c-span's washington journal live at 7:00 on wednesday morning. during the conversation with your facebook messages texts and tweets. their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. neguse: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, earlier today the rules committee met and reported a rule, house resolution 601, providing for consideration of three measures. first, the rule provides for consideration of h.r. 4, under a closed rule. the rule provides one hour of

debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and the ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary or their designee. the rule self-executes a manager's amendment from chairman nadler, provides one motion to recommit, and provides the judiciary committee with the authority to insert in the congressional record explanatory material related to h.r. 4, no later than august 24. the rule also provides for consideration of the senate amendment to h.r. 3684. the rule makes in order a motion offered by the chair of the committee on transportation and infrastructure that the house concur in the senate amendment to h.r. 3684. the rule provides for one hour of debate on the motion equally divided and controlled by the chair and the ranking minority member of the committee on transportation and infrastructure or their he isingnies -- or their designees. finally, the rule provides that it's adopted under adoption of the rule. madam speaker, today is an important day. the underlying bills before us

today are critical pieces of legislation to enact president biden's build back better agenda. this plan will create good paying jobs, put money in the pockets of american families, lower health care and child care costs, and invest in our nation's infrastructure. paid for by ensuring that the wealthiest americans are paying their fair share in taxes. we also take important critical steps today to secure the right to vote and safeguard our democracy. senate concurrent resolution 14 begins the process to enact this important legislative agenda. in short, the resolution sets out president biden's build back better plan which includes critical investments that we can and must make now to provide a better future for our country. this is a plan to create jobs,

to cut taxes, and to lower costs for working families. our plan will make things affordable for the middle class and working families and reduce health care costs. the build back better plan will help prepare our nation for the impacts of climate change, through historic investments in a reimagined climate conservation corps, investments that will put people to work, to protect and conserve our public lands and open spaces. invest in the electrification of our infrastructure, and ensure that we can prepare for and mitigate the impacts of climate change. we'll provide for wildfire prevention and mitigation, resources that are desperately needed, madam speaker, across the western united states as we continue to experience devastating wildfires year after year. my state, colorado, along with many other western states, are in the midst of a terrible

drought, which combined with extreme heat is continuing to wreak havoc on our communities. as a father of a 3-year-old daughter who will be starting preschool just next week, we will invest in our children through the build back better plan by ensuring universal pre-k for every 3-year-old and 4-year-old in our country. provide tuition-free community college, child care for working families, upgrading school infrastructure, strengthening our education work force. we will fund investments in child nutrition programs, expand medicare, madam speaker, for the first time in its 55-year history, to include dental benefits, vision benefits, hearing coverage. critical coverage that will help our seniors access the care that they need. the build back better plan will

be transformational for the american people, reaching every aspect of their lives and making investments in resources that they can rely on. madam speaker, we will lower costs for the meernl -- for the american people. we will cut taxes and we will create jobs. this resolution is a first step towards making those critical investments a reality. i now turn to a bill that i know, madam speaker, you care deeply about. as you are the sponsor of the legislation. and that is the john lewis voting rights advancement act, h.r. 4. voting is a sacred right, foundational to our democracy and to our republic. it is a right that many have fought and died to secure and that the late civil rights hero, our dear friend and colleague, john lewis, fought to protect, despite being harassed, jailed

and beaten. madam speaker, as you know, mr. lewis often told us that the vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool that we have. unfortunately it is a right that is once again under attack. and we see it, madam speaker, in the laws that are being passed in georgia and in florida and in iowa, in state after state after state. and in the glaring of absence of federal standards and enforcement, partisan legislatures are making it harder for those who rlealy eligible to vote -- who rlealy eligible to -- who are legally eligible to vote to do so. we cannot stand by while this runs rampant, blocking americans from participating in our democracy. voting is a constitutional right. it is ingrain at the very core of who we are as americans, madam speaker. and as a congress, protecting

that right is foundational. it really is the heart of our duty. because the vote can only truly represent the people's voice if they have the ability to execute it freel and easily -- freely and easily. that's why congress needs to take clear, decisive action today to protect voting rights. by passing the john lewis voting rights advancement act. this bill would strengthen the v.r.a. and respond to recent supreme court cases striking critical provisions of the bill, but making clear that congress has the power to create a new formula. the v.r.a. has been re-authorized, madam speaker, as you know, on a bipartisan basis for decades. most recently in 2006 when the re-authorization on the v.r.a. passed this chamber 390-33. and in the senate, 9 8 votes for it, zero votes -- 98 votes for it, zero votes against it. this should not be a partisan

issue. our democracy is safeguarded only when err every -- when every eligible voter has the opportunity to participate. that's what we'll ensure today by passing this bill out of the house. finally, madam speaker, as you know, the rule provides for consideration of the infrastructure investment and jobs act. now, this bipartisan bill is an important down payment towards meeting the critical infrastructure needs of our communities. we all know that our nation's infrastructure is in desperate need of repair. and this bipartisan bill seeks to make those much-needed investments. the bill invests in our roads, our highways, our bridges, focusing on making infrastructure resilient to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters. it has become particularly clear over the course of this last year that access to affordable, reliable broadband is absolutely critical for americans to be able to do their jobs. and to participate equally in remote learning, to access health care, to stay connected.

this infrastructure investment in jobs act provides $65 billion to expand broadband coverage to areas most in need across the united states and it also takes steps to make sure that that coverage is more affordable for individuals for whom those costs might be prohibited. the bill makes critical investments in our drinking water infrastructure, ensuring that clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities. lastly, i would be remiss, madam speaker, if i didn't mention that there are several priorities that i've been working on with many of my colleagues from the western united states that are part of this bill. the joint chiefs landscape restoration partnership program, my bill to help restore our forests and respond to wildfire risks, the re-authorization of the rural schools program, and of course the disaster safe power grid act, which ensures the safer and more resilient power grid in the face of emergencies. the senate has already passed this bill and shown their desire to invest in our infrastructure

and the house must now do the same. these three underlying bills, madam speaker, that we are considering today make essential investments in american families and communities and we have to meet this moment for the american people. so with that, madam speaker, i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from minnesota. mrs. fischbach: thank mrs. fischbach:, thank you, madam speaker. i thank the representative from colorado for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. it's been a long and bumpy road to get here. i'm happy to finally be here on the floor. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. madam speaker, house resolution 601 provides for the consideration of two controversial partisan bills and deems the $3.5 trillion reconciliation resolution adopted that strip away local control and add trillions to the national debt.

