30 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. Mr. Frelinghuysen mr. Chairman, i rise today to present h. J. Resolution 123, a continuing resolution that maintains funding for federal Government Operations and prevents a shutdown. Current funding legislation expires tomorrow, friday, december 8. Congress must act now to prevent a Government Shutdown and preserve vital federal programs that americans rely on. This action is critical to our nations stability, our National Security, our economic health, and the wellbeing of the American People. This simple clean extension of Funding Provides the fiscal year 2018 funding for Government Programs through december 22. An additional two weeks, and will allow time for the leadership to reach a deal on an overall top line spending levels for the 2018 fiscal year. I would note that the executive branch supports adoption of this continuing resolution. Yesterdays statement of Administration Policy says, and i quote, this legislation funds the federal government at current spending levels without extraneous provisions, end of quotation marks, and concludes, advisors would recommend the president sign the bill into law. Mr. Chairman, i ask consent to submit december 6 statement of Administration Policy regarding house joint resolution 123 for the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection. The house completed our appropriations work over 80 dayings ago mr. Frelinghuysen passing all fiscal bills for the first time in nearly a decade this included important funding for National Defense and other important matters. Unfortunately, the Appropriations Committee could not proceed without an agreement with the senate on overall funding levels. The reality is were running into a deadline this week and this resolution is our best and only option at this time. Once a broader budget agreement has been reached, which i hope will be shoon will be soon, the committee will continue its work to complete final negotiations with the senate on all 12 regular Appropriations Bills that will fully fund the federal government through september of next year. In our committee our committee is also moving quickly to move on a third emergency supplemental funding bill to help communities across the nation recover from recent major disasters. In the meantime, Congress Must do its job and pass the continuing resolution. And then another one into the new year to keep the government open and ensure that all important federal services are available to all americans. I urge support of this necessary and responsible legislation and reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlelady from new york is recognized. Ms. Slaughter mr. Chairman, i yield myself such time as i may consume. It is extremely regrettable that today rselves here mr. Chairman, it is extremely egreatable that we find ourselves here today. Epublicans have defense and nondefense priorities are critical to our safety and prosperity. Mrs. Lowey the majority failed to engage all year, choosing instead to pass partisan appropriation bills that can never be signed into law. More than two months ago, President Trump and Democratic Congressional leaders struck an agreement to avoid a Government Shutdown. And buy time for negotiations on new spending caps that would make it possible to enact a responsible, bipartisan, fullYear Spending law. Precious little has been accomplished since then. Now here we are again with the majority asking for support for a twoweek stopgap continuing resolution. So i ask the majority, what do you expect to accomplish in the next two weeks that we have been unable to accomplish in the last two months . I want to repeat that. Id really like to know what you expect to accomplish in the next two weeks when we havent been able to accomplish anything in the last two months. The rationale to support a shortterm, stopgap continuing resolution is that the parties are engaged in good faith negotiations to develop a responsible, bipartisan spending package. Negotiations are on a positive trajectory and additional time is simply needed to seal a deal. And anyone can anyone in this chamber claim that this is the case today . The president continues to irresponsibly threaten a Government Shutdown and launch add hominem attacks. And launch ad hominem attacks. Majority leadership is playing games with this and future continuing resolutions. Negotiations on new spending caps for defense and nondefense investment are stalled an the majority is grasping for excuses as to why they have failed to protect 700,000 Young Americans from deportation. Reauthorize the Childrens HealthInsurance Program or move expeditiously on critical disaster assistance. Is there any evidence whatsoever that this majority intends to fulfill these vital responsibilities to the American People. Given these failure, i believe it is incumbent on members of congress to say, enough is enough. The American People are sick of the games, they want results. Its time for the Republican Leadership and President Trump to get serious, engage with democrats. We stand ready and willing to help develop a framework for responsible, bipartisan spending agreement and to negotiate the details of a full Year Spending package. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from new york is recognized. New jersey. Mr. Frelinghuysen i yield two minutes to the distinguished chairman of the state foreign operations subcommittee, my colleague, mr. Hal rogers of kentucky. