be sure to watch c-span's washington journal, live at 7:00 eastern friday morning. join the discussion. >> members of the house voted 256-167, approving a spending bill. , including nancy pelosi, voted for the measure. the legislation funds the government through september 30, the end of the fiscal year. next, the one hour 25 minute debate on the house floor.

>> these bills were considered and passed on to the house floor under a transparent process. this represents the first time the house has passed all 12 bills before the end of the fiscal year since 2010. was enacted last month, appropriations leadership and house and senate leadership and the white house quickly went to work negotiating in good faith and in the best interest of the american people. the bill we are considering today is a product of that agreement. the legislation provides $1.3 trillion in discretionary funding for the federal government, including $78.1 billion for the global war on

terror. caps provided in a recent budget agreement. most importantly, it includes investments in our armed forces including the largest year-to-year increase in funding for the department of defense since the beginning of the war on terror. it fully funds a pay increase for our servicemen and women, the largest in eight years. in addition to strengthening our defense, it boosts security at home, stronger border infrastructure, better technology and equipment to close the gaps in our borders. specifically, this includes more than $1.5 billion for physical barriers and associated technology along the southwest border.

overall, funding for border security and law enforcement is increased by over 30% above last year. funding is also focused on critical domestic priorities, addressing urgent needs to improve the quality of life for all americans. infrastructure, providing more than $21.2 billion in new funding for transportation infrastructure, as well as energy infrastructure. package also targets approximately $84 billion to fight the opioid epidemic that is devastating families across the country. the largest investment in addressing this issue to date. funding is also directed toward school safety. medicalg the training, double prevent the

kind of tragedy that occurred recently in florida. it provides a robust funding for wildlife firefighting prevention programs. it includes fire budgeting reforms. all of these investments are made responsibly, with strong oversight at every level of government to ensure we get the most out of every dollar. consequently, i hope every member supports this package. before i close, i went to a knowledge many people who helped bring this bill to the floor. thank you for your support and friendship. to the 12 committee chairs and the ranking members, for the hard work they did over the last 12 months. the appropriations committee staff, all true affectional's. -- true professionals. for putting in countless hours and sleepless nights to bring

this bill to the floor. particular, i would like to recognize our staff team led by our staff director nancy fox. on the minority side, chris bigelow. special thanks to our remarkable and amazing clerks. also, i would like to recognize the work of surveys and investigation's jim cahill.

i would also like to recognize those on our staff who are moving or retiring. matt dennis and carol murphy. answer my own personal staff back in the rayburn building. mr. speaker, it is time we fully fund the federal government for the fiscal year 2018. our current resolution expires tomorrow. is in the best interest of the people that we get this work done this morning. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. thank you, mr. speaker. i'd yield myself as much time as i may consume. actomnibus appropriations repudiates the abysmal trump investing robustly and

critical priorities like child care and transportation infrastructure, national security, election protection, medical research, opioid the treatment,ntion and veterans health services, and much more. these investments are key to strong families and communities, job creation, and economic growth. ofs bill rejects scores targetingiders women's health, clean air and , consumer financial protection's, and other critical priorities. addition, i am pleased the on the this includes language clarifying that the cdc has the authority to conduct research on the causes of gun violence. this omibus invests in stronger and more stable communities around the world, eliminating

poverty and disease. in diplomacyents and development are critical to our national security. i am pleased to this final policy riderss like the global gag rule. these responsible policy signal to the world that despite any erratic president, the united states remains a world leader. to be clear, this is not a perfect product. to walling offct our southern border and building capacity to arrest and retain immigrants. the amounts provided is nonetheless a waste of money and contrary to our national character. before i conclude, i would like

to thank the chairman for his partnership and all the members of the committee for your contributions. i would also like to thank the minority, majority, and personal office staff who worked so hard. i also want to thank the outstanding communication director, matt dennis, who is departing the house next month. he has served this institution for nearly 15 years. we will really miss his dedicated service. thent to make sure i thank minorities nancy fox and her

team, because there was real cooperation between the majority and the minority. >> the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. >> i thank the chairman for yielding. despite his laudable efforts to complete all 18 house bills on the perpetual stalemate on unrelated matters left us with this undesirable choice of several continuing resolutions. this funding of government is universally harmful. but now we have a chance to get back on track for fiscal 2018.

mr. speaker, there is a reason why we have a rule against legislating on appropriations bills. and yet here we are. the only hold back that kept us from getting these bills done on that a lot ofact people, some even in leadership, wanted to load onto this must pass bill legislation that is controversial. yet, our committee has to cope with and unsatisfactory arrangement. protecting american interests around the globe through military readiness and diplomacy is not a luxury in this hostile environment. it is a responsibility. the necessaryides resources to fulfill that responsibility. it upholds our commitments to key strategic partners such as

israel, jordan, egypt, and ukraine. it also will assist other partners to defy terrorism, secure borders, resist aggression, and stabilize communities affected by conflict. long-standing our commitment as americans to help those displaced by conflict or natural disaster, or facing famine. today's bill will also fight back against the scourge of opioid abuse and help reignite the economy of cold country. like operation unite in my kentucky district. the federal government has taken a holistic approach to tackle the complex opioid problem. the agreement provides historic levels of funding for law enforcement, treatment, prevention, recovery, and research.

only when these elements all work in concert will be truly be able to turn the tide and save lives. struggling, after l, it ise war on coa time to turn a new page in central appalachia. this bill will give us new tools to strengthen economic development in that region. first, an investment in cutting ensure coalogies to remains a significant part of our energy portfolio. ensure cothere is also continut .or the abandoned mines program this allows us to clean up abandoned mines and repurpose them to create jobs. finally, i am proud this

agreement includes legislation i helped introduce. clear the epidemic of violence in our schools. significant step forward in our effort to protect our children from senseless tragedy. mr. speaker, i urge a vote yes. >> the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i am pleased to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from ohio. >> the gentlewoman from ohio is recognized. i rise in support of this bipartisan agreement before us. i want to thank the chairman and ranking member and our staff on both sides for their tireless effort to get this across the finish line after five false starts.

