On the recordJanuary 20, 2018
I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule, which will help give the House the flexibility it needs to respond appropriately to whatever the Senate may be able to pass. I think it is important to remind everyone that the House has done its work. We passed every one of the appropriations bills before the fiscal year began in October. And, on Thursday, we passed a bill to continue government funding until February 16. Now we are waiting to see what the Senate may be able to pass, and this rule enables us to respond to that. But I want to focus my comments on the effects that this budget drama is having on the United States military. Mr. Speaker, the first job of the Federal Government is to defend the country. We have to do that before we do anything else. There are more than 2 million men and women who have volunteered to risk their lives to help keep us safe. Some of them are stationed, this very minute, all around the world. Every single one of them and their families depend upon us for the support they need to do the job that the country has asked them to do. As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, the Constitution is very explicit, saying it is Congress' responsibility to raise and support, provide and maintain, the military forces of this Nation. But at this moment, those men and women, wherever they are around the world, doing their job, are not getting paid.…
