Centers. Our current continuing resolution expires on thursday, and without this legislation large segments of the federal government will shut down again. Of course, all of us are keenly aware more time is needed for our leaders in the house and senate and white house to negotiate overall funding levels for the 2018 fiscal year. This bill should allow that to happen. My colleagues, this continuing resolution also makes a very limited number of technical changes in funding levels for only the most essential needs to include, to prevent delays in preparation for the 2020 census, to assure that the Judicial Branch is able to pay jurors, to provide 220 million in emergency funding for the Small Business administration, to provide emergency loans to those whose lives and livelihoods were destroyed by last years historic natural disasters. This legislation also includes the full fiscal year 2018 department of defense appropriations bill, totaling 659 billion for our armed forces, and i dont have to remind my colleagues that this bill already passed this house three times on a bipartisan basis, most recently last week. Mr. Speaker, we ask a great deal of our men and women in uniform, and we have an obligation to provide them and their families the resources they need to be safe, to complete their Mission Successfully at home and abroad. Governing from c. R. To c. R. Ust creates more unpredict ict, more instability unpredictability, more instability for everyone. Mr. Speaker, the challenges we face around the world cannot be t under this stop and go process. While we delay doing the nations business, our military and economic competitors are consolidating their gains. Finally, i would add, this legislation includes necessary funding extensions for Bipartisan Health priorities, Like CommunityHealth Centers and other Public Health programs. It also funds important medicare extenders and includes commonsense reforms and improvement in the program. But let no one doubt our position on continuing resolutions. They are bad fiscal policy. They do not allow programs to grow, to be reduced or eliminated, if thats needed. They maintain outdated policies and stop new critically important programs from ever starting, including programs that enhance National Security and protect our armed forces from our enemies. Continuing resolutions are fiscally wasteful and prevent the executive branch and congress from planning and preparing. This is true for the private sector as well. Most importantly, they undermine congressional oversight that is a onstitutionally mandated is congressionally mandated for our appropriations. While i am pleased that we are here to include the defense appropriations bill in this continuing resolution, we must still pass all 12 Appropriations Bills for the fiscal year as well as our third emergency disaster supplemental. As soon as the congressional and white house leaders reach a bipartisan agreement, which could and should happen at any moment, our committee will get to work immediately to finish negotiations on all 12 yearlong funding bills. Mr. Speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new jersey reserves his time. The chair recognizes the gentlelady from new york. Mrs. Lowey mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she wishes to use. Mrs. Lowey since president trumps draconian f. Y. 2018 budget was released last year, democrats have warned republicans that a bipartisan budget agreement was needed to adequately invest in American Families and communities. Without a budget agreement, programs as diverse as head start, job training, terrorism prevention grants are in danger of inadequate funding at best. Instead of engaging with democrats to reach a budget agreement, the majority is seeking to advance a full year of funding for only the department of defense, busting budget caps while punting every other federal service and vestment to an uncertain future. Mr. Speaker, the most powerful country in the world now being completely run by a republican government cant keep the lights on more than weeks at a time. How did we get here . Democrats will not go along with any plan that neglects critical National Security and domestic needs. If this bill were to become law, the majority would have no workable plan to make the investments that are necessary for priorities, including biomedical research, infrastructure projects, pell grants, homeland security, assistance for local communities, Veterans Health, opioid funding, job training, the f. B. I. , and other federal Law Enforcement and more. This is not a serious bill. We know that it will be quickly rejected by the senate. It is the furthest possible cry from regular order that the majority so frequently discusses yet rarely follows. It is nothing more than a political ploy that will place us on the brink of another shutdown. Its well past time to increase budget caps and enact responsible spending bills. The majority displays a lack of urgency regarding reaching a budget agreement and enacting appropriations law, choosing instead to advance partisan measures that fail to lift unmanageable budget caps for both defense and nondefense. Republicans must abandon these partisan shortterm bills and work with democrats to fund the entirety of government for the remainder of the fiscal year to serve the American People. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves her time. The chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. Im pleased to yield two minutes to the chairman of the agricultural subcommittee on appropriations, mr. Aderholt. