The publication is reproduced in full below:
FURTHER ADDITIONAL CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 912, I call up the bill (H.R. 6617) making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 912, the bill is considered read.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6617
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2022''.
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short Title.
Sec. 2. Table of Contents.
Sec. 3. References.
DIVISION A--FURTHER ADDITIONAL CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2022
DIVISION B--EXTENSIONS
Title I--Extensions
Title II--Budgetary Effects
SEC. 3. REFERENCES.
Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference to
``this Act'' contained in any division of this Act shall be treated as referring only to the provisions of that division.
DIVISION A--FURTHER ADDITIONAL CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2022
Sec. 101. The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2022
(division A of Public Law 117-43) is further amended--
(1) by striking the date specified in section 106(3) and inserting ``March 11, 2022'';
(2) in section 163, by striking ``$200,000,000'' and inserting ``$300,000,000''; and
(3) by adding after section 163 the following new sections:
``Sec. 164. Notwithstanding sections 102 and 104, amounts made available by section 101 to the Department of Defense for `Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy' may be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary for `Columbia Class Submarine (AP)' in an amount not to exceed $1,601,805,000.
``Sec. 165. (a) Notwithstanding sections 101 and 106 of this Act, for the duration of fiscal year 2022, amounts made available in fiscal year 2022 to the Department of Defense under the heading `Operation and Maintenance', other than amounts designated by the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4001(a)(1) and section 4001(b) of S. Con. Res. 14 (117th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2022, may be used for emergencies and extraordinary expenses, in addition to any other funds specifically made available for such expenses, for purposes the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of the Navy, as appropriate, determines to be proper with regard to the response to the disruption of the water supply near the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, on O'ahu, Hawaii, in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 127, in an amount not to exceed $53,000,000: Provided, That not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2022 and every 30 days thereafter through fiscal year 2022, the Secretary of Defense shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate, setting forth all categories and amounts of obligations and expenditures made under the authority provided by this subsection.
``(b) In addition to amounts otherwise provided by this Act, there is appropriated to the Department of Defense
$250,000,000, for an additional amount for fiscal year 2022, for necessary expenses to address drinking water contamination at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii, for the accounts and in the amounts specified:
`` `Military Personnel, Army', $33,263,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022;
`` `Military Personnel, Navy', $91,327,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022;
`` `Military Personnel, Marine Corps', $5,206,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022;
`` `Military Personnel, Air Force', $27,564,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022;
`` `Operation and Maintenance, Army', $22,640,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022; and
`` `Operation and Maintenance, Navy', $70,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022.
``(c) In addition to amounts otherwise provided by this Act, there is appropriated to the Department of Defense
$100,000,000, for an additional amount for fiscal year 2022, to remain available until expended, for transfer only to accounts under the headings `Operation and Maintenance',
`Procurement', `Research, Development, Test and Evaluation', and `Defense Working Capital Funds', for the Secretary of Defense to conduct activities in compliance with the State of Hawaii Department of Health Order 21-UST-EA-02, signed December 6, 2021, related to the removal of fuel from and improvement of infrastructure at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility: Provided, That the transfer authority provided in this subsection is in addition to any other transfer authority available to the Department of Defense: Provided further, That amounts provided in this subsection shall not be available for transfer, obligation, or expenditure until the Secretary of Defense briefs the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate regarding the recommendations of the third-party assessment of the operations and system integrity of the Red Hill facility and the Department's own analysis regarding the distribution of fuel reserves for operations in the Pacific theater, as well as other activities recommended by the third-party assessment or Departmental analysis: Provided further, That not less than 15 days prior to any transfer of funds pursuant to this subsection, the Secretary of Defense shall notify the congressional defense committees of the details of any such transfer: Provided further, That not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2022 and every 30 days thereafter through fiscal year 2023, the Secretary of Defense shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate, setting forth all categories and amounts of obligations and expenditures made under the authority provided by this subsection.
``Sec. 166. Amounts made available by section 101 to the Department of the Interior under the heading `Working Capital Fund' may be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to implement enterprise cybersecurity safeguards.''.
This division may be cited as the ``Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2022''.
DIVISION B--EXTENSIONS
TITLE I--EXTENSIONS
SEC. 1101. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO MAKE CERTAIN
APPOINTMENTS FOR NATIONAL DISASTER MEDICAL
SYSTEM.
Section 2812(c)(4)(B) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-11(c)(4)(B)) is amended by striking ``February 18, 2022'' and inserting ``March 11, 2022''.
SEC. 1102. EXTENSION OF ADDITIONAL SPECIAL ASSESSMENT.