the bill adopting under this rule is s conresolution 14. the $3.5 trillion tax and spending binge that passed the senate earlier this month. madam speaker, prices are at a 13-year high and inflation is rising. president biden has already spent $1st9 trillion and is now looking to spend an additional $3.5 trillion. all while his administration pays americans not to work and stifle's our robust economy. not only does this budget call for the highest sustained federal spending level in american history, but it also amounts to a whopping $68 trillion over the next decade. it raises taxes on the american people. ships jobs overseas. and taxes american employers at one of the highest rates in the world. it eliminates right to work protection and does nothing to address the historic flow of illegal immigration at the

southern border. democrats know their proposals are unpopular. they can't even get their own conference to agree. instead, they are resorting to smoke and mirrors to push it through and hoping the american people aren't paying attention. where is the transparency? if democrats truly want to serve and help the american people, they need far more transparency and input from everyone, not just a few. this is no way to build a budget. madam speaker, then there is h.r. 4, which would make changes to the voting rights act and strips state and local governments of their ability to manage their own elections. the constitution places a sfont for elections at the state -- responsibility for elections at the state level and we have a long history of letting each state run their own election. but h.r. 4 grants the federal government unprecedented control over state and local

elections. it empowers the attorney general to bully states and forces those states to seek federal approval before making changes to their own voting laws. h.r. 4 also provides incentives for advocacy groups to file as many objections as possible to manufacture litigation in the hope of triggering coverage under the voters rights act. we need safeguards that make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. h.r. 4 is not the solution. and finally, madam speaker, the final bill in this resolution is the senate amendment to h.r. 3684, which provides for $1.2 trillion in new infrastructure spending. i hate to say it, madam speaker, but my democrat colleagues are using the bipartisan infrastructure framework to force their members to also push through trillions more in their outlandish spending resolution. our constituents are tired of

washington playing games with their livelihoods. to be sure investing in our nation's infrastructure is critical. however only a fraction of this $1 trillion plus bill is for roads, bridges, and other projects the american people would consider traditional infrastructure. with tens of billions for electric vehicle plug-ins, amtrak, and light rail if you live in a deep blue city this bill is for you. but if you are one of the millions of americans in a more rural area, this bill leaves you behind. madam speaker, our country's infrastructure should not be tied to the democrats' partisan spending spree. especially during a pandemic. but here we are. until democrats stop playing games and work with their colleagues on a truly bipartisan compromise, i urge my colleagues to oppose this rule and the underlying bills. thank you, madam speaker. i reserve the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman. mr. neguse: thank you, madam speaker. i'm going to yield in a moment. i must say with great respect to my colleague from minnesota, i think the republican minority leader in the united states senate, mitch mcconnell, would disagree with the gentlewoman's carkization of the bipartisan infrastructure bill being more, i think she said, urban cities or blue cities. 19 republicans voted for that bill in the united states senate. 19, including the senate minority leader. i think it's important for us to recognize the investments made in that bill as well as the investments made in the resolution, the build back better plan we are considering over the coming weeks, are incredibly important for the future of our country. to that end i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from north carolina, a distinguished member of the rules committee and judiciary committee, ms. ross. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ross: thank you, madam speaker. the rule before us provides for consideration of three landmark pieces of legislation.

first and foremost, we are here to assure -- assume our duty to protect our american democracy. just this year alone 18 states have enacted 30 voter suppression laws. in response, the john r. lewis voting rights act will reinvig nate section 2 of the voting rights act d.-reinvigorate section 2 of the voting rights act. restore requirements eliminated in the shelby decision, and take other steps to block discriminatory voting measures before they are implemented. the history of the fight for voting rights in america is long and painful. but it is at crucial forks and different times members of this body from both parties have set politics aside and done the right thing. we are meeting here today at another pivotal juncture in the struggle for voting rights. and it's up to us to meet the

urgency of the moment, live up to our constitutional responsibilities, and pass this critical legislation. madam speaker, i also rise in support of our $3.5 trillion build back better budget resolution. by taking real action on climate change, expanding the child tax credit, and supporting universal pre-k and free community college this budget represents an investment in all of our people. especially our children and grandchildren. for the sake of our constituents and our country, let's approve this vital funding. lastly, madam speaker, the rule before us provides for future consideration of the senate's bipartisan infrastructure package. from expanding broadband to rebuilding roads, bridges, airports, rail, and water systems this historic bill will help bring america's aging infrastructure into the 2 century and create -- 21st century and grate jobs.

i urge my colleagues to support the rule and this legislation. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from minnesota. mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the ranking member of the budget committee, the gentleman from missouri. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. smith: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank the gentlelady from minnesota for yielding. the last 24 hours needs to -- we need to step back and look at it. and i need to remind my members and remind the folks across the aisle that what we just witnessed is a circus. and also remind them that this is the people's house. this is not pelosi's palace. this is the people's house.

the middle of july we were supposed to mark up a budget in the house budget committee. but the democrats did not have the votes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the house will be in order. the gentleman may proceed. mr. smith: thank you, madam speaker. before the august recess we were supposed to pass the house budget. the democrats did not have the votes. yesterday up until about 1 a.m. this morning, in fact, we were going to pass the house budget. but the democrats did not have the vote. so now they have a scheme before us, a scheme that they are putting the bernie's budget with the transportation bill which is not even going to be voted on today, not even going to be voted on this week, not even going to be voted on this

month, along with a voting rights bill, because they can't pass bernie's budget. you know why they can't pass bernie's budget? is because the american people are fed up with the democrats' reckless spending. right now we are facing the biden inflation crisis. we are facing the biden border crisis. we are facing the biden energy crisis. and we are facing the biden afghanistan crisis. yet they bring forth a budget resolution that only makes those crises worse. $6 trillion in new spending. the most spending in the history of this country. $17 trillion of debt. the largest increase of debt. in fact more debt than the entire economies of every country in the world except for the united states.

bernie sanders may have lost the presidential primary, but his policies have won. bernie sanders controls this chamber along with the liberal squad. but the american people are watching and they are fed up and they are letting the american people know whenever this chamber changes and we actually bring order back to the house of representatives. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. neguse: thank you. madam speaker, it's interesting i don't remember the ranking member complaining about the deficit three years ago when they passed tax cuts for billionaires across our country to the tune of $2 trillion in terms of adding it to the deficit. i don't remember them complaining about process when they had to do three rules within a time period of six weeks to try to repeal the affordable care act back in 2017. i heard much today by way of process but very little in

terms of substance. why? because they know the plan we put forward today will lower cost, cut taxes, and create jobs. with that, madam speaker, i would like to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from california, the distinguished speaker of this house, ms. pelosi. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman california is recognized. the speaker: thank you very much, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding and for his distinguished role on the rules committee. now let us praise the rules committee for the important work that they do making sure that legislation comes to the floor in a way that is consistent with the rules of the house. and in this case a budget that is consistent with the values of our country. thank you, and thank you to the chairman, chairman jim mcgovern, for his leadership as well. and to each and every member of the rules committee. we have to salute them on both sides of the aisle for the time they put in and how they facilitate the work of the house.

