I would have this distinguished committee should let us take up the dream act. If the committee a chance to keep the american dream. Badges, law enforcement, faith based groups and others all support the dream act. Cato institute, supporting the dreamers would cost 60 billion. Dreamerson of the would cost much more than that. Hopes toers with their make the future better for the next generation. That is the american value. These dreamers make america more american. They embody the best of our nation. Patriotism, hard work and preserverance. A partisan ort be political issue. I was telling the president when i met with him recently at the ourday party many of republican colleagues said how supported they would be of the dream act but many of your spouses told me that as well. There is a spirit of family in all this. Addressmany issues to with immigration in our country. Congress has a duty and application obligation to protect these dreamers. Honored toes i am be joined by a distinguished whip who has been a champion of this issue for many years. Confer will and i will with how it is necessary to do this. Thell yield to distinguished chairwoman of the spanish caucus to make her presentation. Thank you, this policy. Pelosi. Whatever you brought in writing will help. I want to join you in thanking nate bank. The children who are going to enjoy sitting there during the waking seeing their dad during the waking hours. Amazingou to your theersa n and the members in majority. E. Have liz cheney down ther she is a firebrand. E. Are delighted you are her arehoyer, you recognized. Well, is that an improvement . Perhaps now you hear me and want away. E the mic room of speaking to a someone said i cannot a person in the front said i can, lets switch. Do you remember the story about Lyndon Johnson and bill was giving the prayer and the president said speak up. Bill said i wasnt speaking to you, mr. President. I will not get into what he thought. Hanukkah just came to a close. From christmass and nine days from the end of the year. Much of the work that this Congress Needs to do has not gotten done. Andl late last night morning,arly this we had no idea of what was going to be proposed. We will doecide what this afternoon. Included inbeen the discussion. That is unfortunate. We need to address many issues that leader pelosi has spoken of. We have not passed a single appropriations bill to the president of the United States. We passed them through the house but the republican onder did not put a single e on the senate floor. We find ourselves at no agreement of the spending caps. We had an agreement four years ina row that we would have parity. Reach aneen unable to agreement. With noourselves guidance to the Appropriations Committee about what level they should fund. An find ourselves with less th 48 hours to go. There was a no drama cr that the issues that confront us. Likely, the only thing that was considered was the tax bill, which we think is a disaster. We have a different opinion. Thats what we spent our time on. Andid not resolve anything that 90 days. We had another cr two weeks ago, we did not vote on it because we thought correctly the only thing it was going to be paid attention to was the tax bill. Of which youssues, voted for cr, you got 90 of your people back because they thought it was two weeks and it would not damage defense as much as they voted against it. Many of your colleagues, cr would not have passed, 90 days, we would have had a crisis in september had democrats not stepped up and said ok, lets Work Together and get the issues resolved. We did not do that. Hes been all the time on your tax bill you have spent all the time on your tax bill. Previously, you spent all of your time in repealing the Affordable Care act and taking healthways Health Care Aware from away from the American People. We served on the Appropriations Committee and came to an agreement. We have come to know agreement. We are ourselves where going to kick the can down the road. Were not going to tell defense what money they will have for the next nine months, eight months. Were not going to tell the department of energy, labor, health and Human Services, department of state, department of commerce, other departments and agencies, we are not going to tell them how they can plan for the next nine months. Any business that that that would go they grabbed a short period of time. It is a terrible way to run the government of the United States or any other enterprise. No closerrselves here to agreement and we have been in the first 11 months. Youre had discussions with majority leader, our majority leader, with whom i have dealt with constructively on many issues. I told him there were a number of issues we felt were necessary in order for us to participate in helping the Majority Party, which has had extraordinarily had extraordinary difficult running the country. You are deeply divided party, we saw that last night on the floor of the house. Know if you have resulted those differences in the last 24 hours, it is clear that without our participation in september, you would not have passed the cr and the government would have shut down. We hope during that time, we would have had some ability to Work Together. , asld the majority leader august that the dream act had to be resolved. The president took an action in september that the speaker urged to not to do. Risk somet, it put at 800,000, really 1. 