Recognition between the parties. All time shall be equally allocated between the parties and in no event shall debate continue beyond 11 50 a. M. Each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the majority whip shall be limited to five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from missouri, mrs. Artzler, for five minutes. Mrs. Hartzler here we are again having to vote on a continuing resolution instead of a fullyear appropriations deal because of political reasons. Mr. Speaker, i am appalled that muchneeded defense dollars are once again being held hostage for political reasons. We have heard time and again from military leaders about the devastating readiness crisis plaguing every corner of the miliy. We have planes that cannot fly, troops that cannot deploy, and we are literally running out of bombs. It is irresponsible and morally wrong to send our troops into harms way without adequate resources and training. Last year alone, there were 80 deaths related to readiness and training accidents. It is clear that insufficient and unreliable funding is wearing our military to the bone and costing precious lives. As members of congress, we have the power of the purse. We can relieve the military from this deadly cycle. I call on my colleagues to end the political games. Support the men and women in uniform who risk their lives every day to defend this country. Support a budget agreement that provides our Service Members with the funding they so desperately need. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the lady yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. Mcgovern, for five minutes. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, i rise to condemn in the strongest possible terms the ongoing, unrelenting attacks against civilians in syria committed by the barbaric lawless regime of asawed with russian backing. We assad with russian backing. As many as half a million killed since march, 2011. Tens of thousands of them civilians. Tens of thousands of them detained, disappeared and likely dead directly at the hands of the regime. More than 11 Million People displaced once again inside and outside of syrias borders, the largest single refugee crisis in the world has seen since 1945. More than half of those displaced are children and youth. Last summer, much was made of the ceasefire agreement that the Trump Administration reached with the russian government to establish deescalation zones to establish syria while keeping the assad regime in power. We were told it would save lives. All of a sudden you are going to have no bullets being fired in syria, trump said. Well, that has turned out not to be true. The deescalation zones are not deescalating. As of late december, more than 400,000 people remained trapped by Regime Forces in the eastern zone, only half an hours drive from damascus. As jan, u. N. Special advisor on syria said last december, there is no deescalation zone, there is only escalation in this deescalation zone. Idlib sfere a dramatic increase in air attacks last september against armed groups not covered by the ceasefire agreement. Late december, air strikes and shelling against a hospital, a medical warehouse and a Vegetable Market killed, injured and displaced scores of people. The u. S. Government heralded the military defeat of isis in syria in november, but the defeat of isis has and will not end the syrian conflict. And russia has not succeeded in pressuring assad to end the conflict. Nor restraining attacks on syrians as he goes after rebel forces. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in syria deteriorates each and every day. World vision estimates that 5. 6 Million People are in need of acute humanitarian assistance. The u. N. Says a total of 13. 1 million need some form of assistance. Thats three million more than at the end of 2016. The situation is worse today after months of deescalation than it was a year ago. Of those 13 million, three million are trapped and besieged in hard to reach areas. Thats 4 1 2 times the population of boston or washington, d. C. Humanitarian access to those areas is not guaranteed by the regime nor by its backers. International law obligations be damned. Some of the most heartbreaking news out of syria has to due with the crisis in heare. Alth c the weaponization of health care in syria is not new, but e depreviousity of it all still shocks me. According to a recent report by researchers at the American University in beirut, syria has become the most dangerous place on earth for Health Care Providers. According to the International Rescue committee, in 2011, there was one doctor per 600 people in syria. But now there is only one doctor per 3,600 people. Medical supplies are not allowed into besieged areas and terribly ill patients are not allowed out. What political purpose is served by denying health care for people suffering from heart disease, cancer and blood diseases . Mr. Speaker, current policy is not working to end the crisis in syria. Its time to change course, not by sending more special forces troops there without any authorization, nor promising to keep them there indefinitely to fight the next generation of isis. What we need to do is reassert diplomatic leadership and end the war. We need a plan to transition assad out of power. We need to pass House Resolution 632, cob demming the senseless attacks condemning the senseless attacks on Hospital Personnel in syria. We need to shame russia. We need to increase or contributions to humanitarian assistance in syria and make crossborder assistance. We need to open our hearts to the Syrian Refugees and welcome more of them to our country. And we need to do everything in our power to lay the groundwork to ensure accountability for assads victims. That includes that includes funding the International Impartial and independent mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes. The syrian conflict has gone on far too long. The horror of it all can be mind numbing, but we nust not lose our out must not lose our outrage. Now is the time to reenergize our efforts and end the suffering. Yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, for five minutes. Mr. Thompson thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this friday more than 100,000 americans will travel from across the country to take part in the Worlds Largest prolife event right here in the nations capital. The theme for the 45th annual march for life is love saves lives. This embodies the true spirit and mission of the Prolife Movement by enlisting the power love to choose life. Since the Supreme Court issued the decision in roe v. Wade, tens of thousan of tion procedures have been ormed throughout the United States. Although consistent attempts to overturn has fallen short, support for federal prolife policies has remained strong. We will witness this strength friday when americans from all corners of the country will march on washington to highlight the progress the Prolife Movement and encourage strong support moving forward. President trump will address the marchers from the rose garden and show his commitment to protecting the onborn. Hes the first sitting president to address the event via satellite in the events 45year history. President trump has remained steadfast to advance prolife policy. One of his first actions in 2017 was an executive order reinstating the mexico city policy which bars nongovernmental organizations that perform or promote abortions from receiving funding from the u. S. Government. Helps ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to Fund Abortions overseas. Members of this house also passed h. R. 7, the no taxpayer funding for abortion and boors insurance full disclosure act of 2017 just one day after President Trump reinstated the mexico city policy. This bill made permanent some longstanding policies that prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to Fund Abortion such as the Hyde Amendment. H. R. 7 also helps to ensure the that Health InsuranceCompanies Remain accountable to consumers by requiring them to fully disclose whether or not their Health Care Plans cover abortion services. Another prolife victory that passed the house in october was a h. R. 36, the pain capable unborn Child Protection act. This bill outlaws abortions performed after the 20week postfertilization period. I have consistently voted to prohibit lateterm abortions and protect the unborn and i will continue to do so as long as i am serving in the house. We must always demonstrate a strong commitment to protecting the lives of the defenseless and the house will continue the fight this week on friday. We will vote on the bornalive abortion survivors protection act. This means that in the case of a child born alive during an attempted abortion, that child must be immediately transported and admitted to a hospital. If a baby born alive is left to die, the penalty can be up to five years in jail. I will certainly vote in support of this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, abortion is a tragedy, not just because an innocent child dies but the Lasting Impact it has on the mothers of those children. We continue to see efforts by the prolifmovement making an impact. Data shows that the annual number of abortions performed in this country is in decline. Including my state of pennsylvania. There are legislative efforts across the country to protect unborn children and provide assistance and hope to their mothers. These efforts are one of the keys to ending abortion in the u. S. Prolife education is having an impact in our culetures and the lives of culture and the lives of women. Thats why i look to participate in the 45th march for life where we will redouble our effort to protect the sanctity of life. Attendees will hear stories of love, courage, and victory through gods mercy and grace. Mr. Speaker, human life is sacred and through education love can protect the most vulnerable. The Prolife Movement is a voice for the voiceless. I am incredibly proud and honored to be part of it. Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. Gutierrez, for five minutes. Mr. Gutierrez mr. Speaker, interesting meeting yesterday with general kelly. 25 members of congress, most all of whom are defendants of immigrants who came here with nothing, whose parents came here with nothing, sat down with the chief of staff with the president of the United States and he sat down basically we were the wrong kind of people in america. And that people like our parents, that came here to this country, really are bringing the country down. Because when he says hes for a meritbased systemhes saying hes not for my mom and dad being able to come to this country. But interestingly enough, all of us who came to this country because of familybased immigration system wound up as being members of the u. S. House of representatives. But he was saying, you know, meeting with a group of congressmen and you really shouldnt be here because your parents really are tearing the country apart and bringing it down. That means thats what he means when he says, i want to replace the system with a meritbased system, and that was very telling in the meeting yesterday. Ut, you know, we want a system thats familybased. Thats the system that democrats want because we believe that this country is created by immigrants and its essential for them to be united with their family so they can achieve american success and we can all achieve the American Dream together. And thats exactly what they want to stop with the meritbased system. Unless, of course, they come from norway. Then they continue to come. We hear from the party of family values and the party of donald trump who