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Aderholt as the house takes up the fifth continuing resolution for f. Y. 2018, it seems all too appropriate to quote president reagan when he says, here we go again. I rise on the floor of the house this afternoon to urge my colleagues to support the c. R. Which runs through march 23. As the chairman of the appropriation ag subcommittee, our nations farmers and ranchers will find it hard to access credit during the upcoming planting season and those recovering from disastrous weather events will not be able to access essential programs in order to help them. If we do not finalize a fullyear Funding Agreement right away. These are just a couple of examples of the hardships that are faced by our citizens here in the u. S. That depend on this legislation. As i say,s the fifth c. R. For this fiscal year. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle must come to the table willing to negotiate on these budget caps. As you know, the house passed each of the 12 appropriation bills. We have done our job, of course the other body continues to be the weakest link in all of this, as it needs to seriously reform their process in order to do the work of the people. Finally, i appreciate that this bill includes fullyear funding for the department of defense. To quote president reagan once again, we have no choice but to maintain ready Defense Forces that are second to none. Yes, the cost is high. But the price of neglect would be infinitely higher. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back his time. The gentleman from new jersey reserves. The gentlelady from new york is recognized. Mrs. Lowey im pleased to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from california, the democratic leader, ms. Pelosi. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. Ms. Pelosi thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlelady for yielding and commend her for her extraordinary leadership on the Appropriations Committee where important decisions are made about how to allocate the resources of our country to respect the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform and to honor the values of our founders for a country thats making the future better for every generation to come. The distinguished chairman of the committee, mr. Frelinghuysen, opened his remarks saying he came to the floor to introduce the fifth fifth continuing resolution. And the gentleman who followed him talk about this being the fifth continuing resolution the more is not the merrier. Its like golf, the lower the score, the better. To have five continuing resolutions is a statement of incompetence and ineptitude. The republicans control the house, the senate, and the white house, yet they are pressing forward on their fifth stopgap shortterm spending bill, demonstrating their failure to govern. Since president reagan was mentioned, ill mention our very first president , our patriarch, george washington. President washington, when he was leaving office , he cautioned against Political Parties who were at war with their own government. Does that sound familiar to you . Here we are again two days from another shutdown, careening toward another manufactured republican crisis. Demonstrating the republican failure to govern. We dont want to go to that place. As members of congress, we take a solemn oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States and to protect the American People. Democrats support a Strong National defense. We too want our men and women in uniform to have the resources they need to keep them safe and to keep the American People safe as they accomplish their mission. But we will not allow republican to use this continuing resolution, the fifth time they have come to the floor because they could not govern, to hollow out our nations commitment to the health, education, and Economic Security of americas working families. We all know that our military might is part of our nations strength. But the health, education, and security and well being of the American People is also a source of that strength. Instead of working constructively with democrats to meet the needs of the American People, republicans are trying to starve the domestic budget. I want to remind our colleagues, one third, 34 , one third, of the nondefense domestic budget goes to National Security. So when you starve the domestic budget, you are not making us stronger. One third of the domestic budget is about security. Homeland security. Veterans affairs. The state department. And antiterrorism activities. Of the justice department. Republicans refuse to give those thope domestic side the resources they need to do their job, just the chaos and uncertainty of another stopgap extension. As defense secretary mattis aid, stopgap measures create instability, it makes us rigid. We know our enemies are not standing still so its about as unwise as it can be. And here we are as one as unwise as can be for the fifth time. While theyre conchting resolution seeks to ransack every other commitment to the health of the American People, republicans hide behind a fig leaf of a twoyear extension of Community Health centers. We all support Community Health centers. It was an important part of the Affordable Care act. A very important part. Our colleague, congressman assistant leader, mr. Clyburn of south carolina, was a one of the great champions of all time in congress of expanding the funding for programs for care and for bricks and mortar for our Community Health centers. This is a very important piece for us. We want should be extending it in a fuller bill to five years, except its used here to hide from the fact of so much other domestic investment that we are not making. Republicans are eliminating the Home Visiting initiative thats vital