkansas don't have a choice but to balance their checkbooks, and if they can't, then they are limited in how much they can borrow and for what. Sadly, the Federal Government doesn't play by the same rules. Madam Speaker, we are $29 trillion in debt. We have budget deficits as far as the eyes can see. We are mortgaging the futures of our kids and our grandkids. And it is painfully obvious to me that the governing majority doesn't really care much about deficits and debt. But Third District Arkansans do. I had the honor of co-chairing a joint select committee in 2018 that tried to address the budget and appropriations process that has tripped up the Congress every year since I have been here, and to think that we are only funded through the third day of December, with no assurance of a full year's appropriation by then, something has to be done. A fiscal state of the Union is one of the recommendations that came from our joint select committee, but I will remind everyone that we need three more--count them, three more--Democrat votes to move those recommendations. And four, Madam Speaker, four Democrats voted ``present.'' So forgive me if I don't sound terribly optimistic that Congress will get its act together. But maybe, just maybe, something like this will force a rational discussion before we have what is coming: a sovereign debt crisis. So, I am willing to try, and I encourage my colleagues to support it.

Mr. WOMACK

Mr. WOMACK. Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon in steadfast support of this supplemental and of Israel. In the same week President Biden pledged to stand with our allies, his Democrat counterparts removed critical defense resources for our longstanding ally and friend. We shouldn't be surprised, given the openly anti-Semitic sentiments and comparisons of Israel and America to terrorist organizations expressed by some on the other side. The State of Israel has the right to exist free of terror. This point should not be controversial. The bill is simple. As evidenced by the colloquy just a minute ago, it replenishes the defensive Iron Dome system. I will say it again. It replenishes a defensive system. The Iron Dome has no offensive capability, and yet there are still members on the Democrat side of the aisle who oppose it. It was that opposition, Mr. Speaker, that delayed proceedings in this very Chamber on Tuesday, forcing leadership to pull Iron Dome from the continuing resolution, so they could have the votes to pass. Interestingly, we didn't see the same visceral reaction to leaving more than a billion dollars' worth of artillery in the hands of terrorists in Afghanistan, as we are seeing with this defensive system. They are openly opposing a capability that protects women and children from terrorist rocket attacks. In the words of our own Speaker, it is about the children. Earlier this year, Hamas and other terrorist organizations launched more than 4,000 rockets at Israeli civilians. We are talking about children and families simply trying to live their lives. I hope this bill passes without opposition. That, Mr. Speaker, should be the standard. I urge each and every one of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. WOMACK

Mr. WOMACK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include the text of the amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Mr. WOMACK. Mr. Speaker, I offer this motion to recommit for one simple reason: so our defenders, the National Guard and the Capitol Police, can have the funding they need to continue protecting Americans day in and day out. This motion does what Congress has been unable to do for months, and that is support our guardsmen and our Capitol Police. Each and every one of these brave men and women have voluntarily raised their hands and sworn an oath to protect our institution and our country. And we can't do our most basic duty of providing funding for them to complete this sacred task. For both the Guard and the Capitol Police, this funding is essential to maintaining operations. We are talking about something as basic as keeping the lights on. These gaps were caused by the Capitol security mission. They came here to protect us, and it should be this Congress, through the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill, which foots the bill. Without this funding, the National Guard will be forced to cancel annual training and drill weekends through the end of the fiscal year. They will have to defer 75 armory and training site upgrades. The Air National Guard will see an 8-flying day standdown, and there is much, much more. This imperils unit readiness. That is obvious. It is also a pretty grave outcome. But individual soldiers and airmen, and their families, will see the dire impacts as well. These training cancelations will take an expected check out of their monthly budgets. Unlike Congress, these families have to operate within their means. There is no option for them to raise their debt ceiling. These guardsmen and -women are in your States, in your districts, in your hometowns. They volunteered to serve our country, and they did so with only a single expectation in mind, that Congress will have their backs. We need to live up to that commitment, just as they have for us. My MTR will also ensure the Capitol Police have the resources they need after the valiant efforts on January 6 and in the days since. It also provides targeted, necessary funding to enhance the physical security of the Capitol. Without this funding, they, too, will see training delays and furloughs. Like the National Guard, the Capitol Police are always ready and always there. They stand watch for us whenever we need them. Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged by the progress Senators Leahy and Shelby have made. I hope we vote on their supplemental before we leave for the week. But let me be crystal clear: This should have been accomplished the day after we learned of the Guard and Capitol Police budget shortfalls. Instead, we have let silly partisan games and unrelated provisions leave our defenders high and dry. To my colleagues, when you come to the floor later to vote on this MTR, and you put your voting cards in the machine, I want you to think about the guardsmen in your hometown, the cop, the teacher, the small business man who put on the uniform to defend us and protect us at home and abroad. I want you to think about that person and commit to supporting them and to supporting their family. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of my motion to recommit.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. WOMACK