madam speaker, today is a great day of pride for our country and for democrats. we have a president with a big bold vision for our country. an unprecedented opportunity to keep our promises for the people. we promised for the people that we would lower health care costs by lowering the cost of prescription drugs. we would increase paychecks by building the infrastructure of america, and we would have cleaner government by passing legislation for the vote. this rule does all three of those things and much more. enabling the congress to vote on those -- some of that legislation today. some of it in the bill. and some of it for later. when the president spoke about the infrastructure bill, which is provided for in this rule, he said to our republican

friends, i want to find our common ground on infrastructure. but i will not confine my vision to what is in the bill that we can do in a bipartisan way unless you want to help us build back better. i like to say build back better for women because that is what this budget will do that is in this rule. so i salute the president not only for his vision and his determination to get the job done, but for the priorities that will be contained here in this budget as we go forward. the build back budget agenda is one that is liberating for families. not just women, moms and dads with childcare, with a child tax credit, with universal pre-k, with home health care. with work force development. so that not only are we building the physical

infrastructure of america, we are building the human infrastructure of america to enable many more people to participate in the success of our economy and the growth of our society. it does so were equity, 40% justice provision that will be in there. it remains for to us work together, work with the senate, to write a bill that preserves the privilege of 51 votes in the senate, so we must work together to do that in a way that passes the house and passes the senate, and we must do so expeditiously. . on october 1, the authorization for highway, etc., will expire. well, it expires september 30. by october 1, we hope to have in place, that is the plan, to have in place the legislation for

infrastructure. that is bipartisan and i salute that. but it is not inclusive of all of the values we need to build back at a time when we have a climate crisis. and so i salute our distinguished chair of the transportation and infrastructure committee, mr. defazio, for the knowledge that he brings the value system and the only inning brings to how we do a reconciliation bill, a build back better bill, in a way that is preserving of our planet for the children. for the children. exciting in all of this is the fact that we will have the john lewis, john r. lewis, voting rights advancement act. this is pretty exciting. and i commend you, madam speaker, for your leadership in making this possible, for you to be the author of it, when you are the author, you will no

longer be able to preside. you'll have to come down and manage us on the floor. so it's appropriate that during the rule that will enable this to come to the floor, you are presiding so we can all congratulate you in a highly visible way. this legislation is so important. i was very much a part of passing the previous bill that was in 2007, we wrote it in 2006. it became effective in 2007. when prub with a -- president bush was president. and we had democratic republican majorities, house and senate, and we passed the legislation overwhelmingly, over nearly 400 votes in the house, unanimous in the senate. signed by president bush. as bipartisan as anything that has come to the floor. we walked down of the steps of the capitol in a bipartisan way, saluting the fact that we had extended the voting rights act and president bush signed it and with great pride he came toure

neck of the woods, to selma, on the 50th anniversary of the voting -- of selma march. but he came as the person who had signed the voting rights act. and even more important to that, laura bush came too. so their hearts are in this legislation. i would hope that it would be some level of bipartisanship on that as well. we'll talk more about that as we go into the debate on that bill in a little while. but i to again want to thank congresswoman dlawr o'foreheir -- delauro for her relentless, persistent, dissatisfied until now, i hope satisfied to a certain extent, more to come, of the child tax credit. for 10 congresses she's introduced that bill and now it is being advanced. mr. yarmuth, the chair of our budget committee, lead us now as we prepare -- values.

what is important to us as a nation should be reflected in our budget. and this will be the case. and under the leadership of mr. yarmuth, who is not only values-based but eloquent in conveying that message, we are very excited about how we go forward. again, i mentioned peter defazio. on the terms -- in terms of the budget bill, excuse me, the voting rights act, your leadership, very distinguished chair of the committee, mr. nadler, the chair of the -- zoe lofgren for her work on house administration committee, mr. butter field, so many people and our distinguished whip, mr. clyburn, who has made this his. leif:'s work. pass -- his life's work. passing this bill paves the way for the building back better

plan which will forge legislative progress unseen in 50 years, that will stand for generations alongside the new deal and the great society. this legislation will be the biggest and perhaps most controversial initiative that any of us have ever undertaken in our official lives. everything we do is about the children. as you've heard me say when people ask me, what are the three most important issues facing the congress, i always say the same thing. our children, our children, our children. their health, their education, the economic security of their families, a safe environment in which they can thrive, and a world at peace in which they can reach their fulfillment. when thirn come here to the cap -- when thirn cull -- children come here to the capital, it is an inspiration for us, because we are here for them. as i say to them, as you see the statues and monuments of those who come before, it is appropriate that we honor them.

but they want us to honor you, the future of our country, to make it better for the children. again, any delay in passing the rule threatens the build back better plan, as well as voting rights reform, as well as the bipartisan infrastructure bill. we cannot surrender our lesk randle for the children -- leverage for the children. i can't remember a time as historic as this for the children. president biden has given children leverage in his visionary proposal. the children have the leverage. not those at the high end who benefited from the republican tax bill. i wouldn't even have brought it up except you're acting as if you don't even know, when you added $2 trillion or more to the budget, to give 83% of the benefits to the wealthiest people in our country. leverage for the rich, no. we don't begrudge them their success. but this is about leverage for the children.