Section 3014(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking ``February 18, 2022'' and inserting ``March 11, 2022''.
SEC. 1103. EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY ORDER FOR FENTANYL-RELATED
SUBSTANCES.
Effective as if included in the enactment of the Temporary Reauthorization and Study of the Emergency Scheduling of Fentanyl Analogues Act (Public Law 116-114), section 2 of such Act (as amended by Public Law 117-70) is amended by striking ``February 18, 2022'' and inserting ``March 11, 2022''.
SEC. 1104. EXTENDING INCREASED FMAP FOR CERTAIN TERRITORIES.
(a) In General.--Section 1905(ff)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(ff)(3)) is amended by striking
``February 18, 2022'' and inserting ``March 11, 2022''.
(b) Reduction of Medicare Improvement Fund.--Section 1898(b)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395iii(b)(1)) is amended by striking ``$101,000,000'' and inserting ``$99,000,000''.
TITLE II--BUDGETARY EFFECTS
SEC. 1201. BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
(a) Statutory PAYGO Scorecards.--The budgetary effects of this division shall not be entered on either PAYGO scorecard maintained pursuant to section 4(d) of the Statutory Pay-As- You-Go Act of 2010.
(b) Senate PAYGO Scorecards.--The budgetary effects of this division shall not be entered on any PAYGO scorecard maintained for purposes of section 4106 of H. Con. Res. 71
(115th Congress).
(c) Classification of Budgetary Effects.--Notwithstanding Rule 3 of the Budget Scorekeeping Guidelines set forth in the joint explanatory statement of the committee of conference accompanying Conference Report 105-217 and section 250(c)(8) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, the budgetary effects of this division shall not be estimated--
(1) for purposes of section 251 of such Act;
(2) for purposes of an allocation to the Committee on Appropriations pursuant to section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974; and
(3) for purposes of paragraph (4)(C) of section 3 of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 as being included in an appropriation Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill shall be debatable for 1 hour equally divided among and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees.
The gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Connecticut.
General Leave
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Connecticut?
There was no objection.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act, which continues funding for Federal programs and services through March 11. I would have preferred to come before the House to pass a fiscal 2022 omnibus, but I believe we are very close to an agreement and I am eager to move this process forward. I have every expectation that we can finalize a framework in short order and then work together to fill in the details and enact an omnibus.
The American people deserve the certainty that comes with full-year funding bills. The transformative investments an omnibus provides will help create good-paying jobs and grow opportunity for the middle class. An omnibus will expand access to childcare, strengthen our public schools, make college more affordable, bolster job training, and help small businesses access the capital they need to thrive. And it will rebuild our public healthcare systems after the devastation of the pandemic.
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An omnibus bill will confront the climate crisis by supporting environmental protection, land conservation, and clean energy development. It will protect our national security and restore America's place in the world.
An omnibus is the only way to unlock the full potential of the transformative funding in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, accelerating the rebuilding of our Nation's crumbling roads, bridges, water systems, and other critical transportation infrastructure.
Of great importance to the people we represent, an omnibus would enact Community Project Funding that both Republicans and Democrats requested for their districts, with strong community support. From rebuilding local health and transportation infrastructure, helping veterans to find jobs, supporting small businesses, and expanding educational opportunities, these investments will revitalize our communities and strengthen them for years to come.
Once we have a framework, I am confident that appropriators will work with great intensity to fill in the details so that we can enact an agreement that is worthy of the American people.
To provide the time to get that done, the Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act continues government funding at current levels through March 11.
This legislation is straightforward and includes minimal anomalies, the most notable of which is $350 million in direly needed new funding to address water contamination from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii.
No one wins from additional continuing resolutions, which is why, after we pass this extension, we will finalize an omnibus that will deliver for our Nation.
Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 6617, a short-term continuing resolution through March 11.
I am disappointed to be on the House floor today to speak on another CR and not a full-year appropriation bill. It was my hope that, by now, we would have finalized our work for fiscal year 2022. While conversations are ongoing, we need more time to complete our work.
No one wants to have a CR, but the alternative is much worse. If we don't pass a CR by next week, we could have an unnecessary and costly government shutdown. I think both sides agree that would be disastrous, especially for our national security.
This bill keeps the government open for another 3 weeks and ensures the continuation of basic Federal responsibilities, such as national defense, border security, and care for our veterans.
The bill also includes defense-related anomalies that fund the on-
time development of Columbia-class submarines, DOD's top modernization priority; it provides flexibility to counter threats like Russia; it equips DOD to address the Navy's Red Hill fuel leak that displaced servicemembers and their families; and it continues development of critical cybersecurity systems.