it is utterly ridiculous that nearly halfway into the fiscal year we finally have arrived at the brink of completion of our top priority, funding the operations of the government of the united states. republicans control both chambers of congress, as well as the white house, yet the delays and dysfunction have been worse than ever. in my title, the energy and water development bill, we make progress by bringing forward backlogged construction projects, which number into the billions of dollars, making many important upgrades to our nation's infrastructure. an 11% increase to the office of

energy efficiency to finally move towards complete energy independence for our country, including through the weatherization program. futurent our energy through our most advanced energy technology programs. additionally, we removed a harmful writer which would have seriously hindered overall passage. the deal busts through cap's set in 2011 by 13%. although i support investment in our military, the balance between defense and domestic priorities is skewed in the wrong direction. are at the epicenter of the opioid epidemic. we ranked second in the nation for deaths per capita.

although i support the inclusion of a $2.7 billion increase for , this funding only nibbles at the edge of the problem. this is a national crisis, and must be reflected in a real plan to meet the crisis. the matter how many fighters or tanks we have, we will not be strong abroad if vast segments of our own population are dining here at home. more than in traffic accidents and major diseases. this bill is a fair compromise and i urge my colleagues to vote yes despite some of the major provisions that are not in there that break our hearts. the american people are counting on us to run our nation's ship. let's do that today. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. members have all

five days. mr. chairman, i am pleased to yield two minutes to the chairman of the agricultural subcommittee. >> recognized for two minutes. >> thank you mr. chairman. i would like to echo a feel the comments you already heard this morning. the appropriations subcommittee has indeed spent many months and to invest in our critical national needs. as chairman of the agricultural subcommittee, let me add that this division of the bill has solid wins for agriculture. for the boot sector, health care community, and rural america. members from rural districts

with agricultural constituents can be proud of the many accomplishments included in this bill. we are restoring funding greatly. provides foro american farmers and ranchers who continue to experience a significant reduction in income over the past few years. this bill contains a down payment to ensure that rural america is not left behind. ofcontains $625 million commitment to expanding rural closeand in an effort to the rural divide for 23 million americans. that is about 40% do not have access to rural broadband. in addition, the bill invests in water at water waste needs for rural constituents. increase of a $500 million

over last year for clean water resources in rural america. in closing, it is my hope that as we move forward in the that weations progress, can take a different approach to the bill in the coming months as we look forward to the new fiscal year. we have today,ss the simple fact remains that we have to run the federal government. and do it do it today. i ask my colleagues to support this bill as we rebuild america's defenses. ideal back. speaker, i am very pleased to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from membericut, the ranking of labor.

the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized for three minutes. speaker, the bill for 2018 makes important investments in health, education, and his job programs. it rejects many of the writers. in a time that when the trump administration is seeking massive cuts in funding and senseless limitations of we fought torams, include critical investments in the democratic priorities that boast the middle class. of $3alth, an increase oflion including an increase more than 50% to develop a universal flu vaccine. an increase of more than $3 billion for opioids.

funding to support treatment, prevention, and prescription drug monitoring programs. and so much more. we secured increases for our country's youngest children and their families, occluding and historic increase for child care. $610 million for head start. we include public education grants that help students learn and keep them safe, including title i. after school and special education. we did not advance the radical froma of taking money public schools through private school vouchers. i am thrilled we have helped to make college more affordable by increasing financial aid. the deal prohibits employers , and workersg tips will have the right to sue to

get back their stolen tips regardless of whether they were paid the full minimum wage or not. we held the line and kept out the poison writers that negatively impact our ability to protect workers. this bill ignores shortsighted cuts proposed by the trump administration, and instead increases funding for priorities that touch people's lives. >> the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the german from new york is recognized. from texas is recognized for three minutes. congress's number one responsibility is to provide for the defense of this nation, and this bill enables us to fulfill that duty. this bill reflects the needs of our defense and intelligence

experts, so they have the resources needed to combat the threats of today and in the future. this bill focuses on readiness, modernization, and innovation. funds, ourse military cannot rebuild after 16 years of war. the needs are great. we also include a 2.4% pay raise for our troops with our appreciation for what they do. investmentncludes and ground vehicles, aircraft, ships, and other equipment. said he neveris wants our enemies to base a fair fight. it makes investments in aircraft, including super hornets, apaches, chinooks, blackhawks, and c-130s.

14 navy ships, including one carrier replacement, to guided missile destroyers, to attack and funding to continue the ohio replacement summary program. providesement aircraft. and funding for the army national guard. additional funding for cyber 1.3ection teams, and billion dollars for the national guard reserves and equipment account. the department of defense must look 5, 10, 20 years ahead to be sure we have the weapons systems we need. this bill also prioritizes research and development, including next-generation space systems and missile defense programs. after talking with secretary mattis, we included new

flexibility for dod to ensure funds for able to be spent in the smartest way possible while still maintaining stringent congressional oversight. i feel that my time. >> the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. minutes toield three the gentlewoman from minnesota. >> the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized for three minutes. >> i arrived today in strong support of the appropriations act. fors a significant victory bynesota and america, investing in critical priorities like education, housing, infrastructure, public safety, opioid treatment, veterans health care. this legislation keeps our entire country safe, strong, and moving forward. my focus has been on protecting the environment, upholding our

commitments to native americans, and preserving our national resources and cultural treasures. added resources to address and backlog of our national parks, and increase funding to the national endowment of arts and humanities. we have removed many republican attacked species, undermines environmental safeguards, and attacked public health. as thell treat wildfire natural disasters they are, and stop the ridiculous practice of forcing the forest service to borrow from other priorities to pay for wildfire suppression. i appreciate the hard work of all of my colleagues, but especially mr. simpson. mr. speaker, this bill