for them, for their families, for the future. and guess what, it would be our attempt to pay for this bill so it is not a burden to those children, as we go forward. and that means that some of the people that benefited from that tax bill, that tax scam in 2017, are now going to have to pay their fair share, fair share, pay their fair share. and that we may have to address other ways to pay for the legislation by putting the responsibility on the high end, both whether it's corporate or individual, so that we can again make progress for the children without burdening them with the debt that -- some of which they got in 2017. so it's pretty exciting day -- it's a pretty exciting day. i congratulate all in the rules committee for going in time and

again, as we sought clarification on how we go forward. i thank mr. mcgovern, mr. neguse and so many other members of that kecht i thank all of our colleagues -- that committee. i thank all of our colleagues for their involvement in all of this. i would hope that as we proceed we could do so in the most transparent, bipartisan and fair way, for the children. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentlelady from minnesota is recognized. mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. if we defeat the previous question, i will offer an amendment to the rule to provide for additional consideration of h.r. 5071, authored by representative gallagher. and, madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the record, along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. fischbach: thank you. madam speaker, president biden's

failure to lead has resulted in a national security and humanitarian crisis in afghanistan that we cannot ignore. now the taliban is back and the united states is less safe. the president has offered no specific plans for getting those americans out of afghanistan safely. and, madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the representative from wisconsin's eighth congressional district. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. >> thank you. madam speaker, i rise today to urge defeat of the previous question so that we can consider my bill, 5071, to ensure no americans are left behind in afghanistan. mr. gallagher: over the past week we've all seen the horrifying images coming out of kabul. babies being passed over barbed wire. 2-year-olds trampled to death. bodies falling from c-17's. these pictures are now forever

painted onto american history. and they don't depict the orderly withdrawal that the president promised. these are instead portraits of chaos, of tragedy and dishonor. and yet the administration assures us they planned for every contingency. was the plan for america to give billions of dollars worth of u.s. military equipment to the taliban? was the plan to put terrorists effectively in charge of security around the kabul airport? was the plan to leave over 10,000 american citizens stranded "behind enemylines"? -- behind enemy lines? if this was the plan, a plan to surrender so incompetently and on such terms, then our country can't with stand any more -- withstand any more of this administration's plans. it's time for this body this

congress, to act -- this body, this congress, to act, to hold the administration accountable and save lives. this bill would do that. by requiring daily reporting to congress on the number of americans left in the country and the number of afghan allies that are seeking refuge. the bill also critically prohibits the president from withdrawing our forces until all americans who want out are safely out of the country. right now it seems the president is doubling down on this august 31 withdrawal date, despite strong bipartisan opposition and pushback. make no mistake, if we get out on august 31, we are going to condemn thousands to death. i don't care what secret side deal was struck with the taliban, this is america. we don't leave anybody behind. a great country such as ours takes care of our citizens and our allies.

our enemies are mocking our surrender right now. we've all seen the images of the taliban, for example, just mock the iconic image of marines raising the flag over iwo jima. it may be too late to save face because of this debacle. but it is not too late to save lives. this isn't a news cycle that will blow over. this isn't a narrative that you can spin. we are talking about american lives. and we're talking about america's honor. let's act now before this crisis and with it america's standing in the world deteriorates even further. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. mrs. fischbach: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. neguse: thank you, madam speaker. i would just ask -- just say, i certainly understand where my colleague is coming from and have great reverence and respect

for him and his service to our country. defeating the p.q., and certainly i look forward to continuing to work with him on the important issues that he described, defeating the p.q. would hand over the floor to the republican conference and, as you know, madam speaker, we have incredibly important pieces of legislation that we're considering specifically, the john lewis voting rights act and the bipartisan infrastructure budget and the president's build back better plan today. so i look forward to voting for the rule and would encourage all members in the house to vote for the rule, to vote for the previous question so that we can proceed with the business of the house. with that, i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from pennsylvania, a distinguished member of the rules committee, ms. scanlon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from pennsylvania is recognized. ms. scanlon: thank you. madam speaker, i rise today in enthusiastic support of this rule and underlying legislation. h.r. 4, the john r. lewis voting

rights advancement act, is essential to ensuring that every american voter has equal access to the ballot box and the freedom to make his or her voice heard. ever since the supreme court's decision in she'llly -- shelby vs. holder opened the door, we've seen state legislatures pass hundreds of laws to restrict voter access while claiming falsely to protect our elections from voter fraud that doesn't even exist. now the unjustified attacks on the 2020 election results by the former president and his supporters have produced a wave of anti-democratic bills, but it doesn't have to be this way. in shelby the supreme court invited congress to amend the voting rights act to address its concerns. for eight years our republican colleagues refused the court's invitation to reinvigorate the voting rights act. while extremist populations worked overtime to close polling locations, limit voting hours, purge voter rolls, and erect barriers to the ballot box. we can't continue down this path. if we want america to remain a

functional democracy, congress needs to do its job. i urge all of my colleagues and all americans to support this bill. i'd also like to speak briefly about the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the build back better act, which today's vote will move forward. together they are the key to helping americans and american businesses succeed in the 21st century. our country is facing multiple interconnected crises. the covid pandemic, a deeply unequal economy, long-neglected infrastructure needs, underfunded public services that often fail to serve those most in need, and climate disasters that are impacting our communities more often. the build back better agenda is simple. make major investments in physical infrastructure and working families to create a fairer, more productive and sustainable economy. we need the bipartisan infrastructure deal to enable america to compete in the 21st century, but we also need the

build back better act, to create jobs and lower costs for working families. these bills have the power to improve the lives of millions of americans. i urge all of my colleagues to sport rule. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves time of the the the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from florida. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. we just walked out of probably the most bipartisan moment in the last couple years. a classified briefing with the joint chiefs and secretary and secretary of state and others. there are things that real world need to be done where americans are at risk. they are cut off. they are stranded. they are now in the situation where they are the hostages of

the afghanistan because of everything that's been allowed to transpire under president biden. mr. mast: and in this body we are going to walk out of that classified briefing concerned behind closed doors but do nothing, do absolutely nothing on the floor of the house. i'm going to say the same thing i said a few minutes ago. what the hell are we doing? let's say that again. there are americans cut off that need our help. special immigrant visa applicants cut off that need our help. right now that will be killed. we heard the descriptions in the briefing we just got out of the dangers. defeat the previous question, bring up the only thing that this body will do in this entire week that has anything to do with what's going on in afghanistan. this is the only opportunity.

