rank anne fuel republicans emernled from their session with the president said an amendment to add $8 billion to help people with pre-existing conditions would return them not yes column on the bill. we'll keep you posted on developments. mean while live now to the house floor for today's legislative session. the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by the guest c haain, the rabbi rabinowitz, aish international, new york, new york. rabbi rabinowitz: may we humbly ask you god almighty to focus on the beauty and good of this great country. god, we thank you for giving wisdom to presidents george bush president trump.

the jewish people are indebted to you god for the opportunity to contribute in making the nited states a great nation. a rabbi would say to young people, when older people see your idealism and say you will grow up, but what they mean is you grow up. never give up, get tougher instead. let us pray for the members of congress and this great nation, god, please grant us clarity and courage to always do right and never give up on our principles. god bless the united states of america. the speaker: the chair has examined the jourble of the last day's proceedings and announces his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1, rule 1, the journal stands approved. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, pursuant to clause 1 rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the

journal. the speaker: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it and the journal stands approved. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: i object to the vote on a ground and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker: pursuant to clause 8, rule 20, further questions on this motion will be postponed. the pledge of allegiance will be offered by mr. smith. mr. smith: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all..

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the speaker: my colleagues, i rise today because this is lydia strunk's last week working on the house floor. before i talk about lydia, i want to talk about the work that she and all the people here on the floor do for us for the people's house on both sides of the aisle. 7 they are the ones who keep the floor running on time on a day-to-day basis. they make sure that the votes are counted and conducted impartially. they make sure that every member, majority and minority is treated fairly. and though the hours are long and unpredictable, they always set a fantastic tone of decorum. no one better exemplifies this professionalism than lydia. she has been a part of this institution since 2008. when she started out in the republican cloorm. we all knew her so well then

and enjoyed watching her rise to these great responsibilities that she now holds. for more than four years now lydia has served as the speaker's deputy floor director. as it turns out, she accepted this job on the night of her wedding. how is that for commitment? lydia's quiet dedication to the people's house comes through in almost everything that she does. and because she does her job so well, almost no one never notices. think about it. if you ever wondered how a joint meeting with a foreign leader or state of the union goes off without a hitch, it's because of lydia's doing. one of her jobs is to keep us on schedule. so i will make one last point before she tells me to wrap this up because i assume that's what she'll be doing in a minute. i want to thank lydia's family. i want to thank lydia's husband, jeff and i want to thank in particular her children, graham and evey. i want you to know that your mother is an incredible public

servant. she has done so much for us, for this contry, and this institution. and we're grateful for you -- to you for sharing your mom and your wife with us. this whole house is in her debt. with that i want to say thank ou and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. hoyer: i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman from maryland is recognized for one minute. mr. hoyer: i agree with almost everything the speaker just had to say. i may repeat some of it. what i do not agree with, however, mr. speaker, i'm

looking for him, is that we didn't notice. i noticed. my staff has noticed. my staff has not only noticed but appreciated the extraordinary work that lydia has done for this house. yes, for your office. yes for the republican side of the aisle. but for this house and for the american people. lydia and i have a great relationship, but probably more importantly she has a great relationship with schwanza who runs the floor on our side of the aisle. what a privilege it is to rise and say to lydia, thank you. not as a democrat, not as a republican, but as an american. who appreciates the role that you have played, lydia, in making a difference. i always say that when the house runs well it is the staff's work. when it doesn't do so well, it is the members' responsibility

and fault. so you have been absolutely terrific. jeff and graham and evey, i join with speaker ryan in saying that your mom is a great american. a wonderful human being. you know that personally. you see it every day. in your own lives. but for the past nine years lydia has been a presence on this floor, first in the republican cloakroom as an assistant, later with a staffer in the rules committee, and as the speaker pointed out deputy floor director for the republican side of the aisle. there the majority -- they are the majority party so lydia's responsibility really is institutional. not partisan but institutional. and she has performed that in the best traditions of the best of this house. it's a testament to lydia's skill and professionalism that she has earned the respect not only of her own colleagues on the republican side but also those who work on my staff and the democratic leader's staff on this side of the aisle.

that's why lydia, i said, we have noticed. we have appreciated it. in many ways, mr. speaker, public service is a family affair for lydia. she grew up around it. when her father worked in the george h.w. bush white house handling legislative affairs. her dad's a good friend of mine so perhaps i'm not objective. i'm also the father of three daughters, so perhaps i'm not objective. but nick is one of the great people with whom i have served through the years. i think he's here in the gallery somewhere with his wife. thank you, nick, for your service. and thank you for being such a wonderful example for your daughter. she has brought that same kind of cooperative, collegial inclusive spirit to her work that you brought to yours. not only working in the public sector, but also in the private sector. t me add, she grew up in a

great state. maryland. again, perhaps making me more subjective than i otherwise would be. after she began her -- as cloakroom assistant she met and later married jeff who then worked on speaker john boehner's floor staff, also very effectively and productively. and when jeff left capitol hill in 2013, little lydia was promoted to take miss hiss place. it worked extraordinarily well, mr. speaker. am grateful, we're all grateful, the american people ought to be grateful for her efforts, her no how, and -- know how, and dedication she brings to the task of ensuring our work, americans' work, the american people's work, here on this floor, and on on behalf of

all of us can continue smoothly each day. lydia, thank you. we wish you the very best. we know that whatever you do you will be extraordinarily successful in doing. and that you will be perceived by your colleagues and by those with whom you work in the same very positive and very appreciative way that we view you today. odspeed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman from nebraska is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate gearing high school, one of three national

winners of the 2017 samsung solve for tomorrow contest. the team of 19 students took up -- took top honors out of thousands of entries and 10 national finalists. it's exciting to see young innovators from western nebraska, especially my alma mater, recognized nationally for their ideas on how to advance agriculture. the students designed a drone powered system to reduce herbicide quantity by allowing farmers directly tearget specific areas rather than spraying entire fields. mr. smith: i applaud each of them for their hard work and dedication they put into their winning project. congratulations goes to curtis, jonathan, and dakota, blake, ga by yell, cody, eric, jeremy, alexis, avier, revor, tyler, joe, carson, sky lar, payton, joshua, and their

teacher. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. today is world freedom day. world press freedom day, a day that deserves commemoration now more than everment -- ever. undermining the credibility of the free press and attempting to turnt american people against the media is reminiscent of thorn tactics, not the conduct of the leader of the free world. mr. quigley: yet the president has referred to the press as the "enemy of the people, for simply doing their job, reporting the facts and holding all of us accountable. he has also dismissed distinguished publications as fake news. again for simply doing their job. and has threatened to change libel laws that will weaken the first amendment, making it

easier for him to attack and sue the press. this antagonistic relationship between the president and the press is not only beneath the dig nist office, it is also dangerous for -- deneath the dignity of the office, but also dangerous for our contry. we have seen strongmen suppress the media to discredit the institution. it is hard to believe that i have to say this in this country at this point in our history. but as thomas jefferson said, our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press , nor that be limited without danger of losing it. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities towards the president. for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. >> without objection, the gentleman from arkansas is recognized for one minute.