represents a major accomplishment on behalf of the american people. i thank all of our staff, emma craddock and republican, for their hard work on this legislation. >> gentlemen from minnesota yields back her time. gentlemen from idaho is recognized for two minutes. >> i would like to first thank my ranking member for her efforts and input as we worked through this bill, and worked to finish this energy and water bill. i rise today in support of fiscal year 2018, the omnibus appropriations bill. the end result has a strong emphasis on republican priorities. within the energy and water divisions, those priorities

include national security and infrastructure. funding is at an increase from last year and $738 million above the budget requests. it will address the backlog of deferred maintenance at aging nuclear facilities. the bill makes investments to protect our nation's infrastructure against cyber and other attacks. in total the energy and water for increased funding energy and water resources to infrastructure by 1.5 billion by fiscal year 2017. an increase to support pressing needs at the airports and waterways. the bill exceeds the annual harbor maintenance trust fund activities provided -- by providing $1.4 billion.

that represents 94% of the estimated annual revenues compared to the 2014 target of 74%. there is $134 million for water storage projects authorized under the act. 66 5 million above the budget request for rural water projects. the bill provides strong support for basic science research with funding for the department of energy and science. nuclear energy and fossil energy are also increased above last and 59th 188 million million respectively. >> the gentleman is recognized for an additional 15 seconds. >> the research and development activities will --. i would like to thank my

colleagues for his work on the wildfire funding, a bill that i have been working on since 2013. the interior committee and their staff have been a fantastic job of getting it done. this is very important to the west and i encourage my colleagues to support this bill. i am veryaker, pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from california , a senior member of the appropriations committee, miss lee. >> the gentleman is recognized -- gentlewoman is recognized for three minutes. >> first of all, let me thank our ranking member for yielding, but also for your tireless work day and night to really help shape this bill to be a bipartisan bill. this bill, to be in this bill, many ways a bipartisan bill. also to all of our ranking members, the input they received from all of us. and our staff. the phenomenal work that they has just been

amazing. in spite of the circumstances. i just have to thank them and leader pelosi and -- for all of their very diligent work. has j amazing. almost six months after the deadline for the fiscal year 18 appropriations bill, this 2,232-page omnibus was released late last night. now less than 24 hours later we're about to vote on a bill that really no one has had time to read. i don't it know who in this body has read this bill. we would have had to read 100 pages per hour, per hour to get through this bill. ybody here read -- 100 pages per hour? what kind of informed decisions are we making with this last-minute rush for a vote?

this is no way, mr. speaker, to run a government. however, yes, this omnibus has some really good provisions in it. it eliminates hundreds of poison riders ranging from efforts to defund planned parenthood to dismantling of critical labor and consumer protections. thank you very much for that. many good provisions include a new competitive grant which we have been working on for years for computer science funding. girls and people of color. we include increases in job training, education girls and p color. and famine leaf, as well as historically black colleges and universities. my state -- is the highest state with students coming to hbcu's. thank you again for those increases. even with these increases, mr. speaker, the omnibus bill still falls so far short of what we need to just return to the funding levels before the sequester eight years ago. adjusted for inflation, we're

still way below, by below the 2010 levels for domestic spending. and what's worse, while underfunding our needs here at home, this bill includes an increase in $80 billion in defense. this includes the overseas contingency fund which really is a slush fund for the pentagon to fund these wars off budget. we know that the pentagon doesn't need this excessive funding and this increase funding to ensure our national security. a "washington post" report in 16 exposed the fact that the pentagon is spending and has spent $125 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse. may i have another minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. lee: thank you. the pentagon report, $125 billion in waste, fraud and

abuse. yet we're increasing this by $80 billion. not to mention much of this funding is dedicated to continuing the endless wars that we're waging around the world. wars that i might add that congress still has not debated or voted on or authorized. put simply, the defense spending this year will be the single largest increase for the pentagon since the beginning of the bush so-called war on terror. what's worse, this bill also fails to protect our young dreamers who are still stuck in limbo. daca recipients are american in every way except on paper. when are we going to vote to protect our young people, mr. speaker? it's time to put politics aside and pass a clean dream act immediately. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. and thank you so much for your hard work. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. frelinghuysen: i'm pleased to yield two minutes to mr.

culberson of texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. culberson: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in strong support of this critical appropriations bill, to ensure that our military has the resources they need to protect us abroad, and that our law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to protect us here at home. this legislation makes sure that the u.s. attorneys, the drmenterment -- d.e.a., the a.t.f., the marshall service and the a.t.i. are getting the money they need to make our communities safer, by prosecuting more gun and immigration criminals, human traffickers, dealers in opioids and other dangerous drugs, international criminal organizations, and gangs. this bill will make this nation safer and help secure our borders. this bill will also provide funds for over 100 additional immigration judge teams to speed up the removal of people who are in the country illegally. the bill provides new resources for state and local law enforcement, mr. chairman. including a $300 million increase in grants to help

address the terrible opioid epidemic in this country, and increases to help protect women against violence. to help protect our schools and ensure the safety of our children. to help relieve the backlog of sexual assault kits and help fight human trafficking. and to help compensate states for housing illegal aliens in their prisons and jails. the american space program is the best on earth and this legislation ensures that it will continue to be the best on earth. with funding for our human and planetary space program. have in fact -- we have, in fact, it's reported this gives a major boost to science across the board. the science foundation has a $300 million increase for research grants. these funds will foster innovation and u.s. economic competitiveness. including funding for research on advanced manufacturing, physics, mathematics, cybersecurity and neuro science.