the only thing that's going on related to afghanistan in this body. that's unconscionable. how in the world is that the case? every time somebody tries to do something different in here, like take the ability of states to determine their own voting rights, everybody needs to say stop. what the hell are you doing. get focus back on afghanistan and saving americans. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. neguse: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, the distinguished chairman of the committee on energy and commerce, mr. pallone. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, this budget resolution allows us to implement president biden's build back better agenda to revitalize our economy by creating millions of

good-paying jobs. and allows us to aggressively combat the climate cry sis. the energy and commerce committee with this budget resolution, our goal is to make health care more affordable and accessible for all americans. we can help accomplish that by closing the medicaid coverage gap to provide quality comprehensive coverage to an estimated four million americans who qualify for medicaid but have been denied access to care in their state. we'll also continue subsidies under the affordable care act to reduce health insurance costs. and the energy and commerce committee plans to lower the price of out-of-control and skyrocketing prescription drug prices by giving the federal government the ability to negotiate lower prices and will use the savings to expand medicare benefits. our plan is to provide investments in our public health infrastructure to help us respond to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic and better respond to future public health emergencies. the build back better agenda will allow us to create millions of new homegrown jobs and combat the climate crisis

by aggressively investing in clean energy and clean technology. and the moment is here to invest in a more advanced and resilient economy and towards a 100% clean economy. madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this budget resolution that allow us -- allows us to carry out president biden's bold vision and build back better for the people. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from investigate. -- is recognized. mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i yield one minute to the minority leader, the gentleman from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mccarthy: i thank the gentlelady for yielding time. madam speaker, i rise in opposition of today's rule. madam speaker, before i came here i was listening to the debate. i listened to congressman gallagher, a veteran, come to the floor talk about an idea

that he has. an idea that here we are, afghanistan collapse -- collapsing and thousands of americans in afghanistan trying to get out. here we are called back for a special session. all his previous question would say is that we have to have a report every day on those americans. that we wouldn't pick a time linehelicopters than

australia. military missions should be dictated by our nation's interest not by our enemies or arbitrary timelines. right now there is no greater national priority than getting our people home. but i just heard from the democrat on the other side that we could not relinquish the floor to allow mr. gallagher a. veteran's previous question to come up. because that would be dealing with the nation's interest right now. no, we need to deal with the democrats' priorities right now. as i look around, i see our allies responding to this crisis with the seriousness it deserves.

madam speaker, the speaker called us back here. we are not the only body of power that's been called back. in britain, parliament returned from its summer's recess. you know what they are doing? working on emergency session on this current situation to get their citizens home. in france, president macron is trying to rally the u.n. security council. this house should be correcting this disastrous record left by this commander in chief, and proving that america never abandons her people or shrinks madam speaker, that's not what i heard on this floor. i heard a direction madam speaker, by the democrat leading and charging of this right now that we could not relinquish the floor simply to mr. gallagher's request of letting america know how many americans are there and don't put a timeline until every

american comes home. we should be doing nothing else on this floor until every single american is home. democrats called us back for an emergency session, this first session, since kabul fell to the taliban. face with a national security and credibility crisis in afghanistan, they have done nothing to plan to address it. we were allotted 90 minutes, oh, my god, we went over 15 minutes, but we made sure the democrats had to shut that meeting down. that members of congress could ask no more longer questions because we needed to get back to the floor right now. when history writes about this day, they'll talk about the entire week. they'll talk about last night how congress worked late into the night, actually ordered food to come in. was in the speaker's office for late hours. spent their day calling other

members, twisting votes. we had reports that the president called people. the former president called people. the people were threatened. that their spouses were threatened about jobs. we heard they were threatened even in their own campaign. but what they threatened about? was it anything to deal with americans coming home? no, it was about this rule. it was about what we are bringing up right now. the reason we had to stop our briefing because we had to come to the floor to deal with this. so what are we talking about? $5 trillion of hard earned taxpayer money being spent on more big government. changing election law to benefit one party over another. outlawing i.d.'s even though the majority of america wants it. nothing about that $5 trillion will spend $1 bringing america

home or making us safer. what's the definition of a public servant? i would say doing something for the good of the others. madam speaker, the party today of the majority and the democrats here, their interest is themselves. spend up late into the night while other nations are working to bring their citizens home. i want to know, madam speaker, as people walk into this floor and vote on this bill, that they worked late into the night on, i want to them to think about one thing. i want them to think about those american families in afghanistan that were late into the night not knowing if they could even make it to the airport. not knowing if they'll even get out. and wondering if the public

servants were thinking of them. sad answer is the majority was not. they were thinking of themselves. that is too important to deal with anything else. madam speaker, there are allies that are sitting in afghanistan. why did they go? they went to defend america because america was attacked. out of rye spect and character of who we are -- out of respect and character of who we are. this body, this body elected and respected around the world in time of crisis doesn't speak of it, doesn't act about t. but only acts for themselves. and in a moment of time of using the rules to allow the opportunity to change its course, just correct them when they were wrong, the voice of the other side says no. we could not turn the floor

over to allow america to know how many americans are there or to get a report on it. just as they bang the gavel down, the 90 minutes have come, you have asked enough questions, you can ask no more. because we must get to the floor to pass $5 trillion and change election law. so the democrats believe they can buy and change an election. madam speaker, if there is any moment in time to put an election aside, if there is any moment in time to put politics aside, i would have thought today was the day. i would have thought being called back that we could focus on what the rest of the world is focused on. . so the when the speaker came to the floor to speak, i turned my volume up. surely she was going to speak of this day. surely she was going to talk about the gold star families.

surely she was going to thank those veterans and those who have served through knowing what they are going through and what they are watching. and you know what she said? speaker pelosi actually said today is a great day of pride for our country and democrats. today is a great day of pride for our country and our democrats. let me be very clear, it is not. it's an embarrassing day for our nation. we are three weeks away from the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and this is what history will write. this is what you did with your majority. this is what you controlled. this is what you made sure you would not release the floor for the idea that americans can find out how many are stuck in afghanistan or how they're going to get home. i hope you're proud of that. because this is what your leadership has done.

this is what your leadership worked on. this is what the power of the twisting of the arm has delivered. the united states of america is not going to let terrorists dictate when and how we get americans out. i firmly believe what has been said many times and especially by abraham lincoln, government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from earth. if you believe that, too, and you are watching, i ask you pick up your phones and you call. especially if you're a democrat, because i do not think the leadership here represents you with what they're asking for. i know your love of this country. i know the thousands upon thousands of democrats who served their nation, who served in afghanistan. i know those americans that are in afghanistan are not just of one party.

i would like to see both parties work on the issue what's really before us. can you not put politics aside? can you not care for one moment that you could rig an election to get elected? can you not care about making government so large that you're going to bring more inflation and trillions of dollars? that's what you spent last night on. that's what you spent the whole time on. that's what you brought us in for. that's what you closed the briefing on. that we couldn't ask any more questions. time is up. that's what you're fighting so hard that a veteran that served this country asked for a previous question to simply say, we can get a report of how many americans are still there. and that we do not pick a date when we get out until every american is out. by i heard the leadership on the other side said we cannot do

that. we have to change the election law. we have to spend $5 trillion. this is what we came back for in a special session. this is what our mission is. so everyone who votes for this rule today, that's what you're voting for. that's what you're championing. that's what history will write. and, no, it is not a good day. maybe in your caucus you think it's a great day for you and the democrats. it is an embarrassing day to america. it's an embarrassing day for this floor. it's embarrassing that you would even move forward with it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded to direct their remarks to the chair and not to each other in the second person or to a perceived viewing audience. the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. neguse: madam speaker, i want to say thank you to my colleague on the rules committee for the respectful way in which she's engaged in today's debate.

