Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives U.S. House Of Representatives 20240714

Impeachment resolution of President Trump, and members will begin debate on raising the minimum wage. Now to live coverage of the u. S. House here on cspan. The speaker the house will be in order. The prayer will be offered by our guest chaplain, the reverend john p. Fitzgibbons, regis university, denver, colorado. God, plain most holy please unite and guide the leaders in this house to recognize, to speak for, and to safeguard the vulnerable and the marginalized in all corners of our nation. Help us to hear and to champion the rights of dreamers of all colors, all context, and all ages, especially the young whose ardent desire is to know and to build a better society. Help us to illuminate the path and to advocate for our countrys learners and their teachers so that access to education and the power of knowledge will continue to produce servant leaders committed to democracy, equality, and justice. Help us to unite our hearts and our minds to share freely of our gifts, to reflect critical thought and responsible action on moral and ethical issues and to be men and women for others that both you and our constituents expect and deserve. Amen. The speaker thank you, father. The chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announced to the chamber her approval thereof. Pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. The pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from illinois, mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia 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 without objection, the gentleman from california, mr. Cisneros, is recognized for one minute. Mr. Cisneros madam speaker, i am delighted to welcome to this chamber, father john p. Fitzgibbons who delivered todays opening prayer. A native of omaha, nebraska, he entered the wisconsin province of the society of jesus in 1973 and he was ordained as a priest in 1985. Like all good jesuits, father fitzgibbons dedicated his life to god and education. He holds bachelors in degrees in english, theology, a ph. D. In english. He had extensive teaching at creighton and marquette universities where he served as dean of the college of professional studies at the university of San Francisco. He will later return to Marquette University to serve part of faculty development. In 2012, he was appointed the 24th president of my alma mater, regis university. I want to thank father fitzgibbons for his 26 years in education, his 34 years as a priest, and his 46 years of dedication to god. It has been a tremendous pleasure having you here today. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the chair will entertain 15 further requests for oneminute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the entlewoman from michigan rise . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise in honor of the grandma rows Dale Development organization as they serve residents of northwest detroit. The corporation was formed in 1989 initially as a Business Association for the five neighborhoods it represents. It focuses now in neighborhood preservation and from then on rows Dale Corporation has reduced neighborhood blight, promote Sustainable Economic Development and increasing homeownership. Beyond that they run a number of communitybased programs including a neighbor coworking space, farmers market, a Vacant Property Task force to help improve the quality of life for all the residents and the in the city of detroit. Ms. Talib the wholeistic approach to maintaining its neighborhoods is the true definition to community development. The diverse staff and countless volunteers put their heart and soul into the community and it shines through in every project. Im honored to serve this community, and i commend the corporation on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore thank you. For what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize the Marie Calloway chamber of commerce for their designation as the 2019 National Chamber of the year. This National Honor was awarded at the acce National Convention in long beach, california, on july 15. This is the second win for the Murray Calloway chamber win, the first being in 2012. The National Chamber of the year award recognizes the areas Business Leaders Whose Community contributions are unparalleled. Acce, the application process considers the chambers structure, finances, member engagement, Services Upon honoring a chamber. Mr. Comer the chambers efforts have benefited the area but positively impacted communities throughout western kentucky. I would like to thank president ichelle bundon and board chair picossa, as well as the directors, staffs, Chamber Members for their unwavering commitment for the betterment of their industry. Support i am proud to the Chamber Leaders in murray and calloway, kentucky. The speaker pro tempore thank you. For what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition . I seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I would like to honor the life and legacy of one of my constituents and a friend for over 50 years, michael gonzalez. Mr. Garcia he was a professional engineer, deeply involved in Many Community issues in chicago and affairs. As one of the founding members in e latino foundation, his role as vice chair, michael was instrumental to the growth of the foundation for 17 years. His invaluable work to our community ensured that hundreds of talented latino, latina students receive scholarships to college. Michaels dedication and unwavering commitment to the foundation did not go unnoticed. He was often referred to as the heart and soul of the foundation. Most notably, he never received a dollar for the thousands of hours he dedicated to the foundation. Michael gonzalez leaves a legacy of engagement that continues to shape the foundation. His passing is a true loss to the foundation and the community. His presence in the community will be missed by many. I extend my condolences to family, neighbors, and friends. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Thompson thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize the importance of American Manufacturing and to highlight pennsylvanias contributions. This week the white house hosted its annual made in america showcase, displaying products from all 50 states. Businesses of all sizes were invited to participate in the event to highlight the strength, creativity, ingenuity of american manufacturers. Im pleased that pennsylvanias 15th district represented the commonwealth for two years in a row. In 2018 bwp, bats, a Baseball Company from brookville, traveled to the white house to share their products with attendees. This year, zipo lighters, which are manufactured in bradford, pennsylvania, mccain county, represented the keystone state. Businesses involved in manufacturing are vital to pennsylvanias economy. Advanced manufacturing ranks among the commonwealths top five industries, and nearly one in 10 people across the commonwealth work for a manufacturer. A Strong Manufacturing sector helps america stay competitive and supporting legislation that strengthens the industry bolsters our nations potential for a prosperous future by keeping goodpaying, family sustaining jobs right here at home. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore thank you. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition . I seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to give voice to what so many individuals and families in my community and across the country are feeling deep anger at the threat of losing access to their health care. First, i have to condemn the developments in the ninth circuit case that state title 10 providers can no longer lawfully refer women for abortion services. Ms. Hill health care is professional. It cannot be policed by congress. These rules are damaging to providers and dangerous, possibly even deadly to patients. Whats worse is that its not just reproductive care. This administration is using stacked courts to dismantle the Health Care System that gives coverage to millions of americans, including 60,000 individuals in my district without even the vaguest plan to replace it. My colleagues are working every day to lower the cost of prescription drugs and to ensure we have a Health Care System that works for everyone. While this administration tries to rip coverage away. As members of congress, we owe it to our communities to fight back against these rollbacks at every step and we will. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition . I seek recognition to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize Holland Virtual Tech High School. This program was brought to my attention by a gentleman named luis who talked about it and the positive impact it had on his family during one of my telephone town halls recently. Since 2015, the program has served as an alternative Credit Recovery school on the campus of Holland High School in holland, michigan. The fully accredited Program Offers a unique Online Learning environment designed for students who struggle in a traditional classroom setting or have fallen behind in their schoolwork due to unforeseen circumstances. Mr. Huizenga together, teachers, guidance counselors, support staff help develop an individualized graduation plans. Through these efforts, nearly 400 students graduated the program. That represents countless lives positively impacted, even more doors opened, and endless opportunities created for these young men and women. Upon completion of the program, students receive a Holland School diploma. The program has played an integral part in increasing the overall Holland High School Graduation Rate by five Percentage Points over the last two years. Students who graduate are equipped with the schools to successfully transition into their postsecondary lives, whether to be continued education, apprenticeships or directly into the job market. So thank you to everyone whos involved with the Holland Virtual Tech High School and keep up the great work and with that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you to the distinguished speaker. Mr. Speaker, on this day in 1944 at 10 18 p. M. , a cargo vessel exploded at the port chicago naval magazine located in my district in california. Resulting in the deadliest home front disaster of world war ii. All of the men loading ammunition at the site that day were africanamerican. When the surviving sailors understandably hesitated to return to those unsafe conditions of loading, 50 were discriminantly convicted of mutiny. Congress and the administration have repeatedly recognized the injustice these men suffered. Congress directed the creation of a memorial. The executive branch pardoned one of the 50, and the then secretary of the navy said he strongly supported executive action in favor of the port chicago 50. To commemorate this anniversary, the house of representatives passed just this week our measure that directs the secretary of the navy to finally exonerate the port chicago 50. On the 75th anniversary today of the explosion, let us remember the words of Thurgood Marshall when he traveled to San Francisco to defend these innocent men, whats at stake, the future of first africanamerican Supreme Court justice said, whats at stake is more than the rights of the port chicago 50. Its the moral commitment stated in our nations creed. Hank you, mr. Chairman. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Mr. Burgess mr. Speaker, i 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. Burgess thank you, mr. Speaker. Yesterday back home in texas 1,500 people gathered at the Highland Park United Methodist church on the campus of s. M. U. To honor the life and legacy of h. Ross perot. We lost mr. Perot just a little over a week ago at the age of 89. Mr. Perot had an outsized influence on our state and indeed our nation. Mr. Perot was remembered by his children in very touching tributes and his accomplishments were too numerous to go into in the space of a oneminute talk. But i did want to acknowledge all of the work that he did on behalf of the United States prisoners of war and certainly to bring about the cause and knowledge of the gulf war syndrome. He was a driving force in that. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition . Ms. Kaptur i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Ms. Kaptur mr. Speaker be, americas economic history mr. Speaker, americas economic history is rooted in the exploitation of labor. It is a lesson worth remembering. But its history is not one ofiester years alone. Our of yesteryears alone. Our imposing trade deals expose a model on cheap labor where profits matter more than people. This system undermines the rule of law with a global race to the bottom. Trade is not just about goods. It is about people. It is about communities. It is about workers. In the Agriculture Sector alone, one can argue that our continent has gone from slavery to servedom. That is why today im introducing the independent secretariat for fair trade deals act. We need a trade model that respects workers and holds employers and workers accountable, with strong mechanisms for labor enforcement. My bill boo ebb would establish an independent labor secretary to monitor and enforce transnational labor issues with the wages and standards working group, with expert wage panels to study the impacts on wages, benefits, labor rights, working conditions and inequality. The bill also requires that any trade agreement eligible for expedited consideration include enforcement labor standard and protections. Mr. Speaker, let us dignyify the workers who sustain us. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, by direction of the committee on rules, i call up House Resolution 492 and ask for its immediate consideration. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the resolution. The clerk house calendar number 37. Ouse resolutioned 492. Resolved, that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill, h. R. 582, to provide for increases in the federal minimum wage, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on education and labor now printed in the bill, modified by the amendment printed in part a of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution, shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on education and labor. Two, the further amendment printed in part b of the report of the committee on rules, if offered by the member designated in the report, which shall be in order without intervention of any point of order, shall be considered as read, shall be separately debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question, and, three, one motion to recommit with or ithout instructions. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized for one hour. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman, my friend from texas, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. I ask unanimous consent that all members be given five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Speaker, on monday the rules committee met and reported out a rule, House Resolution 492, providing for consideration of h. R. 582 the raise the wage act, under a structured rule. The rule provides one hour of debate, equal request divided and controlled by the chair and Ranking Member of the committee on education and labor. The rule makes in order one amendment debatable for 10 minutes. Mr. Speaker, the raise the wage act gradually increases the federal minimum wage by 2025, thereby fulfilling a promise to the American People that with hard work comes, at a minimum, a livable wage. Not a wage with eroded purchasing power, or a wage that keeps workers from providing for their families. Mr. Morelle but a minimum wage that empowers americans and gives them a fighting chance at economic mobility. It has been over a decade, the longest stretch since the establishment of the federal minimum wage, since this body voted to increase the minimum wage. This is a great disservice to the American People and i am thankful to chairman scott for making a gradual increase of the federal minimum wage a top priority of his committee on education and labor, of which i am a proud member. In my home state of new york, we have one of the highest minimum wages in the country. I was proud to support gradually increasing the minimum wage to 15 an hour while i served as majority leader in the new York State Assembly and i look forward to doing the same here today. To ensure all americans working full time can live safely and sustainably above the poverty line. The benefits of increasing the minimum wage have farreaching impacts throughout our society. The raise the wage act could increase wages for over 30 million americans. People who get up every day to work towards their own version of the american dream. It empowers women, narrowing the gender wage pay gap through pay increases for nearly 23 million women across america. It would also lift the families of at least 1. 3 million americans, 600,000 of whom are children, out of poverty. Lets just think about that for a moment. 1. 3 million americans who are working hard to make ends meet but struggle below the poverty line because of Years Congress let the real value of their hardearned dollars erode. This isnt a handout for them. This is a fair and overdue adjustment for employees who deserve to earn a livable wage. Recently a friend of mine who is the administrator at temple breath codish in rochester, new york, sent me a copy of my pay stub from 1976. At the time i made the minimum wage, 2. 30 an hour. People might argue or debate whether or not i was worth 2. 30 an hour, but that was the minimum wage in 1976. Adjusted for inflation, that dollars. 10. 35 in 2019 had the minimum wage kept pace with inflation, a worker who puts in 2,000 annually would make 20,700 today. But because the federal minimum wage is still at 7. 25 or more than 2 an hour lower than if the minimum wage had simply been adjusted for inflation since that time, the same fulltime worker today earns 14,500. More than 6,200 erosion of purchasing power since 1976. Even if you adjust for inflation since 2009 and look again at a 2,000hour work year annually, the difference is 2,8 2,800. When youre living paycheck to paycheck as many minimum wage workers do, an additional 6,200 or at least 2,00 annually can make a significant 2,800 annually can make a significant difference in your financial stability. Gradually raising the minimum wage to 15 an hour doesnt just benefit those earning minimum wage. It boosts the local economy in communities across this country. A gradual increase to 15 will accelerate Economic Growth by putting money in the pockets of workers who want and now can afford to spend money beyond their basic needs. Whether it be at the Community Grocery stores or familyowned shops, by spending money back in their local economy, they contribute to a positive economic cycle. From narrowing the gender pay gap and lifting families out of poverty, to strengthening local economies, the raise the wage act has clear benefits, we should benefits we should all get behind. Im proud to be a cosponsor of this significant piece of legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess mr. Speaker, i thank mr. Morelle for yielding the customary 30 minutes and i yield myself such time as i may consume. Mr. Speaker, today we are considering h. R. 582, the raise the wage act. This legislation would raise the federal minimum wage to 15 an hour, a 107 increase over the current rate of 7. 25 an hour. An increase of this magnitude could harm american businesses. Could harm american consumers. And certainly will harm American Workers. The legislation does not consider the labor market, it disincentivizes job growth, and has the potential to leave nearly four million workers unemployed. Let us consider the data. The Congressional Budget Office recently released a report on the effects of mandating a federal minimum wage in the United States. The report explains how more than doubling the minimum wage would increase unemployment up to four million individuals. Four million workers would have to be laid off to increase wages for a little over one Million People. That means for each person lifted out of poverty due to a wage increase, another three individuals will lose their jobs. Why . I ask my colleagues, is this a fair tradeoff . This bill creates false hope for lowwage earners who will be counting on a wage increase and keeping their job. But what if they dont keep their job . Then its no wage at all. In addition, those that are most likely to lose their jobs are likely to be minorities, women and our young people. Increasing the federal minimum wage to 15 an hour would have unintended secondary effects, particularly increasing the risk of inflation. As wages increase, costs of doing business will rise as well. Businesses will be forced to pass on these increased costs by raising the price of their goods and services. As the costs are passed on to the consumer, who will be hurt the most . It is those vulnerable populations at the lower wage scale that this bill supposedly helps. The americans that live in poverty. Congress cannot in good conscience pass this legislation , at east at least without understanding the full effects. In january the American Enterprise institute released a report detailing how the costs of goods have changed over the past 20 years controlled for inflation. This study included everything from televisions to furniture to housing and more. Unsurprisingly, the products with the most government involvement, lets use as an example health care and education, saw the most rapid increase in cost. Is it the intent of the majority to increase prices of many Consumer Products and services beyond what would be natural economic inflation . Congress must also consider how this legislation will impact different parts of the country in different ways. Many urban areas have already raised their minimum wage to similar levels. By the end of this year, new york city and San Francisco will have minimum wages of 15 an hour. Seattles twotiered minimum wage system goes even further, by requiring small employers to pay 15 an hour and large employers to pay 16 an hour. However, in many parts of the country, they simply cannot handle the burden of a 15 an hour minimum wage. Rural areas with small mom and pop businesses and significantly lower costs of living do not have the same needs or purchasing priorities as urban dwellers. A federal minimum wage should be a floor for all workers, not a floor for those working and living in the heart of the most expensive areas of the country. Even the progressive think tank, the third way, lobbied for a regional minimum wage in place of an acrosstheboard increase. If this legislation goes into effect as currently written, it should be renamed the rural jobs killer act, because this onesizefitsall policy would accomplish just that. Another consequence of this legislation will be the pricing out of individuals who seek to enter the work force. According to the bureau of labor statistics, nearly half of lowwage earners are under 25 years of age. Increasing the federal minimum wage to 15 an hour will make it harder for these individuals to compete, meaning that many will not be able to find work. As a teenager growing up in denton, texas, i worked a lot of different jobs. I bailed hay, i delivered pizzas, i mowed lawns to earn money for my education. Passing this legislation will eliminate such opportunities for the young people of today. With this concern in mind, i offered an amendment to the raise the wage act to protect the opportunities for entrlevel workers. My amendment would ensure that those individuals with less than a year of Work Experience have the opportunity compete ithe job market by allowing an entrylevel wage for workers with less than one years experience. The initial wage would be set at the current minimum of 7. 