merle -- neuroscience. mr. chairman, this bill deserves the support of all members and i urge a yes vote and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. lowey: mr. speaker, i'm very pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. cuellar. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. cuellar: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentlewoman for yielding. and i want to thank the ranking member, ms. lowy, for her leadership, along with -- mrs. lowey, for her leadership, along with chairman frelinghuysen, for many months of working together in a bipartisan way. i certainly want to thank both of them for their hard work that they've done. he want to thank the appropriators, the democrats and republicans, working together. and certainly i want to thank the committee staff on both sides that have worked so hard to make sure we get this bill together. i know this is not a perfect bill. but, again, we got together, we negotiated, and this is the bill that we got under the system, working together.

this bill, first of all, funds our military and our veterans' needs. this bill provides over $21.2 billion of infrastructure projects across the nation. this bill addresses the opioid epidemic, and also funds -- puts increases for the national drug control policy and other programs to make sure that we fight the drug issues that we have. it adds extra money for the cops program, which is important for our men in blue, men and women in blue. it adds 100 new immigration judges to address the issue of the backlog for the immigration cases that we have. it adds 10% of new moneys for the community block grants, which is again very important to all communities, urban and rural areas. it starts to address the issue of school safety and gun violence by providing the funds to -- to provide funds for safety programs. and it also includes the fix nix

act program, which is something -- nics act program, which is something that my friend and senator john cornyn worked on for a long time. it also provides $1.6 billion for community health centers, to provide health care. it also provides money for the pell grants to make sure that people are able to go to college. and i want to thank my good friend, tom cole and rosa delauro, for putting those dollars in for the pell grants. it also provides technology for border security and for ports of entry. and, again, we want to make sure we provide a balanced approach for border security. members, i know this bill is not perfect. and if we're waiting for perfection, we're never going to get there. but again, we were able to sit down, we were able to negotiate and we were able to get a good bill that provides a lot of the basic services that we have. as members of congress, we have a responsibility and that responsibility is to make sure

that our government stays open. i've always said that terrorists are not able to close down our government, but somehow congress finds a way to close our government. we're not going to do that. and i urge members to support this appropriations bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back his time. the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. frelinghuysen: mr. chairman, i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the chairman of the homeland subcommittee, judge john carter from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. carter: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in support of this legislation, the homeland security provision of this bill contains $47.7 billion to fund the department of homeland security. this bill provides strong funding to help americans recover from -- when disaster hits. ensures the security of our air, land and sea borders. and protects our local communities from outside threats. this bill provides more than 90 miles of barrier fencing, to include 33 miles of new fencing in the rio grande valley.

it includes $284 million for inspection equipment to combat drug trafficking, to include $71 million to specifically target opioid detection. it contains i.c.e. detention activities and provides additional funding to hire more agents. it funds the vessels and aircraft our coast guard needs to protect our coast line. and fully funds the activities to combat cyberattacks. mr. speaker, this last year has been a tough year for texas. we suffered from our most ruthless hurricane season. i saw the devastation firsthand. this bill will go a long way to help those folks in their homes. this bill includes $7.9 billion for fema, to continue to respond to this and future disasters. and $249 million of grants to prevent future storms from causing damage like this again. i'd like to thank very much my colleague, ms. roybal-allard,

she's ranking member on our committee, and she's a dream to work with. and we are great partners in this process. i'd also like to thank the majority and minority staffs for the hard work on the bill. mr. speaker, as i conclude, i would like to take a moment to say farewell and thanks to a member of our homeland team. crist ferre is leaving our -- christopher is leaving our committee. he spent 27 years -- 27 of those years in our great army as a helicopter pilot and leaderest. brought his military background to our homeland team and we benefited from his experience and sharp mind for the past three years. now we wish him well in his next adventure. i'd also like to take one minute to thank the f.b.i. and the a.t.f. for the great work they've done in the central texas area, for the person that we call the austin bomber. i yield back the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. frelinghuysen: mr. chairman, i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the chairman of the interior subcommittee, mr. calvert from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. calvert: mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of the 2018 consolidated appropriations act. this agreement continues the subcommittee's critical work, addressing wildland fire, domestic energy production, the needs of our national parks. it makes significant investments in health care, law enforcement, educational programs, honoring our long standing commitments to american indians and alaska natives. the agreement includes a package of significant forest management and fire budgeting reforms, that will provide budget certainty for forest service programs and activities. reduce litigation and, most importantly, improve the health of our national forests. this is a consumelation of years' long effort to approving the way we budget for wildland fire and the way our national forests are managed.

i want to congratulate mike simpson for his leadership on the issue. this agreement provides additional moneys to the national park service, including increase of $185 million to address the deferred maintenance and construction needs. payment in lieu of taxes is fully funded. and this legislation makes sizable investments in water infrastructure, providing $2.9 billion to the clean water and drinking water state revolving loan fund, as well as $63 million for programs which will finance over $6 billion in infrastructure programs. before i close, i want to thank our ranking member, betty mccollum of minnesota, she's been a partner and friend as we work thrude our hearings, wrote the bill and moved it through the legislative prosefments i want to thank chairman frelinghuysen for his support of the interior subcommittee's leadership, of the committee, congratulations to you, mr. chairman, for bringing this bill and this process to a successful conclusion. and finally i would like to thank the staff who have worked so hard on this bill. kristen, y, jackie,

dave, on my own staff, ian, rebecca, trisha and dave in my office. i also want to thank the leadership staff, especially kyle weaver, and the speaker's office, for their hard work. i certainly urge an aye vote and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. lowey: mr. speaker, i'm very pleased to yield four minutes to the gentleman from maryland, the distinguished democratic whip, mr. hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for four minutes. mr. hoyer: not a single person has read this bill. it was filed at 8:00 last night. if we had put this on the floor,

not a single one of you on that side of the aisle would vote for it. not one. you have demagogued for years about reading the bills. this doesn't come close to your three-day layover rule. not close. it is being rushed through because some have fundraisers perhaps this weekend. or have flights or codels they want to go on. and because we have wasted six months passing the appropriation bills. which were supposedly -- should be passed by september 30 of last year. no one can be proud of this process.