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Hern), my friend from Tulsa.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, my thanks to the ranking member for the time. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this package of appropriations bills. As the ranking member of the Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, I have great respect for my colleague, Chairman Mike Quigley. We work well together, and that is saying something because he is a Cubs fan, and I am a Cardinal fan. The bill we are debating today, Madam Speaker, is packed with unjustifiable spending and ignores our unsustainable fiscal trajectory. In light of unprecedented pandemic spending, it was my hope that this fiscal year we would prioritize making the tough choices necessary to chart a responsible fiscal path forward. Instead, the Financial Services division of the bill proposes a 20 percent increase in discretionary spending over fiscal year 2021 and numerous agencies funded receive a double-digit percentage increase over last year. Those numbers are unconscionable, Madam Speaker, when you consider the fact that this country is well over $28 trillion in debt. I noted with interest the comments of the overall chairwoman when she talked about the moral test of government. Madam Speaker, to me the moral test of government is for us to do our work and to take care of the urgent needs of our country, but not burden future generations in the course of doing so. Furthermore, my colleagues on the other side continue to call for trillions in new government spending, and a new GAO report came out just recently that says more than $1 trillion of the spending that we have commissioned through the coronavirus phenomenon remains unspent. Not just that, this spending has created an inflationary spiral that is affecting every taxpayer budget in my district. There are also several controversial policy changes included in the FSGG division, such as allowing D.C. tax dollars to fund abortions and removing the prohibition on Federal employee health benefits funding for abortions. These policy changes are no-goes and make this bill and minibus, as a whole, dead in the water. Again, I oppose this package of appropriations, including the Financial Services division due to the radical increases in spending and these partisan policies. But, Madam Speaker, I do look forward to working across the aisle with both my counterparts in the House and in the Senate to come up with a bill and a compromise that will actually work for America.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry), the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), who is all the way from Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina, the ranking member on the Education and Labor Committee.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert), a freshman from Silt, Colorado.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, it is a great pleasure to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence) from Columbus, Indiana, and a respected member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains on both sides.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen), my friend who serves on the Agriculture and Education and Labor Committees, from a city unlike any other, Augusta, Georgia.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Hern).

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining on both sides.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, you have heard from Members of Congress from all across our country, and there was a purpose in me identifying their hometowns. These are people who represent real American lives, and they are in touch with their constituents on a daily basis, in Augusta, Georgia; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina; Silt, Colorado; Lincoln, Nebraska; Columbus, Indiana; and in my hometown of Rogers, Arkansas. They all understand when the Federal Government is on a spending spree because they feel it in their own pockets. We are feeling it today with unrivaled inflation that is the result of trillions of dollars of taxpayer money flowing into this economy. The money that is going to the cities and counties, it was so much money that we had to do it in two tranches. Some of it has gone out this year, but there is so much that we have to wait until next year to send out the remaining $185 billion or so--money that these counties and cities didn't ask for and, in many cases, don't even need. In fact, they are taking suggestions on how best to spend it. Yet, here we are today, talking about a bloated discretionary bill that is going to further burden future generations by adding to deficits and debt. Madam Speaker, the interest on our debt this year is going to approach $350 billion. Let me say that again: $350 billion net interest on the debt, which would pay for more than half of the titles that we are debating here today of around $600 billion. Madam Speaker, I urge support of the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and rise in opposition for a number of reasons, some of which we will detail in a more articulate way here as the debate continues. But suffice it to say that we have thrown a lot of money at the economy of the United States of America. While I realize that part of our function in government is to fund the discretionary programs of the U.S. Government--and that is an important function of our Committee on Appropriations--we have seen the other side take the opportunity to capitalize on a real crisis moment in our country, that being the coronavirus phenomenon. Trillions and trillions of dollars have gone out the door, fueling inflation and creating real problems for people at home who are experiencing rising costs in virtually everything that a consumer would purchase, from gasoline to groceries. You name it, those costs are escalating. It is not for any reason other than the fact that we have poured trillions and trillions of dollars into the economy while at the same time these very same policies have caused a lot of people not to work. We have incentivized this notion that they could stay at home and made it more lucrative than actually going to work. The people that we are going to ask to make things, build things, and produce things are the very people that haven't been functioning. As a result of that, the supply chain has been weakened. So, now, because of simple supply and demand, there are fewer products, and those products are going higher. As I say, simple supply and demand philosophies. But here we are today, basically adding about 20 percent across the spectrum of these seven titles of discretionary budget. A lot of these are very, very good programs, programs that we have all supported in the past. But with the amount of money that has gone to the coronavirus phenomenon, and the fact that a lot of that money has not been spent--I think the report this week by the GAO was $1 trillion of unobligated funds out of coronavirus. Here we are, adding insult to injury by compounding the problem by adding more to the nondefense discretionary side of the budget. Now, we will reserve the argument for a little later on what we are doing to national security by not pumping dollars into national security against the known threats that we have around the country. But as I said, we will save that argument for another day. We are going to argue and continue to argue that this is spending way too much money. The American people know that. That is why there has to be an adult voice in the room to bring these subjects to the light of day, and that is what our purpose will be today. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa), a distinguished Member--and may I say a freshman Member, although he is a returning Member from before--a respected member of Committees on Foreign Affairs and the Judiciary and the former chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform in the Congress of the United States.