>> mr. speaker, i rise today to honor a small business in my district celebrating its 8930th enough this week. mat conditions -- matkins flower and gree house has served the arkansas region since 1927 when henne founded the company. mr. womack: throughout the last nine decades this arkansas small business has persevered in good times and bad, and serves as an example of how you make a small business sustainable with integrity, accountability, and hard work. working through the great depression, world war ii, and the modern era, the family has continuously exhibited the importance of the family-owned small business to the american economy. now in its fourth generation of leadership with jim and his son jeff, it is worth celebrating this important milestone. i am honored to represent this outstanding family and offer my thanks and admiration for the

success of madkins flowers and greenhouse. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. mr. higgins: republicans are trying to go take away patient protections for americans with pre-existing medical conditions. 50% of all americans and 867% of america cadges ages 55-64 have pre-existing conditions. there is a genetic influence meaning that tens of millions of americans are born into a pre-disposition for diseases like cancer, aled i'mer's and heart disease. if you have a dad with a kid who is stuck with childhood cancer,

the dad could buy a policy but that policy would not have to cover his kid's cancer treatments. that is a deliberate intent to deceive the american people. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and resize and stepped my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. wilson: next week marks teacher appreciation week, which recognizes the special role educators make for american families. as the husband of a retired school teacher and grateful dad of four sons with eight grandchildren, i know the positive impact educators have for students. south carolina's 2nd district is filled with talented teachers and administrators and always a pleasure to visit with them at their schools or when the classes visit washington. i would like to recognize 2017

teacher of the year, jennifer weiss. as a math teacher, jennifer motivates her students for math to energize their lives outside of the classroom. the success of our teachers is emapply fide of the state superintendent of education working with education secretary betsy did he voss and the parents and teachers and school great hat are making a opportunity. god bless our troops and we will never forget our troops and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, on sunday we commemorated the 42nd anniversary of black april and the fall of sigeon. on this day, we are reminded of

the pain of losing their homeland and the sacrifices made in search of freedom. when saigon fell in 1975, thousands of families were forced to flee their home and many came to america with nothing but hope in their dreams to keep them alive. today, i'm proud to represent little sigeon, the largest concentration of vietnamese. each and every one of them has a personal connection to the sacrifices that their families have made and to the loss of their homes. this shared experience has made the vietnamese community and culture thrive in orange county, california. and i'm honored to represent this community and mourn along side with them and proud that america gave them shelter in their time of need. the u.s. must be a beacon of hope to those without hope. we must continue to stand up for human rights and religious

freedom. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to douse for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise to honor mclenahan,of matthew a respected employee who worked for the office of the architect capitol. he made his home in maryland and as part of the maintenance division team of the capitol grounds and only 30 years young when he passed away. respected by his colleagues and hard work and dedication, he was known as being good humored and someone always to lend a helping hand. our community mourns the loss of one of our own following the terrible accident that took

place last month on april 18. i will stand with my colleagues to honor and remember matthew. my entire staff join with the architect of the capitol team in offering his family, especially his wife and children, our prayers and deepest sympathies. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. kildee: republicans in congress and now president trump are trying to make a deal to get their terrible health care bill through this house of representatives. it is so interesting to note that they're working really hard to make sure they can have a vote if they can before members have to go home and speak to the people that they work for. why would that be?

why they be so fearful of having to go back and explain what is happening? they would rather go back and say it's too late, i already voted for it. sorry. they do that because they know this is a bad piece of legislation. don't take it from me, other republican meals have said things like, this legislation provides health care in name only, or it torpedos protections for people with pre-existing conditions. no one should be fooled by the last-minute ditch effort to put some money on the table as if it's enough to provide support for pre-existing conditions. let's be clear, this change eliminates the guarantee that you can get coverage if you have any sort of pre-existing condition. we should reject it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition?

>> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. . >> i rise today to recognize a minnesota national guard unit for recently receiving the john award. hinghold soldiers were spread across multiple loigses, bravo 211th general support aviation battalion completed 300 missions across afghanistan, enduring some of the most difficult and dangerous environments. they moved an incredible 1 million pounds of cargo and participated in high risk missions and deliberate operations to support forces on the ground. due to their excellent performance, the soldiers have been awarded three bronze stars, several air medals and come badges and five army commendation medals and 14

achievement medals. the achievements have earned the reputation of the best army aviation units serving in afghanistan. we are proud to know that they call minnesota their home. i thank the soldiers for their service and dedication to their unit and the honorable way in which they have served. you are the reason the united states armed forces are the best in the world. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does gentlelady seek recognition? >> address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. speier: in advance of the 25th annual letter carrier stamp out hunger food drive next saturday, let us recognize the unsung heroes within our community, our letter carriers. take david who carried a woman out of a burning mobile home,

alled 911 or sean who rescued person trapped underneath his car. on may 13, letter carriers will stock struggling food pan tries through the stamp out hunger food drive. last year they collected over 80 million pounds of nonperishable canned goods, a record. let's remember, one in six americans don't know where the next meal is coming from. let's reckfies the tremendous leadership, compassion and dedication of our letter carriers. they serve our communities. they are a vital part of them. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> i rise to recognize the first week of may as small business week in the united states and to applaud the contributions of the

one million small business owners from across the commonwealth of pennsylvania. the if entrepreneurs at the helm of these businesses take on great risk. as a former small business owner myself, i fully understand that risk as well as the responsibility associated with signing the front side of a paycheck. small businesses are the background of commonwealth of pennsylvania, employing millions of people. half of the work force. their success is our success. we thank them for all they do to drive innovation forward and create and sustain careers of tomorrow. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

>> mr. speaker, i rise today with a heavy heart to honor sergeant joshua rogers, who made the ultimate sacrifice last wednesday night in afghanistan. sergeant rogers was a native of plooming ton, illinois and one of two american soldiers killed during a raid targeting an isis prison last week. sergeant rogers graduated from normal community high school in 2013, where he competed on the track and football teams. his teammates and coaches remember him as a hard worker and a great leader. he had a true sense of duty and believed it necessary to serve his country. after graduation from high school, he enlisted in the army achieving the position of army ranger. in his short career, he did three tours in afghanistan. he would go on to receive numerous medals such as the army achievement medal and the global war on terrorism service medal.

