Cole Floor Remarks on H.R. 5371, The Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 5371, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026. This Congress has a fundamental responsibility to fund the government and keep it open and serving the American people.  It’s a duty I take seriously – and one I have worked diligently to lead on.

Over the last year, the House Appropriations Committee has acted to fulfill our Fiscal Year 2026 responsibilities. Constraints and challenges didn’t stop us from doing the hard work – line by line – to uphold fiscal discipline and effective governance. I’m proud to say our markup process delivered all twelve regular appropriations bills out of committee. We have also passed three of these bills across this very floor – representing more than 60 percent of overall discretionary spending. That momentum has continued with our move to conference on our first three-bill package – covering Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Legislative Branch bills. This marks the first conference on major appropriations legislation in close to a decade – and it’s a critical step for this institution and for restoring regular order. 

We are certainly moving forward productively, and a bipartisan, bicameral agreement is firmly within our grasp. We just need more time to sustain negotiations and complete our work. It’s why we are here today. The continuing resolution before us is simple: it extends funding until November 21. It’s a clean, short-term stopgap that protects the FY26 progress we’ve made and allows the appropriations process to advance toward full-year bills. It allows us to return the appropriations process to regular order – where it should be. This is the responsible path.

I want to remind my friends on the other side of the aisle what this measure is:
•    It’s a clean CR that keeps the lights on for the American people while we finish the job;
•    It contains no poison pills or partisan riders;
•    It provides essential security measures for all three branches of government; and
•    It’s a short extension – just seven weeks.

By keeping our government funded, it protects our military and defense needs, supports our veterans, and sustains critical services for our constituents – from roads, parks, and water projects to infrastructure, research, and job training. This tailored, straightforward approach is exactly what Democrats previously demanded. Now they’re rejecting it to manufacture a partisan fight over provisions unrelated to appropriations.
Let me be very clear: a shutdown would do nothing to help our work on full-year bills or support the American people.  So, if you want stability for the American people, if you want time to negotiate in good faith, and if you want regular order – you will support this CR.

Any other vote would be a reckless loss – not just for one party, but for the entire nation. I’ve said this previously, but it remains ever relevant: Republicans and Democrats are more effective when they negotiate rather than provoke partisan confrontations, and the country is better off when Republicans and Democrats actually work together. Let’s do that now. We must act today, for our country, for our national security, and for our constituents. I hope all will join me in keeping the government open and serving the American people. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.