6 million, young people who of cordoba and america and believe it is their country and gone to elementary school, Junior High School and high school, have worked in jobs, gone to school, served in aremilitary, and they twisting in the wind. Rush limbaugh said we are not going to send those kids home. We have said we are not going to send those kids home. The president says he loves the dreamers. There is no excuse for us not aving put it on for put bill on the floor to resolve this issue. Over 300 members of congress will vote on that when you put it on the floor. The only reason it is not on the floor is because the leadership has refused to do so. That was very important to us. To the leader over and over again, i have raised in colloquy over and over again. Opioids, as the leader has spoken of, we should have resolved that bill, the perkins loan program, we should have resolved that issue, Community Health centers, we should have resolved that issue come up medicare extenders, we should have resolved that issue, fire grants, in the dreamers as well. Here we find ourselves less than 48 hours before the end of the cr, the end of the current and nothing has been resolved. No discussions have led to resolution of these issues. Reading their phones. Perhaps what i am saying is not relevant. We feel it is relevant. You have needed our votes on almost every fiscal issue that has passed this house, because so many of you are members, you could pass anything on your own, and you have passed the tax bill on your own. When you want to pass things on your own, you create consensus to do so. But on most every fiscal issue on one fiscal issue, the john scullys i think it was mr. Mccarthy, you have 84 joey 84 votes to keep the government open. Over 125 of your members voted no. Omb voted no. F i come before the committee saying, if you are going to offer a rule that is going to amendmentser, some or some alternatives, if you expect our help, you ought to put in things we think are numbernt and will have a of republicans voting with us. Including, i presume, many of you. I dont know that. Youme before you saying have 36 hours to keep the government open. We dont have the votes to keep the government open, we dont have the votes to shut it down. The American People have given you the responsibility to do that. If you have the votes, you dont have to talk to us. , weou dont have the votes really need to come together in a bipartisan way to be the responsible stewards of this government. I would urge you to include initially an amendment which says that those dreamers will no longer be twisting in the wind. And we will give them the assurances that the president says he will find to give them. He will find to give them. He said he would sign the bill. He set it to leader pelosi in leadership are and the world. We think that needs to be in their. In there. Need to deal with pfizer fisa in a bipartisan way. But dont look for us for help if we are not included and shut out, as the tax bill. No hearings, no witnesses and a conference that was a fraud. The only thing democrats did in that text conference was the able to make a statement. O amendments, no suggestions that is not regular order. More than that, it is not fair. Its not what the American People expect of us. I come to you asking you certainly for that amendment, i ask as well because i understand you are considering a supplemental. Your tax bill and the supplemental bill undermines puerto rico. As million americans as well the Virgin Islands. They still have 35 of people in puerto rico without electricity. In houstonhe people were without electricity, it would be a national scandal, you would all be outraged, you would not allow it to happen. Treats puerto rico as a foreign government. , a part americans fully of the United States of america, if they want to come to florida are anywhere else, they can come because they are americans. We believe the supplemental also needs to be revised in a way that treats puerto rico and the Virgin Islands as full partners of United States of america, not as foreign governments. I thank you, mr. Chairman, for this opportunity. I would ask to submit a dear , expressing his deep concern about the extension of the v. A. Choice act, which he thinks will undermine the v. A. Because it is not a full bill dealing with the needs of the ccess to veterans a health care. Doctors, bets, etc. I ask if you included in the record at this time. In closing, i would say that i really do believe we can do some very good work if we do it in a bipartisan way. Will i have to give something . Yes. Will you have to give something . Yes. That is the democratic process. We are not pursuing that and that is what we find ourselves in this conundrum 36 hours before the government is going to shut down. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Without exception, that will be entered into the record. I appreciate his comments and not only not only his, but his time this morning and that of his colleagues. Wright. Ready to go. Thank you all. This is my second time before the rules committee, and no matter what time of day or how late it is and as nice as you are, it is still a little intimidating, particularly if youve only been here five years and you are joined by two incredibly seasoned, productive members. I am lucky to have them here and i associate myself with all of their remarks. We arenteresting that giving you a passion, i hope, plea for we have an opportunity, not only to see the glass as half full, 36 hours is plenty of time we could do something. We could do some in today, i have no doubt. The kindis because of of work i have got to do, not only with members of this committee, but i want to thank the members i have got to know in five years and i appreciate the strip chairman, your remarks of housing. People get upset at me at home about partisanship here, and there are issues, and i thought the with did a good job saying that we find ourselves caught in partisan aspects that make it difficult for us to do the work we really want to do. That we think makes a difference in the community. At the end of the day, there are so many folks, including on this community, including on this committee, ive had a great relationship with. That is something folks may not know. Mr. Chairman, when you first came here, you knew i was from the land of enchantment. Incrediblyis a beautiful, wonderful place with incredible challenges. Have a tendency to just focus on those challenges. It is a place that has huge, persistent pockets of poverty, and yet we have more phds per capita in my district and anywhere