i wish i could say the same for all the speeches that members have delivered today. i think it's unfortunate to have deeply partisan speeches made on the floor on matters of such great significance. i have great respect and reverence for democratic and republican members of this body who served so honorably in our nation's armed forces and who've been working together to do everything they can in concert with the administration to evacuate americans and our afghan partners out of afghanistan. and i think it's unfortunate, as i said, to hear folks politicize that particular issue. i didn't hear much, madam speaker, regarding the bipartisan infrastructure deal that we're considering today. i didn't hear much by way of

specifics in terms of the voting rights advancement act that we're considering today. why? because my friends on the other side of the aisle know that though the build back better plan and the bipartisan infrastructure deal will create jobs, will lower costs, and will cut taxes. i wish we can have a reasonable debate on the merits of these particular policies, but it's clear that some would prefer to avoid that debate entirely. with that, madam speaker, i'd now like to yield one minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from the state of texas, my colleague on the judiciary committee, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. jackson lee: i'm very proud to be able to stand here today remembering the constitution and saying to my good friends that this floor belongs to the american people. this floor is a floor, as john lewis has often challenged us, that calls upon us to be

courageous. i'm also here to say to you that i have no doubt that the united states military, with the will of the american people, will ensure that all americans come out of afghanistan and our allies. but at the same time, i am grateful for the idea of a build back america act that will have texas get universal pre-k, childcare, tuition-free community college, and then, of course, the invest act that will see us get $537 million for bridges, $100 million for broadband, $3.3 billion for public transit so that our climate can improve. but then, as i know, that the texas delegation, state representatives who sacrificed and came to this nation's capital to cry out for justice, texas democratic representatives who are here in this place now that h.r. 4 is going to save the day. it will make us a democratic

republic, and we need to pass h.r. 4 because john lewis said, do you have any courage. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the minority whip, the gentleman from louisiana. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized. mr. scalise: thank you, madam speaker. and i thank the gentlelady from minnesota for yielding. i rise in objection to this whole process. madam speaker, what we're doing here today, this is an example of the misplaced priorities of this democrat majority. let's start with the bill at hand. this package of bills that includes a budget that i'm sure very few people in this chamber have read that authorizes the taxing and spending of trillions more dollars. now, what does that mean? they call it the for the children act. it really should be called the mountains of debt for the children act, because that's what it does. if you look at inflation today,

every family in america's facing inflation. they're paying over 40% more for gasoline, for cars, for things that they buy at the grocery store. families know that if you add trillions more debt, trillions more spending, trillions more in taxes, inflation will only go up and you know who's going to pay for it? it's not anybody in this dham ber, madam speaker. under -- chamber, madam speaker. under their budget they say it's the children. that's who's going to pay for it. right here. just go to page 7 where it authorizes up to $45 trillion in debt. we're at about $28.6 trillion right now. $45 trillion in debt. taxes and spending through the roof that will hit every family in america, madam speaker. and then, let's get back to those priorities. now, you would think with the backdrop of everything that we've been dealing with in afghanistan as we here in this chamber, so many of our veterans

that served in afghanistan so hom honorably, have called -- so honorably, have called on the president to safely get us out. i tell you what the president has been doing. he's been working the phones, pressuring members of congress this week. i wish, madam speaker, i could say he was pressuring members of congress to help get americans out. that's not what he was doing. he was working the phones this week pressuring members of congress to vote for this trillions of dollars in spending and tax package. that's been president biden's priority. he just said today he's going to bow to the taliban's deadline of august 31 even if we don't get all americans out. president biden should be the president of the united states, not bowing to terrorists, not bowing to anybody except committing that he will get all americans out. instead of living by every artificial deadline.

every ounce of his energy should be focused between now and next tuesday, the date he set and the date the taliban set, he should be working to get all americans out. if he fails to do it, people will ask, what was he doing instead? what was the president of the united states' priorities? he was pressuring members of congress to vote for this garbage. trillions of dollars of debt and spending instead of getting americans out of harm's way that he left behind. it's a national and international disgrace. our priorities ought to be what the american -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. scalise: that's why we oppose this whole process. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president. the gentlewoman reserves her time. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. neguse: while i would relish the opportunity to respond to the points made by my colleague, we have a lot of enthusiasm on our side to speak in support of this rule. with that i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from

connecticut, the distinguished chairwoman of the committee on appropriations, who has led on the child tax cut for decades, ms.elcut is recognized. ms. delauro: this rule allows us to move forward on rebuilding our nation's crumbling infrastructure, restoring the power of the voting rights act, and the historic budget resolution that advances our priorities by making critical investments to expand our nation's social safety net, to continue to build back better. for far too long, the deck has been stacked for the wealthy and the well-connected. while middle-class, hardworking families and the vulnerable have been left behind. after decades of disinvestment, we have an opportunity today to make history, to deliver on the promise we made to the american people, to build a stronger, fairer future for our kids, a once-in -a -- once in a lifetime moment, asking the biggest

corporations and top 1% to pay their fair share of taxes. what are the transformative issues in this bill? expanding and improving the child tax credit. already a claim to cut child poverty and hunger with only one payment. guaranteeing affordable, high-quality childcare. tackling the long-term health care crisis. access to long-term services and support for aging loved ones and those with disabilities. universal pre-k. two years of tuition-free community college. maximizing the pell grant award. launching the first of its kind paid family and medical leave ben hit. historic investments. ranking alongside the new deal and the great society, standing the test of time and strengthening our sew society. president -- strengthening our society. president roosevelt created social security. when it came to infrastructure and human needs, he did both. to meet today's moment, we can and must do both.

