Full committee
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers today gave the following statement on the Honoring Our Promise to America's Veterans Act, which passed the House on a vote of 258-157:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation, which continues to provide our nation's veterans with access to important benefits that they have earned for their dedicated service.
To let these important health benefits slow or stop would be to renege on our promise to our soldiers, that in exchange for taking care of this nation, this nation will take care of you.
This legislation continues funding for the processing and delivery of disability claims and other health benefits, at the current annual rate of approximately $82 billion, until December 15, or until we enact full-year appropriations.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to move forward once again with H.J. Res. 59, the short-term continuing resolution that will keep the government open after the end of the 2013 fiscal year, at midnight tonight.
We simply can't wait a second longer. At this late hour, we must move ahead at an accelerated pace to keep the doors of our government open. For the sake of our nation, we must pass this continuing resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to move forward with H.J. Res. 59, the Continuing Resolution that will keep the doors of the government open after the end of the fiscal year on Monday.
It's unfortunate that yet again we are in this situation – facing yet another shutdown showdown, with no solution to our many fiscal problems in sight. Funding the government with a continuing resolution should not be Plan A, Plan B, or even Plan Z. But our challenges are many, and our timeline is short, so passing this CR today is essential.
The House passed a version of this bill last Friday, and the Senate amended it and sent it back to us to consider once again.
The motion before us agrees to the Senate amendments with two further amendments, one delaying Obamacare for a year, and one repealing the medical device tax.
Good afternoon, Chairman Sessions, Ranking Member Slaughter, and members of the Rules Committee.
I am here before you today to present an amendment to the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the Continuing Resolution that will keep the doors of the government open after the end of the fiscal year on Monday, September 30, 2013.
I seek an appropriate rule to provide for the expeditious consideration of this important legislation.
As you know, we face a very short timeline for getting this done. With amendments, we will need to send this bill back to the Senate for approval, and we have only three legislative days to get this to the President for his signature to avoid a government shutdown.
I do not need to remind my colleagues, both in the House and the Senate, that a government shutdown would be terrible for this country. The American people have spoken, and they do not want a government shutdown.