the speaker said, when we set the caps, that he would bring a bill to the floor. he promised the 73 of us that made it possible to set these caps. because you didn't have the votes on your side. he promised that weibring to this floor a -- he would bring to this floor a fix for the dreamers who are at risk of being kicked out of the country of the i know there's a case -- country. i know there's a case. but it's short term. not permanent. but the speaker did not keep that promise. it has not been on the floor. what we now have on the floor is an appropriation bill. i think most of us know what's n this appropriation bill.

these are earmarks. you don't call them earmarks. you call them authorizing language. they're bills that nobody in the appropriations committee has read. and if you have, stand up and orrect me. as i say, nobody's read that either. this is report language. come to the well if you've read this language. none of you none of you would support this process if we had offered it. the good news is that what the

appropriations committee has done is quality work. i congratulate mrs. lowey and mr. frelinghuysen and the subcommittee chairs and the ranking members. it is worthy of support. but i am waiting for all the tea party people who haranged me and others on my side about reading the bills. giving us sufficient time to consider them. the speaker of the house said when he became speaker, we will take issues one at a time. is there no shame? is there no realization of the hypocrisy that is being displayed? mr. speaker, the product is a

good one. i say that about the appropriations bill. i have no idea all the report language says and i certainly don't have -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one additional minute. mr. hoyer: i thank the speaker and i thank mrs. lowey. we brought this country from the brink of depression to a growing, robust economy. with a stock market that's almost triple. by passing the national recovery and reinvestment act. not a single republican voted for that, mr. speaker. not one. i wonder how many will vote for this bill after they've said time after time after time, read the bill. have three days, actually your three-day rule is a 24 hour and two second rule.

the last seconds of the fist day, 24 hours of the second day and the first second of the third day. you put everybody in a quandary because this is a good product the appropriations committee has delivered, it does good things for our country in terms of national security and in terms of domestic investment. what a sad state of affair, how dysfunctional this body has become, how marginalized has the appropriation committees on which i was so proud to serve has become, rushing it through in a matter of minutes. it's a sad day, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. frelinghuysen: i'm pleased to yield two minutes to mr. cole of oklahoma. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cole: thank you, i have a formal statement i want to

submit for the record. i want to begin by praising chairman frelinghuysen, ranking member nita lowey, the staff prk my fwoshting counterpart and ranking member ms. delauro. it's a collaborative effort, one you can extraordinarily proud of in terms of having gotten our bills done on time and present aid cross this floor, having worked on a pretty short time frame when the senate finally came to the ability to negotiate, we were waiting about 180 days for that. they finally got there and in four weeks got the work done. it's an exceptional product. from a republican standpoint the big win is defense. we all want to defend the country. that was probably the top republican priority in the bill. we more than met our obligation in that respect. i want to focus in the little time i have left on some things i'm particularly proud of in the labor, helicopter, and human services and education portion of this legislation.

$3 billion increase in the national institute of health. that's the largest increase in 20 years. $3 billion for opioids, a common problem in all our districts, something we all care about. $3 billion roughly in round numbers for early childhood education and early childhood care. again, dollars well spent. major increase in mental health funding beginning to match appropriations with some of the authorization done in the 1st century cures, one of the great achievements of the last congress. tremendous increase in money for school safety grants from $400 million to $1.1 billion. the pell increase which has been referred to by several people more money for career tech and technical education. more money for apprenticeships. all things that will create a more productive economy. so we can go on and on. the reality is in a very difficult time, very partisan era, we'll have members from

both sides of the aisle passing an important piece of legislation in the administration which has urged its passing doing the same. i urge passage and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman if new york is ecognized. mrs. lowey: i yield one minute to the gentlewoman from california, the democratic leader, ms. pelosi. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california, the democratic leader, is recognized for one minute. ms. pelosi: thank you, mr. speaker, i thank the distinguished gentlelady for yielding this time and for her leadership. to her and the other members of the committee, mr. frelinghuysen, thank you for your leadership as well and to the ranking members, the chairs an ranking members of the subcommittee, all the members of the appropriations committee, mr. hoyer and i, and mr. clyburn are from the culture of the appropriations committee, and we know that left to your own

device, eappropriators can get the job done. it's not until the leadership rains its poison pills on the process that the delay sets in. i want to thank congresswoman ranking member lowey for ridding this bill of so many of those poison pills. mr. hoyer very eloquently presented the situation as we see it now. that the republicans have this bill, he didn't -- we didn't even have three days, it was last night to today and here we are on the floor with a yard, a yard of bill. and he said they're rushing because people have co-dells and trips and fundraisers and this and that. i contend there may be another reason why they're rushing it through. first of all they don't want anybody to know what's in the bill because this is a tremendous detriment to the american people in terms of what mrs. lowey was able to negotiate in a bipartisan way on the domestic side. we all take a -- an oath to

protect and defend our country and so the defense investments are porn to our nation but one thirded of the domestic budget is security. homeland security. veterans affairs. state department. anti-terrorism activities of the justice department. the list goes on. but it is also a fact that we can measure our strength of our country not only in the important military might and security measure bus also in the health, education, and well being of the american people and this bill goes to a place for that. so yes, a yard of bill certainly not read or read to the members. but i contend, in addition to mr. hoyer's list of why people, they're rushing this to the end instead of having this negotiation take place much earlier is because they really don't want their members to see what is in this bill, a, and two, because they really want to

get out of town before the march for our lives. before the young people come from all over the country to ask congress to give us responsible, commonsense gun violence prevention legislation. that's what i heard about the republicans. they just don't want to be around when the young people come to town. and so here we are. we could have had this happen weeks ago. transparent h more way to deal with it. but having said that, we are here and i think it's very important to set the record straight on some of the contentions that the republicans are making about this bill. let me start with the president of the united states. he has said in his -- in one of his tweet this is morning how happy he was because he got the $1.6 billion to start the wall and more to come.