we must build the architecture of the future. today we must advance this rule and the budget resolution, demonstrating our commitment to our values, making a difference in the lives of so many americans. this is a moral imperative, and to paraphrase president franklin roosevelt, rendezvous with destiny, watershed moment, do not let the moment pass, let's seize it with action, hope, unity of purpose for a better, stronger america. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized. >> thank you. i'd like to thank the gentlelady from minnesota for yielding and, madam speaker, i rise today in opposition to the rules being debated as we consider the $3.5

trillion budget reconciliation and i rise today in support of workers, families, and businesses in communities i represent in california's 39th congressional district. now is the time for congress to show it can work together for the american people. mrs. kim: as our economy recovers, during the covid-19 pandemic, and americans across the country pay more everywhere from the grocery store to the gas pump, democrats are once again bypassing bipartisanship and moving forward with a partisan $3.5 trillion budget. . this budget resolution would also raise taxes for people i represent in california's 39th district by an average of over $600. my constituents have been burdened enough by some of the highest state taxes in the country. and now our nation is scrambling to keep promises we

made in afghanistan to americans and to afghan partners. the last thing we need is trillions more in spending on unrelated priorities and more taxes. this makes no sense. the majority's budget will increase prices, raise taxes, and take even more money out of taxpayers' pockets. i urge my colleagues to vote no on this reconciliation. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. neguse: thank you, madam speaker. my colleague from california is certainly right about one thing. the build back better plan would raise taxes on billionaires. the tax cuts that ultimately were approved by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle several years ago for the richest americans in our country. we do not pursue that in our build. instead, we pursue tax cuts for

working families. for middle class americans, madam speaker. with that i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from california, the distinguished chairwoman of the committee on financial services whose leadership has kept millions of americans in their homes. that's ms. waters. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for two minutes. ms. waters: thank you so very much. i'm very appreciative for the time that i have been afforded. i rise in support of the rule which would pass the house's budget resolution. the budget resolution will make historic investments in housing in this country. we are in the middle of a housing crisis. as chairwoman of the financial services committee, it is not lost on me that more than 580,000 people experience homelessness on any given night while millions of families are at this moment paying the bulk of their income towards rent. the bottom line is that housing is infrastructure.

this is why i introduced the groundbreaking legislation, the housing is infrastructure act of 2021, to provide more than $600 billion to address our country's affordable housing crisis, increase first generation home ownership, and end homelessness. while the budget resolution only allocates $339 billion to the financial services committee, this funding is still historic and will transform the lives of millions of families. however, we must first pass the budget resolution so that we can then pass the president's build back better agenda, including this historic funding for housing programs. this rule also brings us one step closer to the critical house passage of h.r. 4, the john lewis voting rights act, the advancement act, and this president is going to bring all of the americans who want to come home, home.

i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentlewoman minnesota is recognized. mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from florida. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for two minutes. >> madam speaker, i rise in support of representative gallagher's bill to get us some simple facts. how many americans are stranded? and are we going to get them home? yes, these issues are important. we should debate these issues. infrastructure, health care, all of these. issues are critical to our country. but the number one job of the federal government is to keep americans safe. mr. waltz: today america is less safe. americans are stranded behind enemy lines. and they are not all going to get out by august 31.

colleagues, what happens in afghanistan does not stay in afghanistan. it will follow us home. terrorism is a cancer that once again will. i want everyone to see this picture and remember it. osama bin laden, which, by the way, then vice president biden opposed the raid to bring this man to justice. his deputy, zawahiri, now leading al qaeda, now has a terrorism playground for which to plot and plan attacks on the united states once again. the intelligence has been clear. al qaeda -- al qaeda 3.0 will come roaring back. the taliban equals al qaeda. as we head into the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we once

again are going to face the prospect of more pulse nightclubs, san bernardinos, and god forbid another 9/11. what has me so upset, so flaming mad as a veteran, as a green beret that has had to fight this fight, is future soldiers are now going to have to go back and deal with this again, but now with no bases, no local allies, and a taliban that's armed to the teeth with our own equipment. that is unconscionable. it's unacceptable. and if the white house won't lead this congress will. i yield my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. neguse: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the distinguished the gentlewoman from the state of alabama, ms. sewell. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman alabama is recognized for two minutes. ms. sewell: madam speaker, i rise today in full support of h.r. 4, the john robert lewis voting rights advancement act.

madam speaker, i have the great privilege of not only representing birmingham, montgomery, and my hometown of selma, alabama, but growing up literally at the foot of the edmund pettus bridge, hi an opportunity time and time again to see john lewis in action. john would come to my home church, brown chapel a.m.e. church, to remind us all that what happened on that bridge 56 years ago was americans, ordinary americans, dared, dared to stand up to this country and to make sure that it lived up to its ideals of justice and equality for all. i'm proud to say that i get to walk in the footsteps of john lewis, but i'm more proud of the fact that so many of us in this chamber walked with him. you know, the best way that we

can live up to the legacy of john lewis is to remember that he fought for every american to have the equal right to vote. equal access to the ballot box. i get the voting rights act of 1965 is reserved for the most egregious state actors. but what it says is that federal oversight is needed when states go amuck. since the shelby vs. holder decision, i have introduced in four successive congresses the voting rights act, advancement act, and we renamed it the john robert lewis advancement act. we must live up to john's ideals of equality and justice for all in voting rights. what we have seen in states like georgia and texas and around this country has been state legislatures make it

harder for people to vote. i just want to say that we must get into good trouble. necessary trouble. john reminded us that we must be courageous in the face of adversity and in the face of inequity. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. sewell: vote for the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota. mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the ranking member of armed services, the gentleman from alabama. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama is recognized for two minutes. >> i thank the gentlelady. i rise in strong opposition to this rule, madam speaker. for four months republicans have demanded to know the president's plan to evacuate americans and afghan allies and conduct counterterrorism operations in afghanistan. for four months they have told us we are working on it. well, now it's clear they never had a plan. the president's abject failure

to plan is endangering the lives of thousands of american civilianans and our allies in afghanistan. mr. rogers: reports have been rolling in for over a week of americans being assaulted or having to hide from taliban thugs while they wait for a rescue. afghan allies are being brutalized and killed by these terrorists as they desperately try to get inside the gates of the kabul airport. that's just those lucky enough to be in kabul. thousands of americans and afghan allies are still stranded hundreds of miles away from kabul with little hope of rescue. now comes an ultimatum from the terrorists if our forces don't withdraw by next tuesday they'll start shooting. so what's the response from the majority? speaker pelosi brought us back to washington not to deal with this dire situation in afghanistan, no. we are here today to vote on a partisan $4 trillion giveaway to the radical left. a bill that doesn't include a single dollar to rescue americans, our allies from

afghanistan. or even a single penny on national security. and i have to wonder what the majority's thinking. instead of this partisan exercise, i urge the majority to work with us to hold the president accountable and save americans and allies still in afghanistan. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from colorado. mr. neguse: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from ohio, mr. ryan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. ryan: i thank the gentleman. we see our republican frnds are very upset. they said this is embarrassing. what are we doing? what have we done? what you're mad about is that we are delivering for the american people. we saved pensions. we cut taxes for working class people. invested in the communities. invested in the schools. and now universal preschool. everyone can go to community college. vision, dental, hearing for medicare recipients. paid family leave.

if you think for one second i'm going to apologize for what we are doing, you are wrong. once again we should have done this 30 or 40 years ago and obviously once again the republican party is m.i.a. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded to direct their comments to the chair. the gentleman reserves from colorado. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise to urge defeat of the previous question so we can immediately consider h.r. 5071. operations enduring freedom and freedom sentinal are coming to a conclusion in a way no american should be willing to tolerate nor accept. this conflict began nearly 20 years ago. 2,433 military k.i.a.