for ma tern and childcare and cutting off Work Force Training for lowincome americans seeking goodpaying jobs in health care. The sole purpose of the republican bill is to destroy our leverage to achieve parity in the caps. To eliminate any need for bipartisan compromise. To eliminate any need to invest in working families. Why . Because if they get their defense number, then they dont have to negotiate about the domestic number. And as i said, we support our men and women in uniform having what they need to be safe and to keep us safe. But the strength of our country is measured in other ways as well. They dont believe that, they cant pass that, so they have to put the defense bill there. But that cannot support that because again it comes at at the expense, instead of as a source of strength to our country. Democrats simply want action on the critical overdue and bipartisan priorities of the American People. So beautifully spelled out by our Ranking Member, congresswoman lowey. Again, we need funding for Opioid Epidemics. The president talked about that. Show us the money. But Opioid Epidemic claims the live of 115 americans every day and its getting worse every year in every district in the country. Bipartisan support to fight the Opioid Epidemic. Lets do it. We need funding, more funding for veterans to meet our responsibility and ensure that no veteran is denied the care they deserve upon returning from the battlefield. We need emergency disaster funding for all communities ravaged by hurricanes and wildfires. We need to save millions of hardworking americans endangered pensions. We need to pass a bipartisan dream act immediately. This is a moral priority for us. This is about the target of our nation. Who we are as a country. A nation over time constantly invigorated by people coming to our country to seek the american dream. A dream that is predicated on every generation making working to make the future better for the next. A dream that takes determination, optimism, hope, and courage. And then these newcomers come to america with that determination that courage, that optimism, that hope, that they associate themselves with the values of our founders to make the future better for the next generation. These newcomers to america make america more american. Hurdo, we should bring the after aguilar bill to the floor. It was burn. It had bipartisan support on the floor. It would pass. Have the courage to bring a bill that protects the dreamers. To the floor of the house. These priorities that i mentioned are all bipartisan. They would pass if brought to the floor for an up or down vote. The g. O. P. Squandered all their time, energy, and votes and enthusiasm on tax breaks for corporations and the wealthiest, with 86. 3 of the tax bill going to the top 1 . And now plurns need to get serious and get to work on a budget that funds both the military and domestic investments that keep our nation strong. I want to make one point about the tax bill, again. Did you see that the speaker of the house sang the glory of the tax bill because a woman was getting 1. 50 a day more in her paycheck . Id you see that . Do you believe thats a good thing when the top 1 are probably getting 1,500 a week, compared to her 1. 50 a week in her paycheck. Thank god after millions of people objected, the speaker withdrew that tweet but i dont think he withdrew that sentiment because its the same sentiment that haunts all of these negotiations about investing in the American People. Republicans must stop governing from manufacturing crisis to manufactured crisis to crisis and work with democrats to pass many long overdue priorities of the American Peopleful we must abandon, as our distinguished Ranking Member said earlier in her remarks, mrs. Lowey said we must abandon these shortterm bills. She spelled out very clearly why. I associate myself with her remarks. Urge a no vote. I yield back the balance of my time. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back her time. The gentlelady from new york reserves her time. And the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. Mr. Frelinghuysen im pleased to yield three minutes to the chairman they have subcommittee on appropriations, judge john carter from texas. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Carter thank you, mr. Speaker. The secretary of defense this morning testified before the committee on armed services. He remarked if the military is forced to continue to operate under a continuing resolution for the rest of the year, it will be untable provide pay to our brave member and women in uniform. Unable to recruit personnel we need. Unable to maintain our naval ships. Unable to maintain our aircraft. Unable to supply our troops in the theater of combat. And unable to strike contracts critical to modernizing our course. Nable, unable, unable. As congress, it is our responsibility to make our military force the most able in the world. Able to keep our country safe. Able to promote the ideals of freedom across the globe. It would be deeply irresponsible for members of this house to vote against providing fullyear funding to Defense Department which addresses the needs of today and tomorrow, not last year. The secretary was on the hill to discuss something very important, the departments National Defense strategy which seeks to address the significant challenges we face with rising adversaries in china and russia along with enduring threats of Nuclear Armed korea, a terrorist state in iran a terrorist network like isis. And he said, and i quote, i regret that without sustained, predictable appropriations, my presence here today waste yours time. Because no strategy can survive without fu