Department of Defense and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. I thank our distinguished ranking member, Mr. Dicks, for yielding me this time.

Madam Speaker, in our tender economy, where job creation should be our top priority, this flawed legislation moves us backwards. It gives no confidence to the markets that anyone here in the majority knows what they are doing. It is just more fits and starts and stops. This bill is partial, it is short term, and it is a selective bill that leaves the vast majority of budget choices off the table. It is irresponsible.

It selects only some of our valiant fighting forces--some would say ``uses'' them--and extends paychecks for only some through the end of September. But it leaves out the majority of Americans who expect good government out of this Congress to ensure economic growth and a continued recovery on the job front. The American people are sick and tired of political antics. Let me point out this bill is so flawed it leaves out the veterans who come home and can't get work and are lined up with their families at food banks across this country. This bill does nothing about reemploying them, nor assuring their sustenance as employment and food commodity programs are left off the table.

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This resolution leaves out decisions regarding food supplies to those pantries so essential to holding life together for our unemployed veterans as well as for millions of other Americans facing hard times. And what about those vets lined up to exercise their GI benefits at local community colleges? This resolution turns its back on 2011 educational funding at community colleges that are an essential reentry portal for returning veterans. So this bill is partial, selective and lopsided.

What about those vets with disabilities who are lined up across our country to get adjudication? This resolution turns its back on them and those adjudication judges that also get paychecks, some as contracted employees, from the government of the United States to do their job of serving veterans.

Let me urge the majority to do what the American people sent us here to do, and that is to govern, to govern for all, to not leave anyone out, to not leave any veterans out, to not leave the vast majority of Americans out.

I ask my colleagues to defeat this flawed resolution. Let us govern responsibly by addressing the entire budget, not just a slice of it; and let's turn the focus here to creating jobs which is what the American people really want.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield 1 minute to a member of our committee, and a good one, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent).

Mr. DENT. Madam Speaker, passing this measure is absolutely the responsible thing to do. We are on the brink of an avoidable, potentially destructive government shutdown; and first and foremost we ensure that our troops are funded for their service to the Nation. Let's get that done.

The American people elected us to ensure the Federal Government runs effectively and efficiently, and allowing even a temporary shutdown is a failure of our most basic responsibility as Members of Congress.

Let's not forget the reason we are here today and in this predicament. It was the inability of the Democratic leadership last year to pass a budget. They didn't even try, and they failed to complete any of the appropriations bills.

In fact, Senator Schumer has made it quite clear that a government shutdown is in his political interest. Perhaps that's why the Senate isn't doing anything. You know, they have two paces over there: slow and glacial.

Today was a new day in the Senate. They started slowly and they're winding down from there. I wish they would get to work and pass some type of an appropriations bill.

We passed an appropriations bill; they passed nothing. We need to get this done. It's important to fund the troops, it's important to keep the government open, and this is the right way to do it.

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