that's not completely true, mr. president. there's some resources for fencing and repairs and the rest there. but some of that money is for technology and other ways to protect our borders. we all have a responsibility to protect our borders, north and south. but if you want to think that you're getting a wall you just think it and sign the bill. in addition he said he's so please head got this big increase in defense, we did not oppose that. we want to have our men and women in uniform to have everything they need to keep our country safe and themselves safe. but the president went on to say, it's too bad he had to waste money on the democratic giveaways. on the democratic giveaways. democratic giveaway is the president characterizes funding for our heroic veterans facing a dire shortfall at the v.a. and we say on the battlefield no soldier is left behind. when they come home no veteran

is left behind. that was part of the fight we had in the caps fight that we wanted additional money for our veterans. what about the fighting the opioid epidemic? is that wasteful, a giveaway? fighting the opioid epidemic in your district there isn't a person in this congress who doesn't have need in their district for this opioid funding. and that was a major part of our fight on the caps. to get the funding for open -- to fight opioids. but the president calms that a waste, a democratic giveaway. is that what he would call, he probably would call protecting the integrity of american leches if russian meddling and attack democratic giveaways. protecting our democracy, our electoral system, our constitution that we take an oath of office to protect and

defend. and how about the hardworking parents who struggle, who struggle to succeed and afford quality childcare? very important part of this legislation. democratic giveaway in no. family values, supporting our family, by the way, by the foot, by the foot. mr. hoyer referenced a statement made by the speaker on the floor of the houps when we had the caps fight, which by the way was a glorious victory for our values as a country. that we could say, yes, we want to increase funding for our national security and in doing that we need to have a commensurate increase in fund for our domestic ageneral ta. as i said, which contains many security measures. but when that bill was brought to the floor, the speaker came to the floor and he made a statement. right here in the well.

steny quoted what he said in the well. but in another venue he said, in order to shift our focus and get onto the next big priority, which is a daca solution, we've got to get this budget agreement done. that was the caps bill. and i'll say it once, mr. speaker said, and i'll say it again, we'll bring a daca solution to the floor. yes. and when will that be? now you'll hear rumors of them saying oh we offered this, we offered that. they did not offer anything that added to the protection of our dreamers. and our daca qualified children. i want the record to show the facts are these. we proposed over and other again a real fix that we should have in this bill because it's

timely. and if you're dealing with a yard of issues and provisions you certainly can have room for protecting our dreamers. hat's just an indication, to lead is to take risks. the speaker does not seem willing to take a risk with his caucus to bring a bill to the floor, any bill he wants in terms of including some bipartisan bills, mr. hurd and mr. aguilar, ms. ros-lehtinen ms. roybal-allard, any bill you want. let everyone have his or her say. let congress work its will. why? why not? and why in light of the statement, i'll say it once and i'll say it again, we'll bring a daca solution to the floor, when might that be?

when might that be? so again, while we address so many issues so many provisions in this bill, whether there's room in the hearts and minds of our republican colleagues to insist because i know many of you care about our dreamers, have publicly offered your support, why can't you convince the speaker to bring what he said we will bring a daca solution to the floor? so again i go back to the caps agreement. it was a great victory. for us in the appropriations world as to what priorities need to be addressed. as we always say the budget should be a statement of our national values. what's important to us as a nation should be reflected in how we allocate our resources to invest in the security of our country, the well being of our people, the future of our children. and to do so in a way that

commands respect that is bipartisan that is done in a transparent way, in an open and transparent way and is -- and brings unity. our founders, our founders, it would take me eight hours to even start to talk about how brilliant they were, but they did give us instruction. they gave us a signal. from many, one. from many, one. they couldn't possibly have imagined how many we would be. or how different we would be. but they knew we had to be one. and these children and everyone in our country, these dreamers, are part of that one. and they're part of that many. d let us treat our country with honoring the vows of our founders. i leave it up to members as to whether they want to vote, weigh the equities in this bill and

take the vote and i respect whatever decision they make. but i'm so glad that we had such an overwhelming vote on our side against a rule, a rule that undermines the regular order of the house, undermines the speaker's own statements about that regular order. why? in an toment to keep from all of you -- in an attempt to keep from all of you how much of an investment in our future is in this bill and to get you out of town before the march for life begins. i don't know why it has been pushed to the end, except for dysfunction on the part of the and the n leadership communication with the white house. but i would say this i will say this, that this is not -- this, i will say this, that this is not -- five c.r.'s. are you proud of that? five c.r.'s. take us to the floor with a yard

high bill. no transparency. but it does have some bipartisanship and for that i salute mr. frelinghuysen and congresswoman lowey and respect whatever decisions our members make on this. this is a missed opportunity to show the american people that even when we're on the right course, we can't seem to get there in a transparent way. i say, mr. president, when you sign this bill, you will be of ng something, in spite what you say about spending on wasteful democratic funding, i don't really think you mean that about opioids and the rest. set the record straight for yourself. and out of respect for the people who are putting -- pinning their hopes on what this legislation will do for them. i thank and yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california yields back the balance of her

time. members are reminded to address their remarks to the chair and not to perceived audience or other members. the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. frelinghuysen: mr. chairman, i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the chairman of the transportation, housing and urban development subcommittee, mr. diaz-balart of florida. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida voids for two minutes. joseph diaz thank you -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for two minutes. joseph diaz -- mr. diaz-balart about a lart: thank you, -- mr. diaz-balart: thank you, mr. speaker. i am -- mr. diaz-balart: thank you, mr. speaker. chairman frelinghuysen has been a public servant since the days that he served in vietnam as an enlisted soldier. and that service continues to this day with this bill. which includes the most significant support for our women and men in uniform since the beginning of the war on terrorism. let me tell you two other things that are in this bill for the american people due to the