sergeant rogers was a man of courage and gave his life on the battlefield fighting against the evil of isis and terrorism. his bravery and sacrifice in the name of liberty and freedom will not be forgotten. my thoughts and prayers are with sosh youa's family during this difficult period. mr. speaker, at this time, i would ask that the house rise and take a moment of silence to pay tribute to sergeant joshua rogers for his service and sacrifice for our country and free people everywhere. the speaker pro tempore: i would ask that all rise in the chamber.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: request unanimous consent to address the house and revise and stepped my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, sunday marks the start of teacher appreciation week nationwide. national education association and the national p.t.a. team have teamed up to celebrate america's hard-working and passionate teachers. tuesday, may 9 is the official teacher day. i think every member of this house who can think of a teacher who has had a positive influence on not only their education, but their life. our teachers push students to achieve their best and show students how to realize their full potential. teachers are oven the most underrated, yet powerful professionals and shape young

minds and lend a caring hand and make differences in the lives of our students. so to every teacher in america, i say to you, thank you for the job that you do, the hours that you work, the patience that you show and the impact you have on so many lives. happy national teachers' week. this nation would be lost without. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, today we celebrate small business week. i rise to recognize and stress the importance of small businesses of ts country. i have the honor of serving the house small business committee every day and i'm reminded that small businesses are the pillars and cornerstones of the american economy. the national small business association recently met in our nation's capital and

communicated to me their concerns were government health care and government overregulation. that's why this congress must strive to end the overburdensome regulation this government does to kill jobs. all across kansas, small businesses are driving economic opportunity, innovation and growth. this week and every week, we must keep the contributions at the forefront of our decision making. mr. speaker, i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? the the gentleman from tennessee is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today in honor of small business week. small businesses are the backbone of the american economy and the main driver of our local communities. in fact, 2/3 of all new jobs in the united states are created by small businesses.

it is crucial that our entrepreneurs and small business owners have the support that they need and as legislators it is incumbent upon us to create an environment that allows them to succeed. i'm proud to be a member of the financial services committee as we mark up a bill today that will give our small businesses the boost that they need. mr. custoff: -- mr. cussoff: the previous administration that acted rules and regulation that is helped some big companies and big cities but slow growth for our small businesses and rural communities. the financial choice act will repeal dodd-frank's one-size-fits-all regulations and finally allow small businesses to access the capital they need to grow and to prosper. i'm grateful for this opportunityo celebrate the remarkable small businesses in the eighth congressional district of tennessee, and i look forward to working with my colleagues to pass financial

regulatory reform that will revive our economy. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize national travel and tourism week, which runs from may 7 to may 13. i grew up in tar upon springs, -- tarpon springs, florida, where our authentic greek communities, and beautiful warterways draw visitors around state, country, and world. as a young kid i workein my grandfather's bakery in tarpon springs, florida. many of our customers were tourists coming to sample greek pastries on their visit to tarpon springs. today tourism remains important to businesses in our community. and in 2015, both businesses and leisure travelers spent $2 billion in florida's 12th congressional district.

travel and tourism is one of the largest industries in the united states. last year alone it generated more than $2.3 trillion in economic output and it's ponce -- is responsible for 15.3 million jobs nationwide. in honor of national travel and tourism week, i thank the people who work each day to welcome travelers and keep this important industry strong. i yield back. mr. speaker. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i hope th tomorrow the house has the opportunity to deliver on the promise that the president made and republicans made to finally repeal and replace the affordable care act which is crumbling around us. mr. speaker, we do everything we said we would do. mr. harris: maintain coverage

for pre-existing conditions and guarantee it. check. in fact, with the macarthur amendment and the palmer amendment, we establish high risk pools that will bring down the premium cost force people with pre-existing conditions as it will for all americans. guaranteed coverage and renublet, check. coverage for people up to age 26 on their parents' plan. chck. no discrimination based on gender, check. most importantly in the medicaid program, we not only preserve but strengthen coverage for our elderly, sick, disabled, and pregnant women on that plan. mr. speaker, it's about time we repeal and replace the affordable care act. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the hop yorble the speaker. house of representatives. sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message

from the secretary of the senate on may 3, 27, at 9:19 a.m. that the senate passed senate 141. that the senate passed without amendment h.r. 274. that the senate passed with amendments h.r. 366. signed, sincerely, karen l. aas. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? mr. cole: mr. speaker, by direction of the committee on rules i call up house resolution 305 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 45, house resolution 305. resolved, that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to take from the speaker's table the bill, h.r. 244, to encourage effective, voluntary investments to recruit, employ, and retain men and women who ha served in the united states military with annual federal awards to employers recognizing such efforts, and for other

purposes, with the senate amendments thereto, and to consider in the house, without intervention of any point of order, a single motion offered by the chair of the committee on appropriations or his designee that the house concur in the senate amendments numbered 2 and 3, and that the house concur in the senate amendment numbered 1 with an amendment consisting of the text of rules committee print 115-16 modified by the amendment printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution. the senate amendments and the motion shall be considered as read. the motion shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on appropriations. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the motion to final adoption wiout intervening motion or demand for division of the question. section 2, the chair of the committee on appropriations may insert in the congressional record not later than may 3, 2017, such material as he may deem explanatory of the senate amendments and the motion specified in the first section

of this resolution. section 3, the chair of the permanent select committee on intelligence mayinsert in the congressional record not later than may 3, 2017, such material ashe may deem explanatory of intelligence authorization measures for the fiscal year 017. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized for one hour. mr. cole: mr.peaker, for the purpose of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from florida, mr. hastings, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. cole: during consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks . the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. cole: mr. speaker, yesterday the rules committee met and reported a rule for consideration of two very important measures.

