Mark Takano: “I remind my esteemed colleague and friend-- and I do believe the gentleman from Illinois is my friend--that we are about…”

“I remind my esteemed colleague and friend-- and I do believe the gentleman from Illinois is my friend--that we are about to tonight bring up, again, the rule for the Defense appropriations bill. This body failed to even pass a rule and to bring to the floor the Defense appropriations bill. Barring an ability to fund a continuing resolution before October 1, which is this Sunday, we are facing our military servicemembers going without a paycheck. This is a very serious moment. As far as I know, none of the 12 appropriations bills have been agreed to and been sent to the President's desk. The bill before us today, this moment, is a bipartisan, noncontroversial bill that needs to be signed by the President before Sunday. Time is of the essence, but we can't forget all the things that we are not accomplishing for veterans today, that we are not accomplishing for our servicemembers who are in harm's way. Servicemembers, veterans, and their families deserve to have access to food, deserve to have access to housing, and deserve to have access to healthcare and mental health care. If we look at the reauthorization of the agriculture bill, it is atrocious what is done to all the nutrition programs that our veterans and our military families depend on. Do not be fooled by the fact that we have passed a military construction bill that fully funds VA but has not yet been agreed to because of all of the poison pills that have been put into that bill.…”