chairman's leadership. the bill includes over d 10 billion in transportation and housing infrastructure without adding to the federal bureaucracy. the chairman fought for major funding for key areas of our economy, yes, including the northeast. this is a major investment in our nation's infrastructure. both congress and the administration, as you know, have been talking about this for such a long time. here you have it. in this bill. this bill delivers on that promise of infrastructure. finally, the chairman has been a tirlse advocate for two decades -- fireless -- tireless advocate for two decades for housing for the disabled in our country. this bill delivers a major, major humanitarian victory for e disabled community, with 40,000 new vouchers for the disabled. these frelinghuysen vouchers will change the lives of countless families across our entire nation. and i am particularly proud of this achievement by our chairman and his committee. finally i'd like to thank the

speaker of the house for standing up and winning on some huge priorities for the house and i would be remiss if i did not mention the staff of the appropriations committee who worked long and hard. yes, very long and hard on this bill. mr. chairman, i urge a yes vote on this fine bill. i thank the chairman and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. lowey: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i ask to revise my remarks, address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: let me thank the gentlelady from new york. i can't thank her enough. as i watched her every day work without ending, thank you so very much. and to chairman frelinghuysen, let me thank you as well for your service. but i am very grateful to democrats who crafted the very

funding structure that we're dealing with. and even though it was hidden with republicans, this gigantic box that is almost broken, i think it is important to note that a lot of good work has taken place. i want to just cite the good work. i am delighted that we are helping our veterans and democrats added an additional amount of money, some $2 billion to address the v.a. hospitals. democrats were concerned about student loans and the bill increases it by $350 million. child care has been increased. houston metro will be delighted with the new starts money that is in. and, yes, my mayor will be excited and other mayors about an accurate census count. for those of us with hurricane harvey, the national flood insurance program extension is important. but yet i am disappointed. the work we did on stop school violence did not include the civil rights protection for those who need it. and it did not include daca, with all of these young people who are in need.

finally, we could not get the special counsel language. my bill, 3684, that would stop the president from firing the special counsel and stop him from firing the attorney general and the deputy attorney general. for those reasons i have great concerns with this bill and will not be able to support it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey. mr. frelinghuysen: mr. chairman, i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the chairman of the military construction subcommittee, mr. dent, from pennsylvania. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for two minutes. mr. dent: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased and i must say relieved the good news of military construction v.a. division of the omnibus. at times it seemed like we might not ever get here. i regret that our service members and veterans have had to wait almost six months for us to complete our jobs. but i think our final bill is worth the wait. i want to certainly congratulate our chairman, mr. frelinghuysen, for his incredible patience and negotiating skills to bring to us this point.

i also want to thank mrs. lowey and debbie wasserman schultz for her rock solid support and keen eye during this process. and thanks to the budget caps agreement, we're able to provide long overdue support to our military and their family members. with a $2.4 billion or 31% increase for total of $10.1 billion for military construction. with that funding we're able to provide $708 million for 12 medical facilities, $249 million for d.o.d. schools and d 8.2 billion for mill they're -- $8.2 billion for military construction projects in the united states. we're able to provide $585 million in unfunded requirements requested by the services as well as significant increases in planning and design for active and reserve construction and unspecified minor construction. the bill also includes $750 million in funding, more than doubling the 2017 level. our bill fulfills congress' commitment to our nation's veterans with total discretionary funding of $81.5 billion for the department of

veterans affairs, $7.1 billion or 9.5% increase over 2017. these funds provide important medical services to veterans, as well as disability compensation, post-9/11 education benefits, and a host of insurance and lending programs. of note, we were able to provide $782 million for the new electronic health record contract. the same record as d.o.d.'s, which will allow exchange of veteran records with d.o.d. and community providers. our bill provides $2 billion in medical infrastructure assistance, nonrecurring maintenance, minor construction, and grants for state veteran retirement homes. the $2 billion gives us the rare opportunity to completely eliminate the backlog of approved state home applications. i'm also pleased that we have the resources -- mr. speaker, can i have 30 seconds? mr. frelinghuysen: i have no additional time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. dent: support the bill. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. lowey: mr. speaker, i'm very pleased to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from ohio, the ranking member of the energy and water subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. kaptur: i thank the gentlelady for yielding me this precious minute. i wanted to express, to augment my remarks of earlier this afternoon. and thank jamie of our own staff who worked so very, very hard on the energy and water subcommittee, allowing this bill to move to the floor. then i feel compelled to rise to thank our chairman of the full committee, congressman frelinghuysen, with whom i've had the opportunity to work now for many decades. and to say to him, he is an exemplary model of public service to the people of our country. a true patriot. and someone who devoted so many hours to moving a bill to the floor that could achieve bipartisan consensus in a very loaded political environment. i shall never forget at the beginning of the iraq war, our

trip to the middle east, to many of the countries involved. the manner in which you comported yourself. the great counsel you gave to so many of us as a military man yourself. and the great leadership that he has provided as chair of our defense committee at one point and now of the full committee. the people of new jersey can truly celebrate his service to our nation as we move this bill to a final vote later today. thank you so very much. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from ohio yields back. the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. frelinghuysen: mr. chairman, i'm pleased to recognize the chairman of the legislative branch subcommittee, mr. yoder of kansas, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas is recognized for one minute. mr. yoder: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman, for your work and leadership on this bill. thank you to ranking member lowey for her good stewardship. this is a culmination of efforts over the last year. hundreds of meetings, oversight

hearings, we have a strong final product and we're proud of what we've accomplished. my committee's legislative branch bill, we focused on curvetive -- conservative priorities such as security and transparency. this legislation once again rejects pay increases for members of congress, which we've done every year since 2010, and further we're funding the house of representatives remains 12% below 2010, eight years, spending less than we spent eight years ago. after the vicious attack on steve scalise and other members of this body, we've enhanced capitol security with new support for member, staff, constituents and visitors. with an enhancements for capitol police and the sergeant at arms. we've expanded wounded warriors fellowships and added support for family issues like the child care certainty and additional support for the library of congress visitor experience which is exciting. lastly, in a strike for transparency for the first time, all congressional research service reports will be open to the public. making government more