first, the resolution provides for consideration of senate amendments to h.r. 244, the consolidated appropriations act of 2017. the rule provides for one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the appropriations committees. in addition, the resolution provides for consideration of the f.y. 2017 intelligence authorization act as an amendment to the underlying bill. mr. speaker, the appropriations package in front of us is the first successful bicameral, bipartisan negotiation of the trump administration. it last broad bipartisan support -- it has broad bipartisan support in both houses of congress. all members can feel good about the work of the appropriations committee, especially our chairman, mr. frelinghuysen of new jersey, and our ranking member, mrs. lowey of new york. in the house, the work must continue today, but hopefully will be concluded today. the package in front of us not only keeps the government open

and operating through the end of the fiscal year, but also represents a successful completion of key member priorities on both sides of the aisle. this bill provides for a $25.7 billion increase in defense spending. notably including an additional $7.3 billion for department of defense readiness and training. as well as the largest pay raise our troops have received in six years. these funds will help us enhance our military readins and marks an end to the erosion of our national military strength. importantly, we accomplish this without a dollar for dollar increase i nondefense discretionary spending. a practice which was imposed upon us by the previous administration. that practice threatened to drive our national deficit ever higher. i'm pleased that we broke that connection for we should never operate under such a formula in the future. this measure also provides for an increase of $1. billion in

funding for border security. $772 million is available for key administration priorities like border security technology, enhancements, and infrastructure improvements. i also increases funding for customs and border patrol to improve operational effectiveness. and i note the president has wide authority and latitude to deploy these dollars where they should do the most good. this is the largest increase in border security funding in almost decade. domestically this bill funds hundreds if not thousands of member priorities. we reached a bipartisan agreement on opioid funding, redirecting over $500 million into combat this epidemic affecting every district in the nation. we funded health care for minors. a key priority for many of our members. we secured the second consecutive $2 billion increase for the national institutes of health. thenation's lead biomedical

research organation and a key driver of the hope of treating new diseases. saving countless lives. and incidentally driving down health care costs. we also secured an increase for the certainties for deease control and spreengs, which will help enhance our readiness to combat pandemics and respond to public health crises. we increase funding for gearup and trio, two essential programs to help first generation college students actually go to college, and increased funding for head starter by $90 million. every member of this house has a victory someplace in this bill. and this was done, mr. speaker, by cutting spending iother less seengs areas and making tough choices. in the labor-health provisions of this bill, for instance, we actually spend $2.8 billion less than president obama requested and $1 billion less than we actually spent last year.

finally, most importantly, this bill is the product of a successful bipartisan, bicameral negotiation. this shows all of us that we have the ability for the president, the republicans in the house and senate, and the democrats in the house and senate to sit down and work togetr on important issues. i'm heartened by the success and i believe it suggestion our ability to work together in the future on other crue concurrent resolutionly important purple eagleses legislationike tax reform and fraps improvements. mr. speaker, i urge support of the rule and underlying legislation. with th resee the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. hastings: thankou very much, mr. speaker. i thank my good friend, t gentleman from oklahoma for yielding me the customary 30 minutes for debate. mr. speaker, i rise today to debate the rule f consideration of the consolidad appropriations act

or the fiscal year 2017. as you know, this $12 trillion $1 trillion omnibus will provide discretionary funding for most of the federal governnt for the remaining five months of fiscal year 2017. before moving to the specifics of the legislation, we need to get a few thing straight. it bears repeating that the appropriations measur containe in this bill should have been passed months ago. while i'm glad that we have arrived at ts compromise, and e words of my good friend fm oklahoma i certainly support with regardo the extraordinary work of the chairman and the ranking member

and their respecte staffs, as well as the apopriators generally and their staffs, they have done a go job wh reference to the measu as far as compromise is concerned. but the fact remains tt the bill is seven months late. the house mmittee on appropriations is already hard at work for fiscal year 2018. and yet this body is still trying tound programs forhe current fiscal year. the root cause of this disarray does not lie with the appropriations cmittee. butith the majority's leadership or lack there of -- thereof in this congress and in the whe house. i also need to level another critique at my friends acro the aisle who have time and again brought us to the brink

of a governmenthutdown. we needed months of negotiations d three continuing resolutions to keep the government funded. ch of the time poisonill riders gummed up the works. among other things the majority continuous tries to strip funding from women's health care organizationsslash environmenl proteions, and end prections for federal employees through the apopriations ocess. . seven months ler, a bill ds none of these tngs. yet we do it again and agai gog from manufactured crisis to manufactured crisis. i said yterda or day before

in the rules cmittee that we will be here with a stop-gap measure and reat the same crisis routin thate have done for many of the yrs that i have had the privilege of erving in this by. inuding billion defense spending. $518 billion in base nondefense spending. $62.1 billion in overseas contingency operations of

defense spending and $16.5 billion in overseas' contingency operations, nondefense spending, were han 160 toxic riders floated, but kept out of the legislation. despite donald trump's insistence on draconian cuts, he omnibus includes $1.2 billion in additional nondefense budget authority. it provides funding to alleviate puerto rico's emergency budget shortfall and their underfunded medicaid program. it increases funding for the national institutes of health by $2 billion. and it provides $1.1 billion in disaster for regions affected by

storms and flooding in 2015 and 2016 and includes $900 million in humanitarian assistance to alleviate international famine. toward that end with reference to famine in the world, we are of essing a rising number countries that are experiencing famine. without identifying them all, it's estimated that some 20 million people in the world are at risk of dying from starvation. and in this country, too many people in a position of being hungry during the course of a day in the land of plenty, we can do better. in this manner, i was pleased to

see the inclusion of language that will positively impact the district that i serve and every other district that faces the threat of natural disasters. toward that end, my good friend from oklahoma is absolutely correct in the compromise measure, there are some things that will impact all of our districts, and that is, in my judgment, as it should be. additionally, i'm one of the few members around here that continuously argues that members should have earmarks' responsibilities so they can be held accountable for things that are vital in their districts rather than allowing the bureaucracy to dominate that sphere. t clears the language of the fair labor standards act codifying the views of lifting the work restrictions on

insurance claim adjusters responding to disasters. when a natural disaster strikes ike a hurricane or wildfire, insurance adjusters are there to help those affected piece their lives back together and get back ensuring et which that adjusters can quickly and readily respond to disasters, this codification helps them complete their important work. i did say in the rules committee and i have said for 20 years here that this congress needs a disaster relief committee, that is constituted of all of the chairs of the committees of jurisdiction. it is not complicated. it is something that is done in other countries so that when

these disasters be they fire, flood, hurricane, tornado, any disaster occurs, we can respond more quickly than we do now rather than allowing for the resideal remains of the kinds of disasters that we experience in this country. just this past weekend, at least 16 lives were lost and many people were injured in tornadoes in the states of alabama and mississippi and arkansas and floods in me missouri and we need to respond to those. additionally something else that i want to say that i consider to be important is the responsibilities of fema. while i believe they do an extraordinary job with what they allow -- allowed to work with, i

