On the recordSeptember 30, 2023
I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to note here that, first of all, I am very interested that there was a rereading of the bill as it came from the House and from the Senate and that there is a view that it needs to be reviewed in some way because, in fact, as the bill stands, there is a pay raise that is being done, in addition to which there are student loan efforts that are thwarted, as well, making it more difficult for about 45 million borrowers to be able to get the kind of services that they need. I really want to make the point that I have had the opportunity to chair the Appropriations Committee for 2 years--and for those 2 years, with a 3- or 4-person majority--with the assistance of colleagues in the House and in the Senate. Last December, it was honestly just in the Senate because House Republicans refused to participate in the negotiations. I think there were very few, in the continuing resolution that we put forward, Republicans who voted for a continuing resolution. I think, if I recall the number precisely, it was nine, but it allowed us to be able to hammer out the bills over the next several weeks until December. At that juncture, what we did was we came together. We hammered out the bills. No one got everything that they wanted, but we could pass the bill.…