25 an hour for the first year. Following that year, the secretary of labor would be authorized to update the entrylevel minimum wa using a marketbaseanalysis. The secretary would be tasked to update this wage every five years to keep up with the changing labor and busiess environment instead of a heavyhanded government mandate. Young americans and new workers deserve a chance to gain experience without being priced out of the job market by more experienced job seeker the final downside of a significantly higher federal minimum wage is the risk this action has on the rapid automation of many jobs throughout the economy. Automation in stores, vehicles, the Assembly Line could make many of our everyday tasks nor fast and convenient. Tasks more fast and convenient. However, it will displace those who are not trained for other occupations. You know, theres a compelling commercial that one of our fast food Franchise Industries has today which details the path of a young woman who gets her first job at one of these restaurants and it details her progress and every stage along the way they say her name and she gets the job. She gets promotions. She gets into school. Shes the first in her family to walk across the stage at graduation. Wouldnt it be ironic instead of that young womans name you have that kiosk in the same fast food franchise, the kiosk is actually advancing through the university, the Artificial Intelligence university and eventually the kiosk may sit in the speakers chair one day . Look, thats not the future we want. We want to empower our young people. We want to be able to give them the Work Experience and allow them to work and grow. Its a beautiful commercial. I think they did a wonderful job with telling of that ironically, i think of that now i go into that same restaurant and im able to order whatever and a cup of coffee off of the kiosk and i never have to interact with an actual human at all. Increasing the minimum wage by 107 across the country will expedite this process quicker than the pace of innovation ever would. My fellow texas representative, freshman representative, ron wright, brought this concern to the attention of his colleagues at the house education and Labor Committee during consideration of this bill. Mr. Wright offered an amendment that required the Government Accountability office to study the impact of the minimum wage on the loss of jobs due to automation and would stop the minimum wage hike if this job loss rose to half a million jobs. That seems reasonable but unfortunately our colleagues on on other side of the dais the energy and Commerce Committee rejected his concerns and his amendment. I would like to commend my democratic colleagues to support the Disability Community with the inconcurrent resolution of h. R. 873, the transformation to competitive employment act, under the fair labor standards, the department of labor is able to grant employers 14 c certificates. These certificates give employers the legal right to pay a disabled employees wages below minimum wage, officially called subminimum wage. This unfair policy enables individuals with disabilities to be exploited under the guise of integrating them into society. However, a 2001 g. A. O. Report found that only 5 of disabled workers at workshops that use the 14c certificates found employment outside. There was minimal integration into our modern society, and some workers, unfortunately, were paid as little as four cents an hour. This issue was brought to my attention by a constituent of mine, blake byron. Blake is a hardworking texan. He owns his own business in sanger, texas. He has down syndrome. He was the first person with downed syndrome in the state of texas to start his own business, and hes been an advocate for those with disabilities for years. Blake is proof that being differently abled does not change the value of ones life or ones labor. Congress should continue to allow real wage growth to take place through a thriving labor market by avoiding burdensome federal mandates. By reducing expenses, by reducing red tape, americans will see gains in productivity and wages allowing for more employment, not less. And we dont have to look very far to see an example of this. Over the past two years, the United States has seen unprecedented low levels of unemployment and record high rates of wage growth. Due to comprehensive tax reform passed by the last congress and the tax cuts and jobs act, American Companies have been able to reinvest in their employees and reinvest in projects like never before. Due to the trump administrations effort to reform and rein in overbearing and obstructive federal regulations, the economy is no longer being held back. With seven million unfilled jobs in the United States today, the best way, the best way to raise wages is to let the power of capitalism work and allow companies to compete for workers. With that, i urge opposition to the rule and ill reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I appreciate hearing from my distinguished friend and colleague on the rules committee, mr. Burgess. I want to just theres a lot to unpack from what he said. Let me make a few points before on my to my colleagues side of the aisle. Mr. Morelle first, as it relates to the economic numbers. The picture mr. Burgess painted is heavily overstated. What it doesnt take into consideration is the full picture here which is a question, if youre going to establish as a matter of Public Policy there ought to be a minimum wage throughout this country, you do so recognizing that that minimum wage ought to continue to keep pace so that it doesnt get eroded over time. Ill come back in a minute. I do want to remind the gentleman that this change alone would lift 1. 3 Million People out of poverty. 600,000 whom are children who live in poverty even though they might work 2,000 hours a year, what we consider full time, full employment. Its extraordinary, the savings alone to government for people no longer in poverty who might rise out of the need for Public Programs would be significant. But 30 Million People will benefit from this. 30 million americans benefit from the legislation that mr. Scott has advanced. I do note, also, that in an economy and this economy has been growing for a decade now. What i call the obama recovery which continues. I have this view that president s probably get too much blame and certainly take too much credit, perhaps, for Economic Growth. But this has been a sustained recovery, and during times when there are labor shortages, exactly the time that you would want to raise the minimum wage, to do it during a labor market in which there was an excess labor capacity would be the wrong time, it seems to me, from an economic point of view. But nonetheless, the point here is that the value of this has been agreed to since 1938 when Franklin Roosevelt first got enacted the minimum wage. I note, too, that in mr. Burgess district alone in texas, 26 of workers would see 3, on maverage of average of 3,900. Thats in his district. Thats a significant change in the economic wellbeing in his district in texas. I also question, and i certainly dont ever doubt the sincerity of my colleague, but what would the minimum wage be . You could perhaps argue, get full employment at 2 an hour. Unfortunately, people would make 4,000 a year. So if were going to be truthful to and have fidelity to the notion that a floor needs to be established, and thats what this is. States and communities are free to raise beyond the federal minimum wage. Then the question is what do we set it at . I do note that in 2007 when the question was last before the house and we raised the minimum wage which at the time was 5. 85 per hour, and its now at 7. 25, mr. Burgess voted no, as did many of his colleagues. Should the minimum wage still be 5. 85 an hour . I think the question is what do we value as americans . What is the appropriate Public Policy about establishing the floor for what an individual works in america . We feel very, very strongly about it. We feel lifting of 30 million americans, economic prospects makes this the appropriate we can do, particularly in an economy which is growing and an economy which can certainly not only afford it but we believe theres a moral imperative to do so. And with that i now yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from florida, ms. Frankel. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Frankel thank you, mr. Speaker. I stand in support of this very important legislation, raise the wage act. Mr. Speaker, they are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your grandmothers. They are your childcare workers, your home health aides, your retail workers, your maids. And they, too, have to pay their rent, buy the food for their family, and by the time many retire, they live in poverty. Women play an essential role in the economy of the United States of america and yet make up 2 3 of the minimum wage workers. They are our mothers, our sisters, our grandmothers, our daughters. They deserve a raise and they need a raise. When women succeeds, america succeeds, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess thank you, mr. Speaker. Ill yield myself two minutes or the purposes of response. The gentleman, mr. Morelle, was not here in 2007, last time the minimum wage vote was taken. Mr. Speaker, the house was the same speaker of the house we have now. Minimum wage was raised. I dont know if the gentleman remembers what happened in the year and a half following that, but the job losses in this country were staggering. Not saying it was a 1 1 relationship, but it certainly set the stage. The economy may have already been softening, but it really did accelerate the job losses that occurred in the recession of 2008. Now, the gentleman correctly points out that 1. 3 Million People would get a raise. That comes at the expense of four Million People who would see their employment eliminated by raising the minimum wage. Is that really the direction we want to go . His jurisdiction has raised the minimum wage. Any jurisdiction that i represent is free to raise the minimum wage to whatever level they want. A city in my district may say, were not going to were not going to negotiate with a contractor who pays less than 15 an hour. Thats fine. That is their job. Thats their prerogative. They may do so but they will find themselves in competition with other jurisdictions that perhaps will not be so onerous. Look, i was an employer. Not too terribly long ago. I recognized in the full employment economy of the 1990s that if i posted a job level the most entry job in my medical practice for a minimum wage higher, i was wasting my money. No one was going to respond to that ad because no one worked for minimum wage in the late 1990s during the tech boom. Everyone had jobs that paid higher than minimum wage. That should be our aspirational goal, to have an economy that pays more than what a baseline economy would pay. I said i sat in the joint Economic Committee in the first several years of the Obama Administration. It was a difficult time in this country. Christina romer and mr. Somer in would come and tell us now we find ourselves merging into it i yield myself an additional minute. We find ourselves merging into a new area of our economy, a new area of economic freedom. Why dont we embrace that . If we want to help people at the lower end of the wage scale, wed be working seriously on border security. We wouldnt have offthebooks labor competing with the lowest wage earners. And that might have been a better effort than we spent our day doing yesterday. I reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from new york. Mr. Morelle thank you, mr. Speaker. I will admit, i think this is the first time ive heard that the great crisis of 2007, 2008 was caused by or a contributing factor was the increase of the federal minimum wage from 5. 85. That sort of ignores the problems in the housing industry, credit default swaps, and a whole host of things in the financial community, not to mention what happened in the automotive industry. So this is the first time i heard that theory promoted by anyone, and i think it varies dramatically from what history will write about 2007 and 2008. Nonetheless, i do want to just correct a few things that i thought i heard my distinguished friend say. 1. 3 Million People will be out of poverty. It will be a raise for 27 million americans. So thats the right number. Its not 1. 3 million, its almost 30 million americans. And i just note that nowhere in the cobb does it talk about four c. B. O. Does it talk about four Million People being displaced. What it says is there will be 2 3 chance that will happen. The median loss will be 1. 3 million. Nowhere is there four million. But again, the point here that i think we should take from this is, using the logic thats been posited by my friend and colleague, you could argue that using that logic there would be no minute mum wage minimum wage. Let the states do what they choose to do. Thats not the Public Policy decision we made in 1938 and have continued to have fidelity to to this day and time and place. Now, there may be people who disagree with that, who think there ought not be a federal minimum wage at all. I guess thats certainly your right to do that and make that argument. But the most important thing here is that if were going to establish this, and were going to, which we on this side of the aisle certainly believe in the federal minimum wage, that if youre going to allow it to continue to function without the erosion of inflation and the loss of purchasing power, making adjustments, which i think is one of the things that most advocates for this bill, is that there may be other changes in time to wage rates, etc. , under law, but this will establish for the first time in federal law a Wage Inflation adjuster each year. So that we will stop for the First Time Since we initiated the minimum wage, we will stop the erosion of purchasing power. And we wont need to wait 10 years. This is the longest period of time, as i mentioned in my opening comments, the longest period of time since the establishment of the federal minimum wage that weve waited to make those adjustments. I just note that while i was not here and i was laboring in the state legislature in new york, creating what i think was good economic policy, i noted that the committee on education, labor, during the intervening time, while my friends were in majority, not only did they not attempt to raise the minimum wage, they did not hold a single hearing on the erosion of the purchasing power of the minimum wage, which at the time was 7. 