don't know what it takes to get across to people that fema can only react when there are a certain number of people that have lost their homes. please know this. when one person loses their home to a natural disaster, it is just as important as if 1,000 or 100,000 lost their homes and this congress needs to be able to respond to that one the same way we do to 1,000. furthermore, i was glad to see that the bill includes year-round pell grants to provide one million students in this country with an additional average award of $1,650 and permanently extends health insurance benefits for retired mine workers. i might add that that has been and will continue to be a bipartisan effort to provide for

the health of those mine workers and hopefully in spite of all the talk coming out of the white house, we may one day find a way to help them transition to good jobs, those that have lost their jobs because of industrial changes. but what's included in this bill is as important as what is not. in his first major budget negotiations, donald trump made many demands that were defeated. he requested $30 billion in additional defense spending and $3 billion to fund construction wall. s.-mexico border and is around crowing that there is money in this bill to do something about the wall, and there is not. the president wanted policy riders to restrict sanctuary cities from receiving federal

grants. he wanted to defund planned parenthood and undermine health care. as i have already said, there were 160 riders that were floated here in this measure, but are not included. rather than governing responsibly, donald j. trump and the house freedom caucus have spent a good deal of time and energy pushing partisan interests from repealing health care to gutting the corporation for public broadcasting, the national endowment for the arts and the national endowment for the humanities and successful programs like community development block grants, all of these programs are fully funded in this measure. and as the president gets cozy with authoritarian strongmen around the world and revisits the history of the civil war and

for your information, donald trump, it was slavery that caused the war, congress has stepped up and asserted itself and i'm glad i've said repeatedly that the legislative branch has given too much authority not to this president but to the one before him and the one before him and the one before that one. have continuously ceded its authority so by virtue of this action and i hope future action that the legislature is an equal branch of our government, and we need to act like it. funding the government is one of the most important responsibilities congress has. there are differences in policy priorities between members in this body, democrats and republicans and differences between democrats and differences between republicans in this body. but holding the federal budget

hostage is not the way to work through these problems. this measure is a responsible compromise that serves the interests of the american public. and that is what we came here to do. my good friend from oklahoma last night in the rules committee said that the people that win in this measure are the american people. and i agree with him. that is why i was even dismayed and quite frankly disturbed at the irresponsible comment that donald j. trump tweeted yesterday morning, that what this country needs, and i quote him, is a good shutdown, unquote, in september. i made it a point when we were in the rules committee to ask the fine young gentleman that works with me to learn the context, because i just can't

believe that this man comes out and says that this institution shutdown.ave a good donald j. trump, there is no such thing as a good shutdown. the government champions a shutdown not only to his but to his party's peril. e hardworking and poor americans are at peril with that kind of undertaking and does so to the peril of men and women fighting overseas, to the peril of working families and their health care, to education and to safe, clean and secure communities. donald j. trump may think he can run the country on twitter, while daydreaming of taxpayer funded jaunts to his private golf club, but needs to wise up.

we don't need a good shutdown, we need a good leader. nd if he continues and isn't prepared to get serious, he needs to get out of the way. and as my colleague, congressman mcgovern said yesterday, rather than a shutdown, the president ought to shut his mouth. i'll put it the other way, zip his lip, put that twitter off to the side and let birds tweet while he talks sensibly to the american people. maybe the president thinks that if the government shuts down, people suddenly don't need to pay taxes and that national parks become free. maybe he thinks that if the government shuts down, if we have a good government shutdown, every regulation suddenly stops. and corporations are free to run wild without complying to clean water or clean air standards.

i don't know what he's thinking. i don't think anybody else around here knows what he thinking and i'm not sure he knows what he is thinking and i'd be afraid to see what's going on in his head. according to the financial rating agency, standard & poors, the 2013 government shutdown cost the united states, the american people, $24 billion. according to the report from the council of american advisers and sidetracked as many as 20,000. i hope you're listening dodged j. trump because these aren't alternative facts. the furloughs amounted to 5.5 million days worth of federal employment lost spread across dozens of agencies, businesses that relied on tourism lost out

on more than half a billion dollars. the small business administration couldn't process some 700 applications or $140 million in small business loans. according to the u.s. travel soirks, the 16-day shutdown cost 52 million per day in lost travel spending. according to cnbc, two weeks into the last shutdown, the internal revenue service recorded a backlog of 1.2 million verification requests that could not be processed. mr. speaker, we don't need a good government shutdown. we don't need a shutdown at all. . naturally the media picked up on the fact that donald trump got virtually none of his priorities.

when the reports started to air, he threw a political temper tantrum and took to twitter to undermine the compromise. i'll be honest, at this point it's nothing new, so it shouldn't surprise anyone, nor should the backlash that ensued or his sudden change of heart in just a few hours, donald john trump went from condemning the deal and whining about the rules of the senate to hailing it as a great compromise. i must have missed that chapter in his "art of the deal." so let's leave it at this. we need to do more, not less, to strengthen our communities and keep working families. i urge president donald john trump to move past the campaign rhetoric and get serious. i hope you're listening, sir, because you can put that in a

tweet, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. before the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized, members are reminded to address their remarks to the chair and not to a perceived viewing audience. also, members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. cole: thank you, mr. speaker. before i go to my first speaker, i'd like to yield myself such time as i may consume to respond to a few of my friend's points. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cole: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i want to begin by agreeing with my friend, actually. as he knows, i agree with his point this should have been done many months ago and could have been done, in my view, many months ago. we should have done this in december, and i don't think we did the country or ourselves or the president any favors by delaying that. so my friend is right about that decision, and i hope we all learn a lesson from it. i also agree with my friend

that because we delayed, the 18 appropriations process will be difficult and truncated and we may find ourselves back here in a matter of a few months asking for some sort of brief extension as we continue to work through our problems. i hope now but my friend's observation on that point i agree with. i am going to disagree with my friend pretty strongly about the 160 riders we decided in the negotiation not to press and explain why we didn't decide to press them. frankly, we don't need to press them any more. almost 160 of those were designed to limit or reverse rulings of the last administration. either rules or executive decisions. well, mr. trump is now the president of the united states and he's going to have the ability to do almost all of those things on his own. so he doesn't need legislative instruction from us. he will work through that list with the executive branch that

he runs. i also want to add just to clarify that it's important to note there's nothing in this bill that funds planned parenthood in any way, shape or form. as a matter of fact, what there is is a family planning title and grants are awarded out of that title by the department of health and human services and sometimes in the past planned parenthood has received money in those grants. now there's new management at the department of health and human services so we'll see how this goes. this congress has never appropriated money directly to planned parenthood and frankly suspect never will. finally, in defense of the president, i will point out we're adding billions of dollars to defense of this country which is desperately needed because frankly his predecessor had allowed it to erode. that's because of the president's leadership. we are making the most substantial investments in border security in a decade.