Madam Speaker, I am hopeful that this CR will give us time to work out our differences and pass bipartisan, full-year bills. We will not be able to achieve this goal unless we find consensus on spending levels and know that controversial policies have been dropped. I have been very clear about what House Republicans need to support a final product. We will not support partisan bills that include irresponsible spending increases or extreme policies.
Madam Speaker, I urge support for the 3-week CR before us, and I look forward to the additional time to finish this year's appropriations process.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies.
Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I express sincere appreciation to our extremely able chair, Rosa DeLauro, for working so hard, along with our able ranking member, Kay Granger, on the bipartisan effort, the latest short-term continuing resolution before us.
Congress holds a bipartisan responsibility to pass a full-year appropriations package, and I guarantee you if the people on this floor were the ones totally in charge, we would have done it.
These appropriations bills deliver the services the American people need and deserve, everything from the defense of our Nation to funding vital health services and tending to our national parks.
As chair of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, our fiscal year 2022 bill will continue the progress of the bipartisan jobs and infrastructure bill.
The bill will invest in clean energy technology. It will bolster the Army Corps of Engineers' ability to protect our majestic rivers, lakes, and coastlines, and improve our dams and shipping lanes.
What America makes, builds, and grows makes, builds, and grows America. These energy and water investments will create good-paying jobs for hardworking men and women across our land.
Too many of these projects are languishing on the sidelines, waiting for these two bodies to do their job. We cannot meet America's objectives if we don't pass these appropriations bills.
As we make progress on passing these bills, we have before us now a continuing resolution that will allow our Federal Government to continue operating until a final agreement is achieved. This is a must-
pass bill.
I respectfully ask all of my colleagues to join us in supporting this necessary legislation and let us continue the work to build our country forward by investing in the American people who sent us here to do their work.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the continuing resolution before us. I am pleased we came to an agreement, but it is only a stopgap. A bicameral, bipartisan omnibus bill must be passed to fund government for the remainder of fiscal year 2022.
Limping along from continuing resolution to continuing resolution keeps us from making necessary investments in critical programs, and it halts progress on new programs, including a number included within the bipartisan infrastructure law.
The infrastructure initiative makes historic investments in roads, bridges, public transportation, broadband, and much more, but without a full-year bill, formula funding is going to be restricted to fiscal year 2021 levels, and our ability to transform our Nation's transportation infrastructure will be limited.
For example, the newly created Carbon Reduction program and the PROTECT grant program to promote resilience can't be initiated. Restricting funding to fiscal year 2021 levels for some programs will delay contracts and grants.
A full-year Transportation-HUD bill would update our aging transportation infrastructure, remedy inequities in housing and transportation, prevent evictions, and make our infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters and a changing climate.
We also spent months, Madam Speaker, vetting hundreds of Community Project Funding requests in a bipartisan manner for well-designed housing, transportation, and economic development projects. Without completing the annual appropriations process, none of these investments will happen.
Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of this CR today. I urge my colleagues to work together to meet Congress' most basic constitutional responsibility, funding our government and directing investments for the future. We must come to the table with a constructive path forward for fiscal year 2022 appropriations.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the chair for her strong leadership in bringing the CR to the floor, but also for her relentless work in negotiating the omnibus, what this is all about.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the CR that will keep government open, meet the needs of the American people, and honor the values of our Nation.
This short-term measure will ensure that we have the time we need to finalize negotiations on a strong, bipartisan omnibus to fund the government through the end of the year.
As I commend the gracious madam chair, Rosa DeLauro, the chair of the Appropriations Committee, I want to also commend Ranking Member Granger for her leadership as well.
This legislation extends government funding at current levels through March 11. To be clear, this bill keeps government open while making virtually no changes to existing funding policy. The CR does, however, include urgently needed emergency funding to help clean up contaminated drinking water leaking from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii. In doing so, we deliver a crucial downpayment to help the Navy meet immediate needs and keep families safe.
In order to advance our priorities for our country and our communities in the long term, Congress must enact an omnibus funding package.
For families, a new full-year spending package means strengthening public schools, protecting clean air and clean water, improving public health, and ensuring food and consumer safety.
For workers, it means creating new jobs and supporting small businesses.
For our veterans, it means funding for benefits, reducing backlogs for veterans and their families seeking assistance, and meeting the needs of the VA's healthcare system.
For our national security, it means support for our troops, improvements to defense readiness and modernization, the securing of our cyber infrastructure, and stronger leadership abroad.
