Cole Floor Remarks on H.R. 1968, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 1968, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025. 

Today’s bill comes about at a critical time for this institution and this nation. As members are all aware, government funding runs out at midnight on Friday. That means that members are faced with a stark but clear choice: will they vote in favor of this bill, and thereby vote to keep the government open and operating? Or, will they vote no, thereby affirmatively choosing to shut the government down? This is the choice facing us today.

We are now nearly five and a half months into Fiscal Year 2025. Congress has previously passed two short-term continuing resolutions, both of which extended government funding and kept the status quo in place, ensuring the government can remain open. Today’s bill is really no different than the CR passed in December. Other than the most essential and critical anomalies, it simply maintains current conditions through the end of the fiscal year. For those who supported the CR in December, you should have no qualms about voting the same way on today’s bill. There are no policy differences, no poison pills, and no reason to vote against keeping the government open and operating.

A year-long CR is not how I had hoped the FY2025 appropriations process would end. The Appropriations Committee and the House did their work. Indeed, the Committee reported out all twelve appropriations bills by mid-summer, and the House passed five of those bills covering over seventy percent of discretionary spending across the floor by the end of July.

Sadly, despite our best efforts, we were unable to come to a final agreement on full-year appropriations bills. Although we were very close on final dollar figures, my colleagues in the minority made additional demands that would restrict the legitimate authority of the executive in the appropriations process. These are restrictions that the minority would never accept for a Democrat president, nor are they provisions that President Trump would or should sign into law.

It is deeply unfortunate and disappointing that the minority chose to make these unreasonable demands. Republicans never left the negotiating table, and indeed worked diligently with Democrats to reach a bicameral and bipartisan deal. Sadly, the minority allowed their opposition to the President to cloud their judgment, giving in to a political temper tantrum rather than voting to keep the government open.

That truly is the choice before us, Mr. Speaker. Today’s bill a simple and straightforward continuing resolution, funding the government and keeping it open through September 30. It maintains the status quo, providing flat funding for the government and including only legitimate anomalies. 

Importantly, this bill does not contain a single poison pill policy rider. It is a clean CR, fully funding our government. This includes our military and defense needs, and indeed, we have accomplished this while also fully funding the Department of Defense, including the largest pay raise for junior enlisted personnel in over forty years. We’re also maintaining funding for the other critical functions of government, including border defense, roads, parks, child care, water infrastructure projects, biomedical research, job training, and countless others.

I know members have also heard some fearmongering about Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This bill makes no changes to any of these programs, leaving them intact, as-is, and with the funding they need to operate through the end of the fiscal year. Let me say that again: there are no changes to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Period. 

Mr. Speaker, the outcome of the Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations process is not what I wanted. But at the end of the day, it is significantly better than the alternative. 

The choice is clear: either members will vote for this bill and for keeping the government open, or they will vote to shut the government down. I know which option my constituents expect, and I know which I will choose. I urge all of my colleagues to do the same. Vote for this bill. Vote to keep the government open and operating.

Thank you, and I reserve the balance of my time.