25. And remains today 7. 25. With that, mr. Speaker, id like to yield a minute to my friend, the gentlewoman from ohio, ms. Kaptur. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from ohio is recognized for one minute. Ms. Kaptur thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, Corporate America and wall street are awash in profits and cash. But American Workers havent had the benefit of a federal minimum wage increase in over a decade, while the prices of everything have gone up. Medicine, housing, food, cars. The recent study found there isnt a single Congressional District in our entire nation where a fulltime minimum wage worker can afford a twobedroom apartment. While many states and cities have raised their own minimum wage requirements, millions of americans are stuck at 7. 25 an hour. What does this really mean . A person working full time for minimum wage takes home an annual salary of just a bit over 15,000 a year. With inflation, these workers have effectively had their wages cut by an astonishing 17 . Thats why i rise today in support of the raise the wage act, a bill that will gradually raise the minimum wage to 15 by 2025. Lift 27 million American Workers out of poverty. Give roughly 40 million americans a raise, nearly 1 3 of our work force. And stimulate local economies as americans have more money to spend. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. Ms. Kaptur would the gentleman kindly yield me an additional 15 seconds . Mr. Morelle id like to yield the gentlelady another 15 seconds. The speaker pro tempore 15 seconds is granted. Ms. Kaptur i thank the gentleman. Such a raise would put 3,200 in the pockets of more than 128,000 workers just in northern ohio. Mr. Speaker, the raise the wage act will dramatically improve the lives of millions of hardwork people and families and community in communities across our country. Lets come together and really help the American People who are working, pass this muchneeded legislation without delay. And i yield back. Mr. Morelle i reserve, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess thank you, mr. Speaker. Let me yield myself 30 seconds just to read from the Congressional Budget Office report. The paragraph that says the 15 employment in income ends in the sentence of a reduction of 3. 7 million workers. And theres also the little item of an 8. 7 billion loss in family income. So, at this time, im pleased to recognize the gentleman from alabama, mr. Brooks, three minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from alabama is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Brooks mr. Speaker, socialist democrats support open borders. Open borders mean a literal sue nanny of illegal alien tsunami of illegal alien labor that suppresses american wages. This is economics 101. If the supply goes up, Everything Else being constant, the price goes down. The way to raise wages is simple. America must stop importing cheap foreign labor that takes american jobs from American Workers and suppresses the wages of hardworking americans who need that money for their families. The question is, do we care enough about American Family incomes to secure our borders and stop the flood of illegal alien labor that suppresses american wages . Of course not. Instead, there are those who seek an imperial decree for a 15 per hour minimum wage. That all sounds fine and good, socialist policies always have a cost. And according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, that cost is a loss of as many as 3. 7 million jobs. You heard right. The policies being advocated today really are advocating the firing of as many as 3. 7 million American Workers from their jobs. Thats like firing the entire population of the state of oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, if the advocates of this legislation really cared about American Workers, they would not fire them. Rather, they would help secure our borders, save american jobs, save american incomes, and, as an added bonus, help prevent the deaths of over 30,000 americans who die each year because of americas poress southern border. But that is not what the advocates of this legislation prefer. Rather, out of a lust for political power, they prefer open borders and the firing of 3. 7 million American Workers. Mr. Speaker, i say yes to border security, i say no to killing jobs, and i say no to this jobkilling socialist legislation. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Morelle thank you, mr. Speaker. I note that using that logic, people might have said the same thing about my grandparents who came over from italy at the turn of the previous century. Who came to work in this country as carpenters and brick layers and pipe fitters. What we really need, if the gentleman is serious, is a path to citizenship, to allow people, as we did a century ago, to come and fulfill and be a part of the american dream. The truth is it also avoids whats happening, which is we have a shortage of workers in this country. Every week i try to visit employers in my community, get a sense of the pulse of what the challenges are that they face, continuing to seek Economic Growth and more opportunities. Repeatedly i hear the same thing over and over and over again. We need good workers. Send us more workers. Do whatever you can. This is the time, while our economy continues to grow, following the policies of the Obama Administration continuing today, Economic Growth is now at a 10year sustained pathward. But we need workers. You see this all the time. We can talk and im happy to about the impacts of automation and robotics and a. I. But the truth is that even among some of the Biggest Technology companies in the United States, there are thousands and thousands of openings for jobs. This is hardly a job killer. This is rewarding people who put in long hours, who look to climb that ladder of success in the american economy. And i just note also for my colleague, mr. Brooks, that 34 of the workers in his district, in alabama, would receive an average raise of 3,700 a year by implementation of this wage increase. I also remind my colleagues, 65 of americans when asked believe that increasing the minimum wage to 15 an hour by 2024 is the right policy for congress to take. So this has the backing and support of the american public, it has a clear path to making sure that there isnt an erosion of income in the United States by people at the lowest end of the economic scale. Its an opportunity for us to think about a path to citizenship, to end the challenges faced by so Many Employers who seek good, hardworking workers. With that, mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from rhode island, mr. Cicilline. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Cicilline i thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in strong support of h. R. 582, the raise the wage act. Americans are working harder than ever and Labor Productivity is overperforming expectations. However, the profit of this increased product pivity productivity is not being felt in the checkbooks of working people. The American Workers have experienced a pay cut in real income due to inflation and the governments failure to raise wages. It is unconscionable that people working full time in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world are unable to afford basic essentials or live in poverty. Thats why its critical that we pass the raise the wage act. Here are the facts. The bill will increase wages for nearly 34 million American Workers. About 28 of workers in my own district in rhode island will get a raise of about 2,100 a year. It will lift 1. 3 million americans out of poverty, including 600,000 children. And it will stimulate Economic Growth and we know that when workers earn more, they spend more money. While the top 1 of americans continue to amass gildedage amounts of wealth, working men and women have been left behind. Its time to reaffirm our commitment to hardworking americans and pass this critical legislation. Americans deserve a raise. And thats what this bill does. Mr. Speaker, i would also ask to introduce into the record a etter signed by many lgbtq organizations and human rights organizations in strong support of this. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the letter is introduced. Mr. Morelle mr. Speaker, i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Burgburg i mr. Burgess thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. I think over the last 11 months, the last figures i saw, over the last 11 months wage growth in this country have increased more than at any time in recent memory. Wage growth is a lagging indicator but it is happening. And thats a good thing. And we should celebrate that. There would be no reason to put the brakes on that, that i can see. I think we should be we should be we should be encouraged that that is happening and i dont think we should be doing things to the economy that would be detrimental and reverse that trend. But let me just say at this point, if we defeat the previous question, republicans will amend the rule to immediately bring up h. R. 748. The middle Class Health Benefits Tax repeal act or cadillac tax repeal act. And include the text of h. R. 1398, the Health Insurance tax relief act. And h. R. 2207, the protect medical innovation act, or the medical device tax repeal. Legislation im previous congresses to repeal the in previous congresses to repeal the cadillac tax has gathered strong support and brought employers and labor unions together in their efforts to eliminate this tax. Since the cadillac tax is calculated only based on insurance premiums, it could unfairly target those already struggling with Higher Health care costs and affect middle income workers, including teachers, nurses, due to the continuing rise of Health Insurance costs. H. R. 748 would repeal this tax in its entirety. I would also like to note my support for the repeal of the medical device tax and to delay the Health Insurance tax. Mr. Speaker, at this time im pleased to yield three minutes to my good friend, representative from indiana, ms. With a lors i ask. The speaker pro tempore mrs. Walorski. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from indiana is recognized for three minutes. Mrs. Walorski thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to ask my colleagues to vote down the previous question. If we defeat the previous question, republicans will amend the rule to include the repeal of the medical device tax and the Health Insurance tax, as part of h. R. 748, the middle class Health Benefit tax repeal act of 2019. H. R. 748 is an important piece of legislation that would permanently repeal obamacares 40 tax on employerprovided Health Insurance, commonly referred to as the cadillac tax. Ending the cadillac tax will provide important relief to both employers and employees and ensures employers can remain leaders in utilizingew technologies to reduce Health Care Costs and ensure better patient outcomes. However, this bill doesnt include other burdensome taxes like the medical device tax and the Health Insurance tax. We all know that americans are facing rising costs and fewer health care options, raising taxes on Health Coverage will only make matters worse for families, Small Businesses and Medicare Advantage enrollees. That is why we should include a bipartisan provision for seniors to have relief. Hoosiers are proud to be leaders in medical innovation. We support 55,000 goodpaying jobs. After obamacares medical device tax took effect, the medical Technology Industry lost almost 29,000 jobs nationwide from 2012 to 2015 according to the commerce departments data. Medical devices have changed the way we think about health care. New technologies diagnose illnesses earlier, lowering the impact of care on a persons daily life. All these notable gains will be wiped out if the medical device tax is reinstated. By defeating the previous question, we can repeal this job killing tax as well. Its critical that we repeal all three of these burdensome taxes before they go back into effect. Doing so will help lower premiums, improve access to care, and boost American Manufacturing jobs. Mr. Speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote against the previous question. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. The gentleman from texas reserves. Mr. Burgess my amendment in the record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. Ill reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Morelle thank you, mr. Speaker. I do note that although the gentlelady from indiana did not actually talk about the minimum wage increase, which is before us, i do note that about 40 of the workers in her district would be affected by this with annual average raises of 3,200 a year. Before i just make a couple of other points, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to submit the following letters to the record. The first letter from the Service Employees international union, the second from the communication workers of america e. Both sharing overwhelming support for h. R. 582, the raise the wage act. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Morelle i would like to ask, mr. Speaker, unanimous consent to enter into the record letters from the American Association of university women, the patriotic millionaires, and National Education association, and the naacp in support of h. R. 582. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Morelle one additional point i wanted to make in just listening to my friend and colleague who talks about during e last several years the income and the wages of the lowest earning americans have gone up. I do note with some irony that the reason for that largely is due to the increases in the minimum wage at the state levels. California, new york, many places around the country. Missouri. The list goes on and on. About half the states in the United States have now raised the minimum wage beyond the federal number. That is the single significant reason for wage rates going up by the lowest earning americans, thats exactly the point of doing this so that all americans at the lowest end of the economic scale, lowest wage earners, will see a significant increase in their earning power. That will expand further the number of people at the lowest end in terms of increases in their wages that will benefit their families. Those families benefit and make stronger neighborhoods and stronger communities, and ultimately a stronger nation. Thats why this needs to get done. I appreciate the gentle person from texas pointing it out. It helps make our case. I reserve. The speaker pro tempore gentleman from new york reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas continues to reserve. The gentleman from new york. Gentlemane i ask the whether hes prepared to close. Ill reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york reserves. Gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess i yield myself the balance of our time. Mr. Speaker, in closing with this bill the democrats seek to increase wages for millions of lowwage earns, but the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it will also result in nearly four million lost jobs. These job losses will disproportionately impact entry level workers and students. That is why i offered an amendment to allow a marketbased entry level wage for workers with less than a year of experience. But democrats on the commiee on rules rejected that amendment during t rules meeting. No reason to make the amendment in order. They just rejected it. A 15 federal minimum wage is a onesizefitsall federal mandate that does not consider differences in cost of living or employment patterns across the country. Federal assistance is meant to be a temporary hand up to aid individuals on the path to a better economic future. But rather than pulling people up, this bill will leave more americans reaching for assistance. Republican concerns with this bill are not partisan, they are american. If the majority is serious about increasing the wages of all americans throughout the country, they should work. They should work in a bipartisan manner to draft a bill that has a chanc of passing in the senate and making it to the president s desk. Unfortunately, this bill is another partisan political priority that really has no chance of becoming law. With that i urge a no vote on the previous question on the underlying measure, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas yields back his time. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Morelle thank you, mr. Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to spend some time on the floor with my distinguished colleague from texas, though we disagree strongly about this. I would just once again reiterate that the c. B. O. Estimate on this is nowhere near four million jobs lost. Thts not mentioned anywhere in the c. B. O. Report. It talks about a range from zero to 3. 7 million. The median is 1. 3 million. Again, this is as much a question of values and what we stand for and the moral perative as it is statistics. The statistics would argue for it. 1. 3 million americans would be lifted out of povertyhe moment we pass this and this becomes law. Nearly 30 million americans would see their annual wage increased in some cases dramatically. And this as i indicated earlier makes rtain that as a matter of Public Policy we make certain there is no erosion of the puhasing power of the minimum wage because of the indexing on this. With that i feel, mr. Speaker, those are the statistics that we ought to be mindful o. Not just the worst possible, which is overstated by my colleague and friend. But there should be, mr. Speaker, no place in this great nation where a minimum wage employ working fulltime cannot afford the basic essentia. The work we are doing here today does not dictate a onesizefitsall mode for every state. It simply creates a floor, but a floor thats important. A federal standard that sa if you work fulltime in this country, if you put any effort to earn for yourself and your family, you will achieve, at a minimum a wage that lets you afford the basic necessaryities of life. I believe this bill is just. I believe its moral. I believe it is long overdue. And i look forward to supporting it passage. Id like to thank my colleagues for the words of support f h. R. 582, the raise the wage act. I would especially like to thank chairman scott for his leadership and commitment to this effort. Chairman mcgovern of theules committee for his work move this significant legislation to the floor. I urge a yes vote on the rule. I urge a yes vote on the previous question. I yield back the balancef my time, and i move the previous question on the resolution. The speakerro tempore the gentleman from new york yields the balance of his time. The question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. So many as aren favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinn of the chair, the ayes have it. Mr. Burgess on that, mr. Speaker. The speaker p tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Burgess i ask the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas has requested the yeas and nays. Those faring a vote by the ye and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule , furtherroceings on this uestio will be postponed. The clerk pursuanto the permission anted in clause 2h of rule 2 of the rules of e u. S. House of representatives, the clerk receid the following message from theecretary of the senate on july 17, 2019, at 11 33 a. M. , that the senate passed, senate 375. Signed sincerely, cheryl l. Ohnson. The speaker pro tempore the chair lays before the house a communication. The clerk the honorable the spear, house of representatives. Madam, this is to notify you formally pursuant to rule 8 of the les of the house of representatives that i, tracy coter, have been seed wh a subpoena for testimony in crinal trial issued by the United States District Court for the Western District of new york. Afteronsultation with the office of general counsel, i have determined that compliance with th subpoena is consistent with the privileges and rhts of the house. Signed, scerely, try coulte the speakerro mpore the chair lays before the hoe a communication. The clerk the honorable the saker, huse of representatives. Madam, this is to notify you formally pursuant to rule 8 of the rules of the use of representatives that i, fred trobridge, have been served with a subpoena issued by the United States District Court for t Western District of new york. This criminalriais in relationsp to anlleged threat made against congressman eve scalise and his family received through congressman scalises official government office. After conltatn with e office of general counsel, i haveetermined that compliance with thesubpoena is consistent with the privileges andight of the house. Signed, sincerely, fre rowbridge. The speaker pro tre does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . Mr. Engel mr. Speakerpursuant to section 3 of House Resolution 49 i call up senate joint resoluon 36 and ask f its immediateonsideration. E spker pro teore the cle wilreport the title of joint resution. Thclerk Senate Joint Resolution 36, joint resotion provided r congressional disapproval of the proposed transfer to theingdom of saudi arabia, the uned kingdom of grt brain and Northern Ireland, the ingdom of spn, and Italian Republicf certain defense articles and services. The speaker o tempe pursua to hoe resolution 91, the joint resolution is consided asead. The gentleman om new yor mr. Engel, a the gentleman from texas,r. Mccaul, eh wl control 10inutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman om new york, mr. Engel. Mr. Engel mrspeaker, during coideration of this resolution all time yielded is for the purposofdebate only. I ask unanimous consent that l members may have five legislative days to revise and extd their remarks and inclu in the record extraous materials consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Engel thank you. Mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, the three measures the house will now consider are extraordinary. Extraordinary but necessary because they respond to what i view as an extraordinary abuse of power by the trump Administration Using a phony emergency to override the authority of congress and push through 8 billion in arm sales. Each of these resolutions would prohibit a specific license for the export of precision guided munitions or smart bombs, and related components. We are focusing on these three licenses because the weapons would be the first ones shipped. Mr. Speaker, its no secret that congress has serious concerns about the Saudiled Coalitions war in yemen. The saudis and their partners and for that matter the United States do have legitimate security concerns about the efforts of iran and its proxies to destabilize the gulf region. But as this war has dragged on its become clear that the coalition has carried out its campaign with little regard for innocent life. School buses full of children destroyed in a fiery flash. Weddings and funerals incinerated with no warning. Cy ofian buildings and communities targeted. Reckless doesnt begin to describe it. Its gruesome. Its contributed to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. To make matters worse, many of the weapons used in this carnage were built in america. Solved by American Companies sold by American Companies to the saudis and their partners. Starting in the last congress when the administration told us they were planning to go ahead with another massive sale of offensive weapons to the saudis, senator menendez and i used the tools at our disposal to place informal holds on these transfers. We hope that the administration would work with us and dial up pressure on these nations to start acting responsibly. The administration has complained that we stopped these sales from going through for months and months. But as i said, this was an informal mechanism, the law, and i emphasize, its the law, and it says that at any point, if an administration wants to go ahead with a weapons sale, it has to send a formal notification to congress. That starts a 30day clock. During that time, congress can vote to stop a weapons sale. Did the administration approach us to find a way forward . No. Did they send a formal notification stating the process late out under the law under which congress can legislatively block the sale . They dug up an obscure provision of the arms export law and declared an emergency to justify moving ahead with these sales. What does that mean . It means they went around congress, it means they went around the law. Now the emergency provision does exist in law for a good reason. And if there were a real emergency, if the United States or our citizens or our allies were in immediate danger, we wouldnt be standing here today. There would be no objection. But heres the thing, mr. Speaker. Nearly two months down the line not a single weapon has been shipped. Most of the weapons havent on a been built havent even been built. One of the phony Emergency Declarations lets the saudis build new facilities to manufacture weapons in their country, which i only presume would mean the americans currently building these weapons in the United States would be out of a job. Thats right. Donald trump declared an emergency to move jobs out of the United States, good manufacturing jobs, the kind americans fight for, he abused the law to send them abroad. What kind of emergency requires weapons that will be built months and months down the road . Or requires building a new factory on foreign soil . Especially when the law only gives congress a 30day review period. The answer is clear, mr. Speaker. A phony emergency. An emergency designed to make yet another end run around congress. To undermine the separation of powers. To trample on this bodys constitutional duties. Im sick and tired of it, mr. Speaker. The state department sent an assistant secretary up to the hill to testify about this fiasco. He told us in the Foreign Affairs committee that the administration took this brazen action out of respect for Congress Oversight role. Mr. Speaker, thats really, really hard to believe. The other body passed 22 bipartisan resolutions stopping all these sales from going forward. The three measures we are deal with today weapons sitting in a warehouse and will be loaded onto a ship and sent to saudi arabia and the u. A. E. Within the next two months if we dont act. This resolution would prohibit the use of an Emergency Declaration, to move ahead with munitions or or smart bombs. 