Now that President Biden has proudly signed our bipartisan infrastructure bill, it is essential that we enact an omnibus in order to unlock billions in more Federal dollars for infrastructure projects. While they were in the infrastructure bill, the money cannot be spent unless we pass the omnibus.
This will help us rebuild our Nation while reinvigorating our middle class, creating millions of good-paying jobs improving roads and bridges, ports and airports, water systems, broadband, and more.
As the preamble to our Constitution states: It is our duty as lawmakers to ``establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.''
Today, we uphold this sacred responsibility in the short term with this continuing resolution. With our omnibus legislation, which we hope to bring to the floor soon, we will take an important step to honor the vision of our Founders.
Madam Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan ``aye'' vote.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, it is unfortunate that we are here again today to pass another continuing resolution. I know that the appropriators on both sides of the aisle want to get a full fiscal year 2022 omnibus done as soon as possible.
Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairwoman DeLauro for her tireless efforts to negotiate a bipartisan agreement with the Senate. We have to pass this CR today because America simply cannot afford a shutdown.
A shutdown would have a disastrous impact on our continuing economic recovery. It would diminish our ability to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. And Europe is facing one of the greatest threats since the end of World War II. Our Federal Government should be sending a strong, unified message to Vladimir Putin that we stand united with our European allies.
As chair of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I want to highlight a critical life, health, and safety provision in this CR for our brothers and sisters in Hawaii. The fuel leak that occurred at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii last November is nothing short of an environmental catastrophe, one that has impacted thousands of residents. This spill should have never happened. Congress will hold the Department of Defense accountable to make this right.
Today, we provide an additional $350 million for the Department and the services to continue their efforts to address this crisis.
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I want to thank my colleagues from Hawaii for leading on this issue, especially Representative Case, who also joins and serves with us on the Appropriations Committee. You will hear from him later, Madam Speaker.
You have my commitment that our subcommittee will do everything we can to stay on top of this. The people in Hawaii impacted by the spill deserve clean drinking water. They deserve to know that their drinking water will be secure. It is just one more reason to support the CR today.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes.'' Let's keep the government open and get the full omnibus across the finish line.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), who is the chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Connecticut for yielding.
Here we are again debating the most basic function of our democracy: funding our government. Yet, once again, here we are kicking the can a bit further down the road instead of passing a budget for a fiscal year that started 130 days ago.
As chair of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I know that we need a full annual appropriations bill for military construction projects that are critical to our national security and to make the needed annual investments in veterans' healthcare and benefits.
I have been in this Chamber many, many times when we came together for the good of the Nation, just like we recently did to pass the infrastructure bill that was bipartisan with at least some support from the other side of the aisle. We found common ground because infrastructure affects every corner of this great country. But the benefits of that landmark legislation cannot be fully realized until we enact the fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills.
Some States are even putting off projects until we appropriate funding from the full-year budget. The Federal Railroad Administration can't hire the staff it needs in order to implement the infrastructure bill. New programs to reduce carbon emissions and to protect roads and bridges against the effects of climate change will stall. All our communities in blue and red districts cannot access these new programs until we do our job and pass the full budget.
Without full-year appropriations bills we risk upending the greatest year of job growth the Nation has ever seen. We risk knocking down ladders into our middle class. We risk our national security. We are close to a funding agreement thanks to our appropriations leadership. But we need time to finish that legislation in full. This continuing resolution gives us time to finish that vital work for the American people.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the CR, and I urge our colleagues in the entire House of Representatives to diligently work together to make sure we can bring this budget process in for a landing.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case), who is a member of the Committee on Appropriations.
Mr. CASE. Madam Speaker, as a proud member of the Appropriations Committee, I rise in strong support of this measure.
I especially highlight section 165, directing $403 million in emergency funding to the Department of Defense's urgent response to contamination of the city of Honolulu's drinking water from fuel leaks from our military's Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility at Pearl Harbor.
Red Hill is a 250-million-gallon, World War II-era facility located only 100 feet directly above the major aquifer providing drinking water to some 500,000 residents, of which some 100,000 are military families served by the Navy's water system and are drawing from this aquifer.
Obviously, contamination of this aquifer from Red Hill fuel leaks would be catastrophic, most directly to general public health, but also to fundamental military readiness. And yet, that is exactly what happened last November when likely tens of thousands of gallons of fuel did leak from Red Hill into the aquifer and then through the Navy water system to thousands of homes, businesses, and military operations. People got sick, pets died, lives were disrupted, schools and businesses closed, and some 3,500, mainly military, families remain displaced. Overall public confidence in our military remains shattered.
