On the recordSeptember 30, 2023
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Florida for the time. Mr. Speaker, I think today we are at a really important moment in our history. Obviously, we are all frustrated, myself included as an appropriator. We have gone through this process. There was an effort to bring bills up sooner. We all would have liked those to have come up sooner, but playing games and dragging this out, and watching Members drag the process out even further than it needs to be, is not helpful. Ultimately, we need to get this passed. We need to get this over to the Senate as quickly as possible because the American people want us to get this done. There are a lot of efforts that need to move forward. We obviously need to continue the process of appropriating, and I think we have a commitment now from leadership to keep us here over the next 2 weeks, which I think is the right thing to do, so that we can finish the appropriations bills. We have done quite a bit, obviously. Moving the four bills off the House floor is a huge step for us. We have two more to move out of committee, and I think we will be moving that soon enough. The reality is, we need to finish our work, and these 45 days will give us the ability to do that. It makes a difference for the American people and makes a difference for us here in Congress, and sadly, it is something we need to do.…