that's because of the president's leadership. and finally we've broken this terrible one for one formula that this last administration imposed on us. in other words, to defend the united states of america, we had to spend more money domestically whether we needed to or not, whether we could have afforded it or not. if it were not for president trump, we would have that formula in place, denying support for our troops in the field when they desperately needed it. i'm very grateful for the president for making that possible. again, without his leadership, it could not have occurred. with that, mr. speaker, i want to yield three minutes to my good friend, my fellow rules committee member and also distinguished member of the house armed services committee, the gentleman from alabama. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. byrne: i want to thank my colleague for yielding. i appreciate his leadership to get us here, both on the rules

committee and on the appropriations committee. mr. speaker, despite what you may hear in the media, this funding bill is a positive step forward for the american people and a big win for the trump administration. i want to highlight a few reasons why. first, delivering on president trump's promise, this bill makes long overdue and much-needed investments in our military. the bill boosts military spending by $21 billion, which will help boost military readiness and fund the largest pay raise for our troops in six years. importantly, the bill finally rejects the demands of democrats to only increase defense spending if all other spending is also increased. this bill ends that harmful precedent. the bill devotes important new funding for border security. in fact, it contains the biggest increase in border security funding in almost a decade. this will allow us to make

improvements to the wall at the border, put more customs and border protection agents on the ground end the disastrous practice of catch and release. the bill includes important pro-life protections to ensure taxpayer money is not used to fund abortions. just as important, the bill does not contain a penny of funding for planned parenthood. i will say it again. there's not a penny in here for planned parenthood. the bill includes important second amendment protections, increases funding to help fight crime, supports funding for israel, provides money for missile defense and sets aside additional resources to defeat isis. even more, the bill cuts funding to the e.p.a., freezes funding for the i.r.s. and reduces the federal government's role in education. finally, the bill makes progress and priorities important to my folks in southwest alabama. for example, the bill fully funds three combat ships which

will built in mobile. these ships are critical to the united states navy and are necessary if we are to reach the 355 ship fleet that president trump wants. we will continue to build these first-class vessels in mobile. it includes a provision important to our red snapper fishermen. nine e able to secure nautical miles for fishermen. this bill is not perfect. no compromise ever is. i commend president trump for beginning the process of implementing the priorities the american people sent him and us to washington to accomplish. president trump has called on congress to pass this funding bill while we work to make even more progress in the upcoming fiscal year 2018 funding negotiations. i intend to do just that, and i call on my colleagues to do the same. i am glad to support president trump, this rule, the underlying bill and i yield

back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from oklahoma reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. hastings: yes, mr. speaker, would you be kind enough to advise both of us how much time remains? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida has 11 minutes. the gentleman from oklahoma has 19 1/2 minutes. mr. hastings: thank you very much, mr. speaker. . speaker, news flash here for those that might have been trying to make plans for leaving here tomorrow morning. it appears that the house republicans are intent on trying to bring trumpcare back to life. the republican health care bill as bad the first time, bad the second time and its latest iteration is even worse. in addition to kicking 24 million people off their health coverage, gutting medicaid in

order to give a trillion dollar tax cut, mostly to the richest americans and dismantling the requirement to provide essential health benefits, the latest proposal completely guts protections for people with pre-existing conditions and imposes an unlimited age tax on older americans. now, we see in the press that republican leadership is trying to cut yet another backroom deal on expensive, high-risk pools to try and muster enough votes to pass this monstrosity. mr. speaker, this bill has not gone through regular order from the start. there have been no hearings. there's been no c.b.o. score. there is none and we are

reading in the press that even more changes are on the horizon. i wish i could stop reading in the press, looking at television and just have people that have the responsibility and leadership inform those of us that are in the minority just what the plan really constitutes and when it will be put forward. every single member in this institution should be as outraged as i am regardless of party. this is a bill that will affect every american. therefore, if we defeat the previous question, i'm going to offer an amendment to the rule that would change the rules of the house to prevent any health care-related legislation from being considered if it does not or a c.b.o. cost estimate if it would deny health coverage or require higher

premiums due to pre-existing conditions. impose impose lifetime limits on health coverage, prevents under aged 26 from being covered under their parents' plan, reduce the number of people receiving health care under the affordable care act, increase costs to seniors by reopening the doughnut hole, and raising prescription drug costs, requiring people to pay for preventative services including cancer screening, reduce medicare solvency or change the medicare guarantee or reduce federal taxes on the 1% of the population with the highest incomes or increase taxes on the 80% of hardworking americans earning moderate to low incomes. every american deserves

affordable, high-quality health care. this amendment would ensure that the republican bill can't sacrifice that goal in favor of iving tax cuts to the wealthy. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hastings: to discuss our proposal, i'm very pleased to yield to my very good friend three minutes, the distinguished gentleman from massachusetts, who is the ranking member of the committee on ways and means, mr. neal. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for three minutes. mr. neal: i want to thank judge hastings for yielding the time. the previous question i offer with congresswoman slaughter would prevent any legislation from being considered if the legislation would deny coverage or require higher premiums for pre-existing conditions, increase costs for seniors for

prescription drugs or reduce medicare solvency. i've listened to the previous three speakers on the republican side talk about national defense. that's understandable but might we for the purpose of this discussion also acknowledge the following -- that real national defense also means providing health security for members of the american family, that's part of the balance we should be recognizing. the priorities on the other side are the following -- they e going to turn the issue of pre-existing condition back to a voluntary nature at the state level. and as one who comes from local government, we should recognize the following -- every time there's an economic downturn,

you can be certain that governors are going to use the money that was intended for health care to balance the budgets and they're going to call it good management. they are undermining the health security of the american people with their proposal on trumpcare. they've been threatening to eliminate coverage for millions of americans for years, and now they are telling us they are on the eve of accomplishing just that. but, what does it mean for the american family? they want to go back they want to deny routine health insurance because you might have been born with diabetes or a liver transplant in mid-life or diagnosis for cancer mid-life and can't be insured despite you spent a lifetime paying those premiums and going to make this an option for the states to

decide? this is going backwards on the issue of health security, but that's not enough. they are going to ask you to pay more for hospital care, more for prescription drugs, more for mental health and substance abuse treatment, more for pediatric care and cancer care and they are going to call this an improvement in health care delivery. well, the recent improvements made it clear. let's not forget the previous bill had an underlying $1 trillion tax give-away that would drain from the health care trust fund and cut money from medicaid all for the purpose of providing a $1 trillion tax cut to the people at the very top. fewer covered, higher costs and -- mr. hastings: i yield two minutes. mr. neal: and fewer protections for the american family.