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Rogers i thank the gentleman for yielding me time. I rise in full support of the second fiscal year 2018 continuing resolution this year, which will fund the federal government through december 22 of this year. This bill is a necessary measure to continue vital Government Programs and services. It also prevents uncertainty and harm in a shutdown. This year, the committee worked at a historic pace to produce and then pass all 12 bills to fund the government. And chairman frelinghuysen should be recognized for this feat of leadership. Its important that we eventually send these bills to the president s desk. As chairman of the state and foreign operations subcommittee, i want to highlight that the funding provided in our bill supports continued leadership by the u. S. And advances our National Security and economic interests. This funding is critical to addressing the many challenges that we face around the world. Mr. Speaker, while c. R. s are never our preferred course of action, the bill before us today will give us more time to complete our work with the senate and put together a final bill that will support the American People. Our current continuing resolution expires tomorrow so we must act today. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the c. R. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from new york is recognize the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Mrs. Lowey im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from ohio, the Ranking Member of the energy and water subcommittee, ms. Kaptur. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Kaptur i thank the Ranking Member, congresswoman lowey of new york, for the phenomenal job shes done this year and commend chairman frelinghuysen for trying to herd cattle on a very vast range. Here we are again, mere hours away from a needless shutdown, a cliff created by the republican majority. Already we are three month into the 2018 fiscal year and congress is no closer to finalizing among our chief constitutional responsibilities, and that is funding the departments of our nation to do their job. For a nation at war, the department of defense, Largest Department in this bill, cant et contracts because of this adolescent dallying by congress. I rise with frustration today as the Appropriations Committee subcommittee did their job over the last year. They toiled away for months, chipping away in each subcommittee bill. But that proved to be a fruitless effort since we had no agreed upon budget caps within which to make those decisions because the republican majority produced no budget. Theres simply no good reason why we are here again kicking decisions down the road and for two weeks . Let me remind my colleagues, we were over seven months late last fiscal year before we fully funded our government. This fits and starts, fits and starts, surely, is not what the American People deserve. For example well, know a million our fellow citizens in puerto rico, still dont have energy and power and vast, vast numbers this disruption for managing health care as an unnecessary burden you should the circumstances they confront daily. Many states are preparing to shut down their chip program in Case Congress doesnt act. How is that for a christmas or hanukkah present to the children of america. The republican majorities majoritys are out of line, no working with no leadership to finalize government funding for the entire 2018 fiscal year which began three months ago. Unacceptable. Instead republicans choose to avoid doing what is critical and rather than pass a tax bill that rewards the wealthiest in our country and wreaks havoc on americas hardworking class, they ought to do the dutiful work of managing the funds to operate the departments that serve the people of the united states. The American People are worried, mr. Speaker. And the majority has abdicated their leadership. I urge my colleagues to keep their on any hasty vote on this bill and demand the majority come to the table to finalize the f. Y. 2018 spending plan. With that, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman is recognized. Mr. Frelinghuysen im pleased to yield two minutes to the chairman of the agriculture subcommittee on appropriations, mr. Aderholt of alabama. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Aderholt i rise also in support of the house joint resolution 123, which obviously would extend funding for the federal government for the next two weeks. We have had a highly condensed schedule this year, but the Appropriations Committee has made pretremendous progress in an open and as head tremendous progress in an open and deliberate process as we moved forward. The agriculture spropingses appropriations subcommittee which i have the privilege to chair received input from over 350 individual members and we produced our bill in less than two months. Just a few months ago, as most of my colleagues here in the house know, we the house took up and took up and we passed 12 Appropriations Bills. The chairman delivered on the promise they would do. So now were coming to the end of the year. Theres final negotiations to be done and i and my colleagues agree that a c. R. Is not the best option, however, i would ask my colleagues to support this resolution, to ensure that we have basic services that continue for our constituents until we have the final time to pleat our work. With that, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlelady is recognized. Mrs. Lowey mr. Speaker, im very pleased to yield four minutes to the gentlewoman from florida, the Ranking Member of the military construction and Veterans Affair committee, ms. Wasserman schultz. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Wasserman schultz i thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I rise in strong opposition to this continuing resolution, which is yet again a complete abdication of our responsibilities. Instead of adopting fully funded Appropriations Bills or an omnibus with an actual chance of passing this congress, we remine remain mired in this unbreakable habit of passing continuing resolutions. This not only creates needless uncertainty, it cost ours government billions in wasted taxpayer dollars. Moreover, this abdication reflects the leaderships abandonment and needs of our constituents. For one, we have yet to pass the dream act desm spite widespread support nationally and the growing fear of deportations this congress has ignored the 122 dreamers who lose their protected status every day. These are americans. By any definition. And this is their home. I will not stand by as this president cruelly threatens to send these brave young people back to countries about which they have no memory. And when will this body fully address the disasters that have ravaged florida, texas, puerto rico, the Virgin Islands an california . Countless communities including my own are anxiously awaiting vie call recovery assistance that only the federal government can provide. These abdications are simply immoral. And it doesnt end there. Congress has failed to renew the Childrens HealthInsurance Program. States and families across america are scrambling to find replacement funds and Health Care Alternatives for their children. When did chip and protecting the health of our children become a partisan issue . My republican colleagues want to add more than 1 trillion to the deficit for tax cuts for big corporations and the top 1 . But then they say we cant afford to spend a fraction of that on health care for children . These priorities are backward and morally indefensible. And instead of protecting americans from the scourge of gun violence, republicans are weakening our already feeble gun laws by passing legislation that ensures more deadly gun violence in our tun towns and cities. We need to pass an omnibus budget that doesnt threaten programs for our veterans and children or make drastic cuts to the medicare and Medicaid Programs that our seniors rely upon. Instead of handing mass i tax cuts to millionaires, we should pass a budget that supports education, expands Womens Health and provide provides real Economic Relief to the middle class. In short, we have to break this bodys obsession with promoting the interest of the welloff and special interests and ignoring the needs of children, dreamers, seniors the middle class this continuing resolution does nothing more than provide another shortterm fix for the Republican Leaderships unhealthy addiction. It is a i bomb nabble, it is irresponse it is abominable, it is irresponsible and we should set it aside and focus on making longterm decisions for the American People. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves, the gentleman from new jersey. Mr. Frelinghuysen i yield to ms. Granger from texas. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Granger i thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in support of this continuing resolution. Our most solemn responsibility as members of congress is to provide for our nations security. The world is more dangerous and unstable than at any time in recent history. The threat from north korea grows each day. Russia continues to create nstability in the ukraine, the balkans. China is militarizing the South China Sea and meanwhile issa and al qaeda continue to spread their perverted version of islam across europe, africa, asia and the middle east. We must send a clear message to our adversaries that our military is prepared to confront anyone who threatens us at anytime. A shutdown of the department of defense will only embolden our adversaries and threaten our National Security. Our military needs stable, predictable and timely funding to ensure it is prepared to meet the threats we face now and in the future. Members demonstrated their commitment to rebuilding our military this past summer by passing the make america secure appropriations act, which included the defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2018. Only a budget agreement that gives our men and women in uniform the funding they need and removes the threat of sequestration will provide them that certainty. The house must pass this continuing resolution to allow time for our agreement to be reached that will fully fund our nations defense. Shutting down the government is not an option. I urge all members to support this very important legislation. Thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlelady from new york. Mrs. Lowey mr. Speaker, i yield four minutes to the gentlewoman from connecticut, the Ranking Member of the labor h subcommittee, ms. Delauro. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. I thank the gentlelady. Mr. Speaker, i rise to comment on this continuing resolution and on the past year of this congress. The biggest economic challenge of our time is that people are in jobs that do not pay them enough to live on. Wages are not keeping up with rising costs for health care, childcare and housing, and too many families struggle to make ends meet. Let alone put money in