transparent and a win for our constituents. i want to thank my ranking member, mr. ryan, who is a gentleman and a scholar and the collaboration of all the committee members and staff that put this product together. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. frelinghuysen: mr. chairman, i'm pleased to yield 30 seconds to the member of the committee, jamie herrera beutler from ashington state. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is ecognized. mr. frelinghuysen: mr. chairman, i'm pleased to yield a minute to the speaker of the house of representatives, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. ryan. thank you, mr. chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin, the

speaker of the house, is recognized for one minute. the speaker: i thank the chair for yielding. and i want to begin by thanking the chairman and i want to thank the ranking member. i also want to thank their staffs for putting in incredibly long hours. this isn't just a week-long progress. this has been months long in the making. so i want to thank all the members and staff who made this moment possible. my colleagues, this measure before us, it's about as critical as it gets. it really is. it addresses the priorities that we've been discussing in this chamber. we've been debating in this chamber for a long time. we talked about the need to rebuild our military. we all agree on the need to rebuild our military. this bill provides the largest increase in defense spending in 15 years. why? frankly because our military's been hallowed -- hollowed out for many years. we're boosting resources for training, equipment, maintenance, base operations. it means new naval ships, new fighters, new helicopters. it means we are finally building a 21st century fighting force.

we agree on the need to support our service members and our veterans. this funds the biggest pay raise for our military in eight years. we have men and women fighting for us day in, year in, and year out. i saw a woman, lieutenant olonel a week ago in the army, who has done seven combat tours. this is what -- this is what the people who are volunteering in our armed services are doing for us. and we're finally making right by them by helping them with a pay raise. it provides record funding for the department of veterans' affairs, to make sure our veterans receive better care at better facilities. remember those long waiting lists? no more. we agree on the urgent need to make our schools safer. this bill includes the fix nics bill to improve firearm and background checks. it includes the stop school

violence act which this house passed last week, 407-10, if i'm not mace taken. it provides mental health and security funds. both are provisions parkland families asked us to include in this legislation. part of the sandy hook promise. we agree on the need to fight the opioid epidemic ravaging communities across this country. every single member in this house has a firsthand story on what the opioid crisis is doing to their communities. we have got to get on top of this problem. this bill makes critical investments in treatment and prevention to fight this scourge of addiction that is ravaging our country. we agree on the need to secure our homeland. this bill expands resources for law enforcement, for border security, for immigration enforcement. it provides resources for 95 miles of physical barriers along our southwest border which

actually exceeds the administration's qufment we agree on the need to rebuild our nation's infrastructure. it includes money for long overdue improvements to our highways, railroads, infrastructure, airports. and guess what, there are no earmarks for specific projects in this bill. the house has worked to reform our forestry laws for years. you see on the news these horrible forest fires. they're get manager severe by the year. it is because we have not been able to manage our forests. this finally had the legislation we need to help manage our forezests -- forests to help protect the west from catastrophic forest fires. the house passed the taylor force act to restrict assistance to the palestinian authority unless it stops subsidizing terrorism this bill implements that legislation. e p.a. is making payments to family -- families of suicide bombers.

it's like a bonus for terrorism. that bill is in here. all these things are important. they're critical things we have all been talking about. what brings me here to ask all my colleagues for a we vote is this. what this ultimately is about, is giving our military the tools and resources it needs to do its job this week, the house paused to honor two naval aviators who died in a training crash off of key west. the two f-18 pilots. we paused to honor seven service members lost in a helicopter crash in western iraq last week. that's nine of our service members lost in equipment failures and accidents last week. we continue to lose more american personnel to training accidents and incidents than we do to enemy fire. that is unacceptable. and it's preventable.

my colleagues, we should not wait one more day, not one more hour, go by without giving our men and women in uniform what they have earned and what they deserve. give them the pay raise they earned. give them the equipment and hours of training they need to be safe. they're putting their lives on the line for us. let's make sure they put their lives on the line for us with the proper amount of train, proper amount of equipment, we can keep our country and our people safe. vote yes for our military. vote yes for the safety and security of this country. vote yes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker. a message from the senate. the secretary: mr. speaker.

the speaker pro tempore: madam sec resare. the secretary: i have been directed to inform the house the senate passed with amendment which the con kunz of the shouse requested. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. lowey: i yield myself the balance of my time to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. lowey: this isn't the bill i would have written but i'm proud it provides $117 bhl more than president trump requested in nondefense investments to grow the economy, create jobs, and help american families. again, i'd like to chair -- to thank our distinguished chair, chairman frelinghuysen, and the entire committee for its tireless work forging this bipartisan package.

i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. frelinghuysen: let me share my appreciation of my working relationship with mrs. lowey and thank again our professional staff in the room here and thank them for all their hard work and urge a yes vote on this bill which supports our armed forces >> life friday, the national prevention and science committee holds a meeting on school safety. at 6:00 p.m., richard blumenthal and advocates will to heart in a panel discussion. a.m., an2 at 8:00 series of conversations on gun policy and safety. senator blumenthal will take part along with marjory stoneman douglas high school student.

9:30 am, the federal communications commission and the federal trade commission host a forum on combating the illegal robo calls. the white house said the president will sign the $1.3 trillion omnibus bill once it is approved by congress. the announcement came during a meeting with mick mulvaney. this is 20 minutes. >> good afternoon. let president has three events that are open to press pool and there's a lot of action to cover. so wanted to make sure you had the most up to date information on the omnibus. this bill is so important on many fronts. from opiod care to veterans. a detalede rundown and answer a few questions we have o.m.b. director nick mulvaney and director of legislative affairs mark short in the briefing room. i'll give them -- bring them up now and answer details on this pi