in the United States i believe today. We have an incredible number of veterans per capita, an incredible number of dreamers and also a diverse population with one of the largest members of independent tribes in the country. It gives me a unique perspective. I grew up when the Childrens HealthInsurance Program did not exist. I am the oldest of three, and my sister, the youngest, was diagnosed with the same brain tumors that senator mccain is now struggling with. Interestingly enough, my sister, 1960s, livedhe to be 21, which was unheard of at that time. I watch my parents trying to figure out how to negotiate and pay for care without having any coverage for the entire time until she died when she was 21. Is to getimportant these issues right and get these programs funded. Iran the department of health, and when we would run out of funding, i would have to make calls the families telling them i wasnt sure how we would navigate care for a child like my sister with a terminal disease, it is compelling. And yet trying to figure out how to navigate it all, veterans who dont have access to housing. We have a two star hospital in found country, and we that we have one of the worst v. A. Clinics in the country. This is not a lecture, it is outcome ofing especially now in this incredible season, we can do something. I know we can. I am here offering the amendment on the dream act. I do think it is incredibly bipartisan. The last time i was here, a along aas here, Long Campaign of dreamers. Something i am embarrassed to admit today, until that role, while i was clear about dreamers and mixed status families, my brother, i have mixed status within microns within my close family network, but it wasnt until i sat down with two dreamers for coffee as they told me about their story, i dont care really understood what it means to be 15, 16 and enjoying your friends from high school and go get a drivers license and have no idea you were not a citizen and your parents have protected and shell do. Inny things make sense your parents have protected and shielded you. And now sony things make sense. Now you might not want to be in associations. I had no idea that when they go to college, they found out they are not eligible for most services. They have no idea they are not citizens. Many of these families have americanborn siblings. Seven andu are the the whole family is talking about having a 16yearold who is not a citizen, and if theres if they are in summary elses car and they get stopped. In many communities, including in my state, these young kids are picked up and their parents to get notice for hours, sometimes more than a day. Can you imagine . Im a mother of two, i have a 32yearold and a 30yearold daughter and now a granddaughter. I dont think i can imagine how it would feel if i had no idea where my 16yearold was for 24 hours. And then i found out and cannot do anything about it. This is an incredible have focusedand i on the stuff that is harrowing at heart, but they are here and participating in this process and making a difference in our economy. Educators inm are states like texas and oklahoma and new mexico. Well have enough individuals willing to do Public Education and teaching. We need these young people. They are doctors, lawyers, practitioners and every kind of health care sector. Theyre doing lawn care and construction. They really are the backbone. We ask them, its like telling everyone you have to be a valedictorian. Set the bar incredibly high and they meet it. What other population could do that . They did. And here is the part that is really compelling, i hope. I have talked to many members, both sides of files, who say we do have until march. We want to get it right. We want to make sure it is as bipartisan as it can be. There is a ton of bipartisan work going on since well before september. I want to thank you for that. Caucus, our caucus in the minority caucuses, particularly for the democratic caucus, have been welcomed and i did to a cant tell you how many either republican only or bipartisan caucuses. I want to thank you for that, it has been a really robust effort. But the notion it is ok is not true. 122 or day lose status. They are immediately fired. Immediately fired. We have a young man in pennsylvania with a toddler, a son, american citizen, went through a routine checkpoint. Being deported. And accurateeman another gentleman in akron. 22nd. Es status on the he can no longer work. It doesnt make any sense to me. Particularly, with my state, we have one of the worst economies of the country. I want people working. I want young people working. I want them to have opportunities. I have to tell 122 in this country every day they will lose their jobs and i have to tell the Faithbased Community and the Agriculture Community and Construction Community theyre going to lose these employees, and we have an opportunity right before christmas to do something about it. I offer you this amendment for the dream act. I really urge you to consider this is our time. Tocan demonstrate not only the house but the senate and the rest of the country that our well before september paid off. We have answer the questions, we understand this population, we know the impact they have, and so many of us are ready to support dreamers and their families so that we dont care American Families apart. Thank you for having a meeting this morning and thank you very much for having me testify before you. It is always an honor and i appreciate your generosity where you dont interrupt and we take way too much time. These are really important priorities to us, and i am grateful to be here. Thank you. Thank you very much. As each of you know, this , as the time that i have been chairman, is very open. , we to hearing any person will even keep the lights on late at night. We welcome people. That we are ad Better Congress when everybody is able to represent the people they represent by talking in front of their colleagues. So you being here is on a for us, it is an honor for you to take your