the question we're going to offer is the following, we would prevent any of this legislation that is proposed that would be considered harmful to the consumers as the republican bill does. americans need assurance about health care. and by the way, some predictability, during my time of service here, i have seen how difficult it is to do health insurance. and there is only one person in washington who said, who knew health insurance could be this complicated. for those of us who served here for any extended period of time, we all knew that health care was complicated in terms of delivery and economic consequence. but that's not enough for our friends today. they want to change the basic tenet of the guarantee of ending pre-existing condition. i have a republican friend and said i wish i was still in the

house because i would vote against that bill because my daughter had a liver transplant and now it's up to a governor of a state to decide. we need the guarantee of medicare, coupled with the expansion of medicaid, which is now offered -- offering insurance to 24 million americans that didn't have insurance prior to the affordable care act. and remember half of that number, that's private insurance . we kept the private sector alive for the purpose of offering disciplined price. health care spending in america has plateaued, but we won't let the facts get in the way of rigid ideology which says we need to change the affordable care act because barack obama offered it? that's what the test is now for

the american people who sponsored the legislation? mr. hastings: i yield additional 30 seconds. mr. neal: we debated health care since harry truman was president. and since president johnson offered medicare and medicaid. bob dole and richard nixon understood you needed the mandate to provide health care to american families and they are going to turn their backs on pre-existing conditions. remember, real national defense also means providing health care for members of the american family. and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. cole: before i go to my next speaker, i want to respond to my friends. so i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cole: i came here to debate the appropriations bill, which is a great bipartisan compromise, but i'm happy to

engage in the health care debate as well, if that's what my friends choose to do it. i remember the conditions under which obamacare was passed and that we would save money. i remember if you liked your plan, you could keep it. not true. if you liket your doctor, you could keep that individual. no true. this was sold on a tissue of fabrications and predictions that were false. those people that say this is a good system, come to my state. we are down to a single provider, one. i would say thank god for them because they are losing money. mr. neal: would the gentleman yield? mr. cole: i will not yield. and our rates are going up 69% and anyone who thinks it's a successful system, should look at it. if it was successful you would be in the majority instead of

the minority. the american people in election afflecks rendered a verdict that this particular system is not meeting their needs and it badly needs to be overhauled and changed, if not rooted out completely. frankly, again, as i think through the president's actions and what my colleagues in the leadership are doing, i'm very glad they are working overtime right now to try and make sure that we have something better for the american people and my friends delivered on the other side of the aisle when they had the opportunity to do so. it's not working. nd i hope very much we have to cancel travel plans for the next day or two to vote on this. i would be ecstatic to do that. again, i would be happy to debate that and when the time comes, i will. but i look forward engaging in that debate because i'm convinced we can do a lot better for the american people than we

did when obamacare was passed and we can implement something better for the american people. and we can avoid some of the catastrophic consequences. as to my friends' concerns as to pre-existing conditions, they are not going to be reversed. but i trust my governor and legislature to make decisions. i trust them a lot more than i do in washington to understand what's going on in my state. and most people here trust their governors and legislature to be more in touch with the needs of their people than anybody in washington. i'm happy to see a devolution of decision making from washington to other parts of the country. we call that federalism. it has worked very well for the american people for almost 240 years. with that, i would like to yield two minutes to migrate friend, my good friend from the 4th district of michigan in a second term but a new member of the

appropriations committee and i'm very glad to have him on my subcommittee for health, labor, human services, the gentleman from michigan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. >> i would like to thank chairman cole and chairman frelinghuysen and the entire appropriations committee as well as the president and congressional leaders in both the house and the senate for their work on this bipartisan appropriations bill. this legislation is not perfect but addresses many priorities for the people of michigan and the united states. it funds the great lakes restoration initiative, which protects the great lakes. it instructs the army corps of engineers to turn over its report on stopping asian carp from invading the great lakes. it funds important scientific research at michigan state university and continues support for vaccines against emerging

threats. it commits funding for cures research at the national institutes of health including the fight against alzheimer's so we can work on stopping this disease that steals golden years from our seniors. for the rural communities, this legislation increases funding for rural development grants and the farm service agency. this legislation promotes border security and integrity, providing more money for customs and border patrol and increasing the number of border patrol agents hired. this legislation will ensure our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to keep us safe from threats from north korea, russia, iran and isis. this legislation makes important cuts including eliminating wasteful funding for u.n. programs that run counter to the ideals of our country. and finally, this legislation stebbeds prohibitions on funding

for abortion that have been in place for years. this legislation addresses many important priorities for the people of michigan and our than tire nation and i urge our colleagues to support it. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. hastings: i yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman, my friend from rhode island, mr. langevin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for one minute. mr. langevin: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of the omnibus spending agreement that is before us today which will finally fund the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2017. the bill is not a perfect bill but represents a good bipartisan compromise. mr. speaker, we need engage in good faith discussions about our values and priorities and not participate in posturing for social media.

it's my hope my congressional colleagues will continue the constructive tone that this agreement represents. this fiscal year agreement delivers on important priorities important to rhode island. restores the year-round pell grant or summer pell eligibility allowing summer students to receive pell grants funds to help them finish their degrees on time. d rather than slash funding, this compromise led $2 billion in funding for the national institutes of health to cure catastrophic diseases and drives innovative economic development. and on the defense side, this agreement funds vital national security programs including the continued procurement of virginia class submarines and ongoing development of the new columbia class, work that i'm quonset say happens at point.