64,000, mr. Speaker, which would be added to the stockpile of 58,000, the saud 58,000 the saudis previously purchased starting in 2015. What will all these weapons be used for . No one knows. If the administration wants to sell these weapons, they should follow the law. Not misuse it. And they should come to congress for its approval. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Mccaul thank you, mr. Speaker. Right now as i speak, iran is stretching its tentacles of terror across the middle east, and by aiding the houthis in yemen, arming hezbollah in lebanon, and supporting the shia militias in iraq and syria, iran is creating a shia crescent that can dominate the region. Their goal is to build a Strategic Land bridge from tehran to the mediterranean sea. And if we allow them to succeed, terrorism will flourish, instability will reign, and the security of our allies like israel will be threatened. One of the ways we can push back against irans murderous aggression is by empowering our partners in the region. Unfortunately this irresponsible resolution handcuffs our ability to do so. Specifically this legislation would prohibit an export license and stop the United States from providing our partners with the arms that they need to defend themselves. This particular license first came before members of the Foreign Affairs committee in january of 2018. When i became the lead republican in january of 2019, i reviewed this case and maintained the informal approval granted by my predecessor, chairman royce. The administration has been criticized for bypassing congress to push these sales through. But the democrats in fairness placed informal holds on the sale for more than 13 months, a total of 407 days, which i believe abuses the process that we have in place in congress. During that time, the state department continued to pursue this case with congress. They also sent forward additional cases to help with the saudis, the u. A. E. And jordan, and by the time the state department submits such cases to congress, theyve already undergone a thorough interagency review process. This important process ensures compliance with the president s conventional arms transfer policy intended to support our partners and strengthen our National Security. Other critics are worried that these weapons will increase civilian casualties in yemen. However, the precision guided munitions that we are trying to send to the saudis will actually lower the risk of civilian casualties in yemen as it counters attacks from iranbacked houthis. Now is not the time to deny our partners what they need for their defense. Nor is it time to withhold prevision guided munitions that can minimize the risk to civilians. Recently, after iran attacked civilian ships, shot down one of our drones, a u. S. Military asset, the president brought together a Bipartisan Group of congressional leaders, including the chairman and myself, to discuss an appropriate response. He listened to our advice and made a prudent decision to exercise restraint. The president has made it explicitly clear the United States is not looking for war. The decision to move forward with these arm sales is part of a larger effort to deter iran. A key part of that effort is to empower a greater burden sharing by enhancing the defense capabilities of our allies. These sales provide more options for deterring iran that do not all depend on u. S. Intervention. I support these sales, even though i do not think that all 22 required emergency certifications, and this is a point the chairman and i actually agree on, especially those that will not be ready for delivery until later this year. I support revising the law with chairman engel to ensure and enhance the role of congress in future emergency sales. And i would like to thank the chairman for his bipartisan work with me on that amendment to the ndaa that was passed by a wide margin. But i do oppose relitigating prior lawful sales to partners who face growing threats to their security, which is what todays resolution attempts to do. Mr. Speaker, we face many dynamic challenges. Iran threatens the middle east, it continues to pursue the eradication of israel, and it remains the number one state sponsor of terrorism around the world. And that threat is growing, not waning. For that reason i believe members should oppose todays resolution. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel i yield 2 1 2 minutes to the gentleman from rhode island, mr. Cicilline. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for 2 1 2 minutes. Mr. Cicilline i thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise to support Senate Joint Resolution 36, and any other measures related to arm sales being considered this afternoon, which will prevent arm sales to saudi arabia and the u. A. E. Without undergoing the proper process. Were here today because rather than come and make their case to congress, the administration invented a phony emergency to bypass the Legal Process for approving arm sales. There is no justification for this decision other than the administration knew that these sales would be met with scrutiny from congress and didnt want to deal with it. They were right. Congress is concerned about these proposed sales and we should not sit back and allow the administration to continue with the charade of claiming an emergency exemption for them. Im glad these measures of disapproval have bipartisan support and have already passed the republicanled senate. I urge all of my colleagues to support them today. The administration briefed this body on iran just days before the supposed emergency was declared. And never mentioned any emergency. Were supposed to believe that within a matter of days the situation escalated so quickly that they were forced to bypass congress . Most of the weapons included in the emergency sales are offensive weapons. And much of the sale will be delivered months or years from now. Further evidence that no emergency exists. The egregious and legally questionable move to put more weapons in the hands of regimes who are responsible for perpetrating horrific civilian casualties in yemen, comes as no surprise from an administration thats cozied up to the saudi crown prince, even as we have credible evidence he and his government are responsible for the coldblooded murder of an american resident and journalist. Just because you dont like the process doesnt mean you get to ignore it. This action has implications far beyond the current sale. And if congress doesnt reassert our proper role in the process, we risk giving up the authority in arms sales processes entirely. This isnt and shouldnt be a partisan issue. Its our job as congress to represent the American People in matters of war and if we let this action go without a strong congressional response, the repercussions will be wide ranging and longstanding. I urge my colleagues to support these resolutions of disapproval and block these arms sales once and for all and with that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york reserves. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Mccaul thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield one minute to the gentlelady from West Virginia, mrs. Miller. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from West Virginia is recognized. Mrs. Miller thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak in opposition to Senate Joint Resolution 36. This legislation is bad policy and it sets a bad precedent. Today congress is attempting to block legal u. S. Arms sales to Strategic Partners who face increased threats from iran and terrorist proxies. The administration is ensuring that our allies in the middle east have the capabilities to defend themselves and protect the hundreds of thousands of americans who live and work in the gulf states. These allies depend on military equipment from the u. S. To hold the line against iran, al qaeda, isis and other threats. If we dont supply it, they will buy it elsewhere. Russian arms dealers are already seeking to exploit the reluctance. At this point in history, we need to do what we can to decrease irans influence in the region. I urge my colleagues to vote against the resolution and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. The gentleman from texas reserves. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from virginia, ms. Spanberger. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from virginia is recognized. Ms. Spanberger thank you, mr. Chair. I rise in support of s. J. Res. Lusion 36, a joint resolution which i am leading in the house. The evidence is clear. The saudi government continues to disregard the vital distinction between combatants and innocent civilians in yemen. In february congress voted to end u. S. Support to the saudiled campaign against the houthis that has left thousands of civilians dead and created one of the largest humanitarian crises in modern times. However, the president not only vetoed our resolution, but the administration is now ramping up support for saudi arabias offensive actions in yemen. While simultaneously escalating tensions with iran. As i made clear during Foreign Affairs Committee Hearings in may, not only is the administration trying to sell the saudis more powerful weapons, but we are giving them the opportunity to build their own. With this latest proposal, the administration would be transferring Sensitive Technology that would allow saudi arabia to manufacture these hightech weapons directly. Congress needs to reassert its authority now as a coequal branch of government. This resolution, which i have led in the house, would make sure that blatantly offensive weapons arent sold to the saudi military under the guise of defensive uses without congressional review. I am proud to work with my colleagues in the senate to block the sale of previsionguided munitions which are responsible for some of the most horrific examples of targeted attacks against civilians. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up against this misguided decision, protect innocent lives, and reassert the authority of congress. I reserve the balance of my time. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. The gentleman from new york reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Mccaul thank you, mr. Speaker. Im prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. Mr. Mccaul im prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york. Mr. Engel i reserve for the purpose of closing. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from texas, mr. Mccaul, is recognized. Mr. Mccaul thank you, mr. Speaker. I just want to go back to when we debated the yemen resolution, which i thought was once again proiran and prohouthi rebel. And antiisrael. Its interesting after that passed, this chamber passed this chamber, that the Houthi Rebels celebrated a victory in the congress, that the American People, through the congress, actually supported them. We have to be responsible in our rhetoric on this floor and what we stand for. Many in this body favor asking our partners around the world to step up and do more to help protect our shared interests. The president has called on other nations to take on the burden of defeating terrorism in the middle east and has committed our partners for their contributions to regional security. Sharing this burden of collective security interests is really vital to ensuring the United States is not the only one bearing the costs in blood and treasure, for we have borne way too much in the middle east. These arm sales are where the rubber hits the road for burden sharing. We cannot ask our partersers in to take on additional burdens while withholding from them the tools to do so. We should and do work with our partners to train them to use u. S. Origin equipment effectively and responsibly. This is an ongoing process. My fear is that if we are unwilling to provide our partners with the means to ensure their own security and to invest their resources to turn them into responsible users, then the United States will find itself as a main guarantor of middle east security that we have beared the burden for the last several decades. We all seem to be wary of our partners turning to china and russia for their defense needs. Mr. Speaker, its unfortunate how the current law i believe was utilized for these 22 sales. Thats where chairman engel and i agree. Thats why we worked on a bipartisan basis to refine this process for invoking an emergency moving forward. We have the informal congressional review process to resolve concerns regarding sales. When members place indefinite holds on sales and place a stop to one ability to share burdens with our partners, for 18 months in some cases, it undermines our entire Security Strategy and the important bilateral partnerships we worked so hard to establish and grow. For that reason i oppose the resolution and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel may i ask how much time i have . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman has one minute remaining. Mr. Engel i yield myself the remainder of my time to close debate on this measure. Ill wrap up quickly as we have two more of these measures to consider. Its important that we pass this measure now along with the two well soon consider because these deal with the weapons that could soon be on their way across the ocean. I think the Iranian Regime is dangerous. I think the houthis are dangerous. No one is denying the saudis the right to go after them. What we are saying is dont go after them and kill thousands of civilians in the process with american weapons. And also separation of powers, the president cannot try to get around congress with phony emergencies. I yield back. I urge a yes vote. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. All time for debate has expired. Le pursuant to House Resolution 491, the previous question is ordered on the joint resolution. The question is on the third reading of the joint resolution. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. Third reading. The clerk joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the proposed transfer to the kingdom of saudi arabia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the kingdom of spain and the Italian Republic of certain defense articles and services. The speaker pro tempore the question is on the passage of the joint resolution. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The joint resolution is the gentleman from texas. Mr. Mccaul mr. Speaker, on that i request the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore it the gentleman from texas has requested the yeas and nays. So many as are in favor say aye. It a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. For what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 3 of House Resolution 491, i call up Senate Joint Resolution 37 and ask for its immediate consideration. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the joint resolution. The clerk Senate Joint Resolution 37. Joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the proposed export to the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland, and the republic of france of certain defense articles and services. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution 491, the joint resolution is considered as read. The gentleman from snorkel, mr. Engel, and the gentleman from illinois each will control 10 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, during consideration of this resolution all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and include remarks in the record extraneous material on the measure under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Exle mr. Engel i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, thank you. The second resolution we are wait debating is similar to the first. But in this case it would nullify the administrations phony emergency being used to transfer 60,000 precision guided bombs to the United Arab Emirates, on top of the 40,000 we estimate they already have on hand. I wont rehash the same argument, but i would like to make a point why when we see whats going on in yemen its so important for the United States to take a stand. Mr. Speaker, one of the things the Foreign Affairs committee has focused on this year is trying to put American Values back at the center of our Foreign Policy. Democracy, human rights, the rule of law. Frankly, this administration has acted like it cannot be burdened with these fundamental things that make america, america. It just boggles the mind. Any great country can throw its weight around. We are not china, we are not russia. Our Foreign Policy should show the world the character of our country, our compassion, our belief that people everywhere should be able to live prosperously, productively, and healthy have healthy lives. These ideas go hand in hand with promoting our security. We want more Stable Secure countries and communities. Democratic countries are stronger partners for the United States on the world stage. And if we are serious about those values, it means speaking out. When we see them trampled. Whether they are trammed med by an add trappled by an adversary or friend. When we turn our back on these ideals, when we strip the word democracy out of the state departments mission statement, when we look the other way when friendly regimes carry out horrific human rights abuses, when we slash investments in diplomacy and Development Efforts that help us build bridges, what signal does it send to the world . What does it say about the sort of behavior that we are willing to tolerate . I supported our partners and our partnerships in the gulf region. I think they are an important counter balance to the threat iran poses. And i recognize that our partners face real from Iranianbacked Houthis who are themselves guilty of serious human rights abuses. That doesnt mean we should just look the other way in the face of violence and slaughter civilians perpetrated by our partners. It doesnt mean we look the other way and let the president ride roughshod over congress so theres no separation of powers. Whatever the president wants he gets and Congress Just rubberstamps it. Cant be that which way. Even if this administration will not stand up for the values, the congress should. And the congress will. These measures along with much of the Foreign Affairs committees work this year sends a strong message that our values must guide our Foreign Policy. So, again, its important for us to help saudi arabia. Its important to realize iran is making trouble. Its important to note the houthis are not good people. But it doesnt mean that we give saudi arabia or any other country a blank check to do what ever they want. Dropping bombs indiscriminately on school children, on buses. We cant just sit idly by and let that happen and continue to send weapons that are perpetrating these crimes. So, this is a strong message, i think, that our values must guide our Foreign Policy. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from illinois, mr. Kinzinger, is recognized. Mr. Kinzinger thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Kinzinger thank you, mr. Speaker. Quick point on that. We dont like when innocent people are bombed. When we look at yemen, i think its real incumbent on us to see whats happening. A legitimate government in yemen was overthrown by iranian supported rebels. An iran that has not sent one dollar of humanitarian aid to support people who have been killed. What we are talking about in this specific resolution is actually u. A. E. I rise in opposition to s. J. Res. 37. Since the Emergency Declaration to expedite arm sales to the Saudiled Coalition to defeat the Houthi Rebels, congress has debated the president s exercise of the emergency clause of the arms export control act. This joint resolution of disapproval along with 21 other j. R. D. s intends to stop transfers to saudi arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and jordan. S. J. Res. 37 specifically blocks the transfer of precision guided munitions to the United Arab Emirates. This Technology Converts dumb bombs like the ones used by russia to kill innocent men, women, and children in syria, in the precision guided munitions, ones intended to avoid civilian casualties. We can debate whether shipments that arent ready to be delivered require an emergency deck what racial, at the end of the day some of the munitions we are discussing have already left. The shores of the United States and are en route to the u. A. E. The First Tranche is en route no and the second will be leaving in september. Mr. Speaker, this j. R. D. And the two up for debate today are not about timelines for shipment. What we have heard my deletion on the other colleagues on the other side of the aisle argue these arms could be used in yemen to target civilians. Yet there are reports that the u. A. E. Has already withdrawn from yemen. The u. A. E. Serves as a bulwark against iranian aggression, the ongoing threat of al qaeda, and other terrorist groups wishing to harm the United States. Our allies, and our interests. In contrast, the iranian backed houthis through u. A. E. Strikes threaten the stability in the region. Iran and the forces it supports like the houthis are a threat to our National Security and the security of our allies. They are the number one contributor to human suffering in yemen. The number one contributor. We have seen the Iranian Regime threaten International Shipping in the straits of hormuz, including ships belonging to the u. K. , japan, and norway. They shot down expensive military asset flying in international airspace. Prior to the president s Emergency Declaration, the head of irans force called on terror groups to prepare for a proxy war with the United States and our allies. Since then we have seen proxies being bolden in their actions. Yet we are here today debating arm sales to the u. A. E. On the basis these armed transfers may be used by our strategy ally in yemen. There is no guarantee that these weapons will ever be used in yemen, will ever not be used in yemen, either. There are facts that show exactly why we must continue to provide these arms to the u. A. E. As a former air force pilot and current pilot in the air guard im proud our government would not send our air force to flight sorties without munitions to defend themselves. Similarly we should not have an ally flying our f16s without the necessary tool it needs to complete its mission. The iranians have shown theft capacity and ability to fire upon military aircraft with no regard for weather the whether the platform smanned or unmanned. When our allies is in a dogfight, we cannot leave them. There is a lot of discussion about offensive hors doeuvre weapons. Bomb can be used defensive or offensively. I cant think of many weapons that are actually defensive in nature because they are used to destroy an enemy. All about how you employ that weapon. Saying you want to send only defensive weapons shows our allies to be weak against an iran that has shown it wants to go on the offensive continually. I can name basically every country in the middle east and show iranian influences there. On the broader picture, we have got to debate how this went out. I fully agree with everybody on that. But we cannot leave our allies in a lurch. We cannot leave them unprotected because our big chief enemy is iran. I know there is broad based agreement on that. We cannot show weakness in the eyes of that. With that, mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Kinzinger mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from ohio, mr. Chabot. Senior member of the committee on Foreign Affairs. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from ohio, mr. Chabot, is recognized. Mr. Chabot i thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for his leadership on this and many other issues. I rise today in opposition to s. J. Resolution 37 which would prevent the transfer of pay way precision guided missiles munitions to the United Arab Emirates. There are numerous reasons to oppose this resolution. Let myllys three. First and most obviously some have already left the u. S. Us and this fact alone shows the u. S. And this fact alone shows this is more about messaging than action and demonstrates the urgent need the u. A. E. Has for these munitions. Second, the u. A. E. Is a steadfast partner against iran. Tehran is our foremost opponent in the region right now and a critical threat to our interests there and i would note that the very flawed iran deal put millions, in fact billions and billions of dollars in cash into the pockets of iran and they are now using those dollars to support terrorism, to foment instability, to put mines on ships and attack ships in international waters. They are now a threat not just in the region but a threat around the world. Thank god President Trump had the good sense to get us out of that terrible deal. If we want the u. A. E. s continued help, we need to ensure that were a reliable partner and that they are properly armed. And the third item is that the u. S. Needs to continue its leadership in the region. If the u. A. E. And saudi arabia cannot buy arms from us, that doesnt mean they wont get arms. It just means that theyll buy them from the russians. This will diminish our standing, weaken our leverage with our partners, and call into question our reliability as a partner. For these reasons and really others, i urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution and i thank the gentleman for yielding and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from ohio yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from illinois reserves the balance of the time. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Is the gentleman prepared to close . Mr. Engel yes. Ok. I yield myself the remainder of the time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Thanks again, mr. Speaker. And i thank my friend on the other side of the aisle. Its a good debate here. But bottom line on this, i think if the concern is saudi arabia, i understand the concern, i may not share it in the same level this ones on u. A. E. Mr. Kinzinger and whether its saudi, u. A. E. Or jordan, i think its important for us, mr. Speaker, to constantly show that we have our allies back, especially an ally like u. A. E. We know that iran likes to go on the offensive. We know that the only thing that stops iran from broader encroachments in the middle east is the United States and our allies smed and we know that a good allies. And we know that its a good posture to keep the shooting from happening. We can debate how this went down, but the bottom line is we must reject this resolution. This is a resolution that i think is a result of political pressure and we must send this back to the senate where it belongs. Or if this passes, im sure the president will veto it. So with that, mr. Speaker, again, thank you for everybody and the debate and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel thank you, mr. Speaker. Again, let me say i certainly respect my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for the points they raised. We have similar concerns, but i think the way we handle it, the way we propose to handle it is a little bit different. Thats why im saying if we dont pass this measure, these bombs will be on their way to the emirates very soon. If we do pass this resolution, it will be going it will go to the president s desk and it will put him on the spot to answer whether he agrees that our values need to be central to americas work around the world. Again, i am very concerned and aware of the malign role that the iranians play in the region. I am very concerned about the houthis who also play a bad role in the region. But that doesnt mean that we should just give blank checks or i think it would just be a mistake to let them think that they dont have to have any conduct in trying to conduct this war, into diminishing civilian casualties. And the other point i want to raise again is the fact that remember when you were a kid in school and you learned how a bill became a law . Well, its something called separation of powers. Checks and balances. Its not right for the president to declare an emergency when there really is no emergency. In order to get around congress disapproval of something. So i feel its important to fight for the institution as well. Again, if we do pass this resolution, it will go to the president s desk, and it will let him answer it. Whether he agrees that our values need to be central to our work around the world. I thank my colleagues and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore all time for debate has expired. Pursuant to House Resolution 491, the previous question is ordered on the joint resolution. The question is on a third reading of the joint resolution. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. Third reading. The clerk resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the proposed export to the United Arab Emirates, the united king drom of Great Britain and northern kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the republic of france of certain defense articles and services. The speaker pro tempore the question is on the passage of the joint resolution. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The joint resolution is mr. Kinzinger mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois. Mr. Kinzinger on that i request the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois has requested the yeas and nays. All those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. For what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 3 of House Resolution 491, i call up Senate Joint Resolution 38 and ask for its immediate consideration. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the joint resolution. The clerk Senate Joint Resolution 38. Joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the proposed export to the kingdom of saudi arabia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland of certain defense articles and services. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution 491, the joint resolution is considered read. The gentleman from new york, mr. Engel, and the gentleman from florida, mr. Mast, each will control 10 minutes. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. Engel. Mr. Engel thank you, mr. Speaker. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include in the record extraneous materials on the measure under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Engel i yield myself as much time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Engel thank you, mr. Speaker. This final measure will will well consider would stop the transfer of fuses for precisionguided munitions, critical components that allow these weapons to be armed and detonated. Like the bombs these components have already been manufactured and we need to act quickly to stop their shipment. As we wrap up this debate, mr. Speaker, i want to make an appeal to my friends on the other side of the aisle. You can be for or against these weapons sales and still understand that these resolutions are the right thing to do, if nothing else, for the integrity of this body. I spoke earlier about the rule of law. This phony Emergency Declaration is a message to the congress and to the American People that when the law gets in the way, this administration is just going to find a way around it. Theyll twist the law into pretzels or just throw it out the window entirely if it allows them to sidestep congress. We cannot stand for that. This administration should have played by the rules and we could have done that and probably still gotten these sales through. They could have sent up a notification and allowed congress to have a debate. But instead they want to shut us out of this process. With these resolutions were taking some of that power back. Were saying that we wont allow the laws written in this body to be ignored. If nothing else, this is an opportunity to stand up and say, we took an oath to uphold the constitution and that Means Congress remains a coequal branch of government. Let me say that again. That means that Congress Remains a coequal branch of government. We will not be a rubber stamp for any administration, not only this administration, but any administration. Congress has its duties, we will not be a rubber stamp. I felt for a long time that administrations of both parties, frankly, have ignored congress when it comes to Foreign Policy and National Security. We shouldnt stand for it any longer. No more do we give a blank check to any president of any party who wants to cut congress out of the Decision Making and subvert the constitution. So we shouldnt agree to it, we shouldnt stand for it, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from florida, mr. Mast, is recognized. Mr. Mast mr. Chairman, i request i rise to claim time in opposition. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman has been recognized. Mr. Mast i yield myself as much time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mast mr. Speaker, i rise in opposition to s. J. Res. 38. And i want to focus my remarks on the rationale behind the president s Emergency Declaration and ask that we think about the definition of the word declaration, what that means to each of us. My friends on the other side of the aisle, they would prefer to forget that these arms sales were expedited for a very specific reason. They are omitting this information because it doesnt fit into their narrative that the president is doing a favor to saudi arabia and the United Arab Emirates and i can tell you that defense is no favor. The threat that emanates from iran, that precipitated this Emergency Declaration, it is very, very real. And as a result so is the need for the weapons sales to our partners. So lets think about, are these situations emergencies, do they pose an immediate risk to life, an immediate threat to life . In may, in the days leading right up to this Emergency Declaration, iran and its proxies executed several attacks throughout the middle east over just two weeks. Four oil tankers were attacked in the gulf, gulf of oman, i would say thats a threat to emergency and the way of life. The head of the cuts force called on terror quds force called on terror groups for war. A rocket was launched near the u. S. Embassy in baghdad. I would call that an emergency and a threat to life. A bomb carrying a drone was launched by Houthi Rebels, i would say that is an emergency and a threat to life. Now, in the weeks since the Emergency Declaration, iran has ly ramped up its attacks and its precipitating the need to have this Emergency Declaration. Houthi rebels have continued attacks on civilian airports in saudi arabia. That is an emergency and a direct threat to life. The i. R. Irgc perpetrated another attack on commercial shipping this time targeting japanese and Norwegian Oil tankers transiting through the states are of hormuz. I would say that is an straight of hormuz. I would say that is an emergency and a threat to life. Are a rocket struck inside a compound that housed contractor employees of exxonmobil. Id say thats an emergency and a threat to life. Iran shot down a u. S. Military asset over international waters. Id say thats an emergency. And just last week three iranian paramilitary vessels tried to impede the passage of a British Oil Tanker transiting the straights of hormuz and i would say that is straits of or muzz and i would say thats an emergency and a threat to life. Even as iran continues to threaten International Shipping and civilians in the middle east, there are members of this body who want to create doubts about the commitments that we have to our partners on the front lines. Now, for saudi arabia and the United Arab Emirates, this is not an abstract threat. It is their tankers that are being attacked, their airports that are being targeted, their oil fields. Now, our bilateral relationship with saudi arabia and the United Arab Emirates, undoubtedly it is complicated and we absolutely have to impress press for improvements in domestic human rights for both countries, i think we can agree on this wholeheartedly. We have to see justice and accountability in the murder of jamal khashoggi, undoubtedly. And in fact, earlier this week this body voted overwhelming for h. R. 2037 which imposes sanctions on those responsible for mr. Khashoggis murder. Even as the you aited United Arab Emirates draws down its position in yemen, we must press saudi arabia to minimize civilian casualties in that conflict. But none of these challenges justify whatsoever abandoning our partners as they face down a threat from an Iranian Regime that is on the march throughout the middle east. In fact, we must continue to show our investment in our Strategic Partnerships in order to incentivize our partners to make the changes that we are asking them to make. Mr. Speaker, i appreciate that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have had a longstanding concern about these sales. We have codified congressional review process precisely to address such concerns. However, it is my assessment that my democratic colleagues abused this review process, prior to the emergency notification, republican members had supported these sales. But Democrat Members subjected them to informal holds and in some cases for over a year without any clear path to resolution. Now, given the wide range of conflicts and threats in the middle east, i do not understand why my colleagues were surprised when after months and even over a year of delay it was assessed that our partners urgently needed these defense articles and services for their National Security