Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

Mister Speaker, I offer this motion today to restore funding levels for a bipartisan priority to counter China.

The amendment adds $102 million to restore funding for the Countering Chinese Influence Fund to the current fiscal year level of $300 million.

We can all agree that the Chinese Communist Party is actively working against U.S. interests all over the globe – from space technology, to deceptive trading practices, to their outsized influence in pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

The threat from China is significant, and now is not the time to retreat in our efforts to stop their destructive actions.

The Countering Chinese Influence Fund was established last year to address the growing reality that Beijing has a foothold in areas of critical importance, including in our own back yard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today in opposition to H.R. 7608, the first package of fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills to be considered by the House.

I wish the circumstances were different and I could support this very important piece of legislation that funds many key programs.

This bill supports –

• The veterans who have honorably served our country;
• The diplomats who promote American businesses and our values around the world;
• The farmers and ranchers who put food on our tables; and
• The custodians of our parks and public lands who protect our national treasures.

Unfortunately, I am not able to support the bill before us because it has some fatal flaws.

Madam Chair, thank you for yielding.

As we turn to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill, I want to thank Chairwoman Wasserman-Schultz and Ranking Member Carter for the work they have done this year.

They have come together to address many critical issues that affect military installations and our nation's veterans – reaching across the aisle to fund many projects important to our Members.

This bill funds the military construction priorities that were requested by the Department of Defense, and it helps improve family housing for the military.

This bill also ensures our nation's veterans are given the care they deserve and makes certain our veterans have a dignified final resting place.

Unfortunately, as I said during the subcommittee markup, I am very concerned with the $12.5 billion dollars in emergency spending outside of the budget caps established last August.

Madam Chair, thank you for yielding.

I rise in opposition to the subcommittee allocations because they do not give a complete picture of all of the spending in these appropriations bills.

Instead of working with us to develop bills consistent with the budget agreement that was reached last year, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have unilaterally decided to include hundreds of billions of dollars in so-called "emergency" spending for things that really are not emergencies.

• Almost $200 billion dollars for infrastructure;
• Nearly $35 billion dollars to respond to the coronavirus on top of the trillions already appropriated; and
• $12.5 billion for veterans, even though it was known last year that these costs would rise.

In total, there is more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in additional deficit spending not included in these allocations.

Madam Chair, thank you for presenting the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill today.

I appreciate the work that you and Ranking Member Carter have done this year.

You have addressed many critical issues that affect military installations and our nation's veterans. You have reached across the aisle to fund many projects important to our Members.

This bill funds the military construction priorities that were requested by the Department of Defense, and it helps improve family housing for the military.

This bill also ensures our nation's veterans are given the care they deserve and makes certain our veterans have a dignified final resting place, whether that is here on our own soil or overseas.

Unfortunately, we are only on our first day of markups, and I already have concerns about our path forward.