Since then, our military, with their partners in State and Federal Government, has focused immediately on remediating contamination, restoring safe drinking water, and returning families to their homes. Our military has expended hundreds of millions on these efforts to date, with hundreds of millions more imminent and billions eventually required to implement Red Hill alternatives.
This measure's $403 million of emergency funding is critical to sustain the immediate effort to stabilize and defuel Red Hill, return our families to their homes, and restore public confidence in safe drinking water.
I deeply appreciate the commitment of my chair and committee; our Senate counterparts; the administration; and my Hawaii colleague, Senator Schatz, to the inclusion of this critical emergency funding.
Mahalo.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this bill.
I would now like to take some time to honor one of my committee staff, Dave Raser, who passed away suddenly on Saturday. At just 24 years of age, he worked just as hard as anyone and did so with a heart of gratitude and service.
Dave joined my staff as an intern in 2019 and did such a great job that he officially joined my staff in 2020. Next week, we would have celebrated his 2-year anniversary with the committee. He always had a smile on his face and a joyful spirit that uplifted everyone. He truly made a positive impact on everyone he interacted with.
On behalf of Congress and the Appropriations Committee, I offer our sincerest condolences to his family, especially his sister, Emily, whom he greatly admired and cherished.
Words cannot express how saddened we are at the loss of someone so young and so kind.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, first let me join Ranking Member Granger in expressing my condolences at the unexpected passing of Appropriations Committee staff member Dave Raser over the weekend.
Not an hour ago--to my colleague and ranking member--I spoke with his father and expressed our condolences and our thoughts and prayers being with him and assured them that they are not alone and that they have a family here that mourns with them for the loss of Dave.
The gentlewoman from Texas so aptly described him and the promise for his future.
Our thoughts and our prayers are with him, with his family, with his sister, Emily, with whom, as my friend mentioned, he was very, very close, and his friends and his co-workers.
Again, I join Ranking Member Granger's sadness at this great loss for our committee.
Mr. Speaker, regarding the legislation before us, the American people need a government funding agreement to support working families, expand access to childcare, education, and job training. We need to be supporting small businesses. We need to rebuild our public health and transportation infrastructure, confront the climate crisis, provide care and benefits for our veterans, and protect our national security. That is what we need to be about.
Let us pass this continuing resolution. Let us complete an omnibus and let us get the job done for the good people whom we represent.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this latest continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded through March 11, 2022. I commend my good friend, the gentlelady from Connecticut, Ms. Delaura, the Chair of the Appropriations Committee for her leadership in helping the House get its funding bills passed last year and her continued dogged efforts to reach an agreement to finalize FY 22 funding.
I hope that this is the last CR that this chamber has to consider. The House passed funding bills provided critical increases for a range of education, health care, transportation, housing, funding for our veterans, and other priorities that cannot take effect under a CR.
This includes priorities that I was pleased to work to secure including additional funding for the TRIO program which helps provides services to help students not only get to college, but graduate. Other priorities include programs such as WIC, McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, and funding for school breakfast programs, among many other programs that this House was able to support in its FY 22 bills.
Additionally, enactment of the final FY 22 funding bills is crucial to unlocking programs and funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed Congress last fall with bipartisan support in both chambers.
The House passed some great FY 22 funding bills that will help our communities, create jobs, and provided long overdue investments. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to work with us to get these bills over the line. And soon.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with concern regarding our ongoing use of Continuing Resolutions.
While this Continuing Resolution (CR) is necessary to keep the federal government open in the short term, CRs are an expensive and wasteful solution that we should not continue to rely on. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to ensure that our government serves the American people effectively. Short term funding resolutions hamstring federal agencies and our national defense by freezing their ability to award grants, sign contracts, and do any long-term planning.
The House of Representatives completed consideration of a majority of our full year appropriations bills months ago. The refusal of some to come to the table and do the hard work of legislating has created the need for these short-term bills to avert a shutdown.
While I am pleased that this CR includes additional funds to keep the critically important Columbia Class Submarine program on track, we should not need to rely on small carveouts to ensure funding for important defense programs that have already been authorized by Congress. Other critical programs, such as those that ensure children are fed, the elderly can afford their heating bills, and everyone can file their tax returns, are also stymied by short-term funding.
I urge my colleagues to pass full year appropriations expeditiously and work together to ensure that we can complete the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations process on time before September 30, 2022.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Courtney). All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 912, the previous question is ordered on the bill.
The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was read the third time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings are postponed.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 25
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