3800 contractor and d.o.d. civilian k.i.a. 1144 allied troops killed in action. over 30,000 veterans suicide since 9/11. mr. elsie: the victims of eternal and unseen wounds. in texas district 6 we lost staff sergeant jeremy s. on april 6, 20116789 and private joel on april 16, 2011. brothers in arms killed 10 days apart. in texas we have lost 193 of our sons and daughters. all of whom would say not one ounce of sweat or blood in defense of others is waste. last yankee the administration handed over 6 hundred,000 weapons, 75,000 vehicles, and 200 aircraft to the enemy. what we have now are september 10, 2001 with a well armed enemy. those who have stood the watch and those who have died standing that watch, duty, honors, country is not an academic study. it is a way of life and

sometimes death. so i call on our commander in chief, madam speaker, to take those words as seriously as we do and to do this, his duty to honor our service members and their families by informing this body and the americans we represent every day on what is happening on the ground in afghanistan and what this administration is doing to bring american citizens and the afghans who helped us to safety. infrastructure needs did not leave 10,000 to 15,000 americans stranded. climate change did not cause this catastrophe. combat is not a power point briefing. american lives are at stake. get our countrymen out of afghanistan. and the mission is only complete when they are out. not one minute before. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. neguse: madam speaker, reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized.

mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> i thank the gentlelady. with respect to the rule, someone were to devise a plan, madam speaker, to intentionally destroy the great state of texas, they would do the following. they would sabotage their sovereignty by opening its borders and granting amnesty and citizenship. they would steal the right to safeguard the integrity of their elections. they would strip the freedoms of both employees and employers by forcing unionization of the work force. . they would abuse their regulatory authority and weaponizing the tax code in the name of a politically manufactured climate crisis. they would crush the most prosperous nation in the nation under the weight of the highest tax rates in the world.

they would quench the spirit of self-reliance. they would trap their citizens in an endless cycle of government dependans and poverty. they would plunder the lone star state by saddling future generations with the debt they could never repay. while this legislation, madam speaker, may not have been written with the intention of destroying the state of texas, it's clear that should these bills pass, that's exactly what it would do. not only to my great state but to the entire nation. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. mrs. fischbach: reserves. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neguse: madam speaker, reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from arizona. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. this is a moment where i'm hoping our friends on the left will keep a certain promise that many of you have made.

mr. schweikert: madam speaker, we have a long list of the promise from the president to leadership to others promising that this spending will be 100% paid for. so you already know we're going to have, what, probably continuing resolution with the omnibus. there is $1 trillion in structural debt there. and the $1.2 trillion bipartisan -- bipartisan in the senate. when we do the honest math. it's about $500 billion of borrowing because a bunch of the pay-fors are fake. when you look at what senate finance and others, where are you getting the other $1.7 trillion on your $3.5 trillion in spending? i am asking you to keep a promise. because when you add up all the new revenues, all the new receipts, all the new tax hikes, the corporate tax hikes, the

capital gains tax that loses money, where are you going to get all this cash that you have promised will be 100% paid for? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. schweikert: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair, again, remind members to direct your comments to the chair. the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman is recognized. mr. neguse: madam speaker, i yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from maryland, the majority leader, mr. hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. hoyer: i rise in support of this rule. this rule allows the congress of the united states to do the people's business. in two critical areas. actually three. number one, it provides for us

to receive from the senate the budget and to do what the republicans did on their tax bill -- act on a budget reconciliation bill. you did that. you, of course, didn't pay for it. we're going to pay for this. secondly, this rule allows us to proceed on a piece of legislation, which seeks to make sure that the voting rights act, protecting the most important asset a citizen has, and that is their right to vote. or as our speaker has said, the voice of those not empowered. that's not exactly what it was, madam speaker. two of these items are critical, and when we talk about saving

lives, the reconciliation bill, the build back better act, is going to save lives and enrich the quality of lives of our people. and thirdly, this rule will allow us to proceed to adopt the bipartisan -- 69 senators voting for it -- infrastructure bill. it is not a perfect bill. it is not our bill, and it is limited in some respects in terms of its addressing one of our most important challenges and enemies and that's climate change. it, nevertheless, is a very substantial investment in america, growth, its people, and jobs. vote for this rule. it's a good bill for the people. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves.

the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. mrs. fischbach: madam speaker, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. neguse: madam speaker, we're prepared to close as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. mrs. fischbach: thank you, madam speaker. democrats continue to ram through controversial policies and reckless spending with a complete disregard of the rules and with no consideration of what those decisions will mean for generations and what they have to pay back. president biden took office saying he'd be president for everybody, but he certainly isn't acting like that. the legislation before us today that's included in this rule will leave rural communities behind, concentrate more power at the federal level, and tax and spend recklessly. and the president is too busy pressuring members of his own

party to support $5 trillion in spending to even address the crisis in afghanistan. i thank you, madam speaker, and i oppose the rule and the underlying bill and i ask members to do the same and i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from colorado. mr. neguse: madam speaker, we've heard a lot about partisanship today during the course of today's debate. what are the three bills that we are considering within the rule today? the john lewis voting rights advancement act, a re-authorization of the voting rights act. v.r.a. has been re-authorized by republicans and democrats in the united states congress for decades. the last time it was signed by george w. bush, a republican. a bipartisan infrastructure deal that earned the votes of 69 senators. 19 republicans.

including mitch mcconnell. but apparently that proposal is too radical for the house republican conference. and a build back better plan that would invest in american families, that would lower costs, in a would cut taxes for working families. americans are worth investing in. our families, our students, our teachers, our firefighters, our communities are worth investing in. and we have a chance to do that today. the late congressman john lewis once said that every generation leaves behind a legacy. what that legacy will be is determined by the people of that

generation. and madam speaker, i would say that our legacy must be one of progress, of courage, and of action. i would urge my colleagues to vote yes on this rule and on the previous question. i