and this is a good faith compromise that will keep the government open and working for the american people. i hope we can continue on a similar bipartisan agreement as we plan for the next fiscal year and i thank my friend for yielding and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. cole: i want to yield four minutes to my very good friend, fellow member of the appropriations committee and chairman of the veterans administration, and military construction, the gentleman from pennsylvania. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. dent: i rise in strong support of this rule and underlying legislation, which is a product of a lot of effort on the parts of a lot of people and bipartisan basis. i would like to congratulate our chair and ranking members for their work on the 2017 appropriations act and for the leadership in bringing this legislation forward today to

address a number of timely issues facing our nation. i want to thank mr. cole, to my on theor his strong work bill. his leadership has been extraordinary on this issue. i would like to draw special attention to some of this legislation's provisions that will further support our veterans and enhance our military's readiness. division l of the bill provides supplemental funding to milcon and the v.a. accounts. specifically, this bill will allow us to further address the opioid epidemic that has escalated and affected families and individuals. the 2017 bill will provide $50 million in additional current year-end funding for the department of veterans affairs

to provide substance abuse treatment for veterans. it will achieve full implementation under the recovery act of 2016. i just raise this issue less than an hour ago with v.a. secretary in this morning's hearing and he stressed the importance of these funds to stay ahead of this challenge and provide comprehensive treatments to our veterans. it is my hope that the lessons learned from this public health crisis will be remembered so we can prevent similar episodes from occurring in the future. in addition, the f.y. 2017 appropriations act will support readiness and infrastructure improvements and facilitate future force structure growth by providing our military services with the full amount requested for military construction efforts. mr. speaker, i agree with so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle we need to make developments in our

military readiness and the investments in the infrastructure programs that support our troops at home and abroad are critical aspects of our posture. this bill will move us in the right direction by addressing needs for both our active duty and national guard and reserve forces. . i'd like to talk about the underlying bill. many pressing needs are addressed here. specifically, we're talking about a very significant pay increase, a 2.1% pay increase for our troops. that's the largest pay increase in six years. this legislation makes a substantial down payment on our efforts and the administration's efforts, the trump administration's efforts to enhance and increase military spending to address the various threats that we're seeing throughout the world. i just returned from south korea and okinawa, japan, and we have many challenges in northeast asia. i won't go into here today, but

we all know that we have some real obligations, particularly for our united states navy. also wanted to mention, too, my good friend, chairman cole, he led the effort, along with senator roy blunt, to increase funding for medical research, critical lifesaving medical research to the national institutes of health by $2 billion in this legislation, taking the funding level from $32 billion to $34 billion and that's on top of what occurred in f.y. 2016 which took us from $30 billion to $32 billion. we had to set some priorities and chairman cole did that in the labor-health bill. set those priorities and said this is one of them and i'm proud we as republicans are stepping up on medical research. i'm also pleased, too, that many of our democratic friends are supporting us in this effort as well. may i have -- lr the gentleman

yield me -- will the gentleman yield me another one minute? mr. cole: i yield two minutes. mr. dent: in addition to this robust increase for medical research, the chairman also provided substantial support for early childhood, a priority to him and to many of us. and there are other areas, too, pell grants. year-round pell grants for so many students who are struggling with college affordability. also want to point out, too, on border security. a down payment has been made here as well. this legislation provides $1.5 billion additionally for border security. this will help us move closer to establishing greater operational control of our border which is something i think we all agree needs to be done. these are just a few of the provisions beyond what i am responsible for, military construction, v.a., so i urge support of this bill. i will point out we passed the

v.a. construction on time. first appropriations bill passed on time since 2009. i want to take credit for that. but these other 11 bills that have been discussed here today need our support. we need to keep this government running, and we've done it in a very thoughtful, bipartisan, measured way and we have been very responsible. this bill needs to get to the president's desk immediately. i urge support of the legislation and the rule as well. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from oklahoma reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized for 30 seconds that remain. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, through you i'll advise my good friend that we have no further speakers and i am prepared to close. mr. cole: i'm certainly prepared to close whenever my good friend is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, the president has said that americans would win so much they'd be tired of winning. i think for once he and i may be in agreement. today's measure advances medical research, protects coal miners, fights back against the

opioid epidemic and international disasters and protects funding for science, education and health care. it should not have taken us seven months to get here, but i hope this measure will give the appropriations committee a springboard for fiscal year 2018, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. cole: thank you, mr. speaker. and i want to thank my good friend, the gentleman. it's always a pleasure, honestly, to engage in debate with him because it's going to be spirited but it's going to be civil. so i thank my friend for that. and frankly, when my friend points out he and president trump are actually on the same side for once, i think the second coming may not be very far. so we're all in a pretty good mood here. but i do want to echo a couple points my friend made and made as always with great skill. there's a lot in this bill that brings us together. this was a product of genuine

compromise. we had republicans in the house and democrats in the house, republicans in the senate, democrats in the senate, obviously the administration. it's really a five-corner negotiation. and i think we ought to step back a little bit and reflect in the course of that while all those parties began with very different positions and some rbal fist cuffs as well they moved closer together throughout the course of the discussion. that effectively meant we will have the first bipartisan, bicameral negotiation of this administration that's been successful and i hope it will become a model for some of the things that lie in front of us like infrastructure, like tax reform. i recognize we won't always agree, but to me this agreement shows that we can work towards have ents if we compromise with one another. the president did a lot of good

things here. i think the additional money for our men and women in uniform, the raise and pay for those we've asked so much for and who have never let us down is something he can be very proud of. i think the additional money on the border, where we know we have a security problem, we may debate the best way to address that, that's fair enough but that's an achievement he deserves credit for. and i think frankly breaking this artificial linkage of domestic spending and security spending was something that's really important. look, sometimes we'll actually need more domestically than perhaps we need in defense, but we're going to have to look at those things logically, not create artificial formulas. actually fear sometimes my side might do that in reverse, by demanding cuts in exchange for military spending when those cuts in themselves aren't wise. finally, i look at things where we find a lot of common purpose here. my friend, mr. dent, mentioned a number of those. things like more money for the national institutes of health

and the center for disease control. believe me, pandemics and bioterrorists don't care if you're a republican or democrat, liberal or conservative. we have to maintain this effort. it's extraordinarily important. i think, again, my friends pointed out, look, we worked together to provide additional funds for early childhood, provide additional money through programs like gear up andtoryo for those that didn't have an opportunity to go to college but get there and succeed. and things like year-round pell grants, speakers from both sides pointed out will help kids succeed and help them wrestle with the financial burden. so there's a lot in here to be proud of. our vote is a partisan exercise and i recognize that but i'm very proud after the vote we will have substantial numbers of members from both sides of the aisle voting together on something they worked on together and achieved and it will be sent down to -- over to the senate. i think we'll see the same

result there. eventually to the desk of the president of the united states, and i think he can sign it with a great deal of pride and recognition that, hey, occasionally bipartisanship and negotiation actually work. so with that, again, i want to thank my friend, my very good friend for debate, and i want to point out in closing that this is so much better than the continuing resolution. this is real governance at work. this is us working together, exercising oversight and appropriately funding and compromises on occasion important functions for the american people. with that i yield back the -- i e of my time and i yield back the balance of my time and move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the previous question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. mr. hastings: mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask for the yeas

and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. pursuant to clause 8 and clause 9 of rule 20, this 15-minute vote on ordering the previous question will be followed by five-minute votes on adopting the resolution, if ordered, and suspending the rules and passing h.r. 1665, if ordered. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]