employs his family at the wte house, he is an organization where the dad created the business, anded it down the son. The son will hand it down to their children but they dont want immigrants to be able to do exactly the same thing and follow the same course that apparently has been so successful for the president of the United States. And heres Something Else we learned from the chief of staff. That when people from one party work with people from another party, thats not bipartisanship, he said. Bipartisanship defined by general kelly and this white house is when people with completely different opposite views of the world, they Work Together. So only a senate deal between people who believe in immigration and those who dont believe in immigration and who wants to end our immigration system as it is unless you come from norway, thats the only way its bipartisanship. Thats like saying that if a republican and a democrat are working together on an environmental issue, its not bipartisanship because its a republican and democrat unless the democrat and the republican are a person that believes in Climate Change working together with a republican who believes climate is a coax created by the chinese. You know what kind of legislation you get . You get nothing. You get a stalemate. You do not move the agenda forward, but thats their bipartisanship and thats what we learned at the meeting yesterday. Look, democrats and republicans are working together. Senator graham, republican, senator durbin, democrat, they put a proposal on the table and the president rejected it. That includes, just so that were very clear, democrats giving up things that are unprecedented in that senate deal that was put on the president s desk, and members of the hispanic caucus meeting with general kelly cant fathom supporting the senate deal, but guess what, thats bipartisanship. Thats what it comes down to. That brings us to the votes this week. Republicans might not need our help, because you are the majority party, were the minority party. Just in case you do need our help in getting a budget approved, i want you to know, were ready to stand to help you to keep the government opened and to approve a budget. What i learned from the meeting with senator kelly and everybody should understand is that democrats are more united than ever before. If you want to help, our help, on the budget, youve got to release the 800,000 dreamers you are holding hostage. Youve got to do it. Democrats arent going tonk b were going to stand by our values. There comes a time if you say you stand for justice, if you have to actually take a stand and hold it. And not back down. And thats what democrats are going to do this week. Were not going to back down. Need our help . Release the 800,000 dreamers you hold hostage. And guess what . Were ready to pay handsome ransom for their release. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore members reminded to direct their remarks to the chair. The chair recognizes gentleman from alabama, mr. Byrne, for five minutes. Mr. Byrne mr. Speaker, i rise today to express my great frustration with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for their reckless behavior that is threatening the safety and security of the American People. Let me explain. Some members of the house and senate are Holding Funding for the federal government including funding for our nations military hostage in an effort to advance their immigration agenda. I understand that immigration is a very important issue. I have many priorities in the immigration debate myself like increased border security, but i understand that there will come a time and place to debate immigration issues. That time is not now. And that a place is not on a deal dealing with funding our military and other essential functions of government. Mr. Speaker, this is what the American People hate about congress. Instead of simply doing one of our most basic jobs, funding the government, were having an unrelated debate about an immigration issue. Lets be clear about what is going on here. Congressional democrats are using our military men and women as pawns in a political game. They think they can use funding for the military as leverage to get their way on a very complex immigration issue. I think that is not only wrong, i think it is irresponsible and it has very grave consequences. And i want to strongly reject the notion that this is a republican problem. In house passed a bill back months ago,ver four to fund the military and the entire federal government. That bill has been stuck in the senate where 60 votes are necessary to pass the bill. There are only months ago, to fund the military and the entire 51 republican senators, so that means it will be necessary to have bipartisan support to get any bill across the finish line. So i vehemently reject this is an issue facing republicans. Thats a lifmente why am i so passionate about this issue . Our nations military is facing a seriousness readiness crisis, and we as a congress are making thingsrse. We have the Smallest Army since before world war ii. The Smallest Navy since before world war i. Antismallest and oldest air force we have ever had and the smallest and oldest air force we have ever had. The chairman of the army said the budgetary problems left the army outranged, outgunned, and jow dated. The government risks falling behind russia and china. There are similarly alarming quotes from the other services as well. Our military needs and demands funding certainty to make purchases and perform long overdue maintenance. Every time we pass a continuing resolution, and kick the can down the road, that hurts our military. It hurts the very men and women that we send into battle each day. It makes their job harder and frankly it puts lives at risk. We have seen fatal accidents aboard the u. S. S. Fitzger