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Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024

Floor Speech

Date: Nov. 14, 2023
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6363, which will prevent a government shutdown.

Over the past several months, House Republicans have been hard at work passing appropriations bills to cover over 75 percent of Federal discretionary spending. We also passed the supplemental appropriations bill to support our ally, Israel.

As a chairman of the Defense Subcommittee, I am proud of our Members' work to pass a bipartisan fiscal year `24 Defense spending bill with a high level of Member input.

However, the Senate has been unable to pass all their appropriations bills in a timely manner and, unfortunately, this means we need more time to complete the FY24 appropriations process.

H.R. 6363 extends current spending to January and February of next year. This split approach incentivizes the Senate to negotiate with us on all 12 bills.

For our military, this bill ensures our troops continue their mission without fear of missing a paycheck. It also includes anomalies to keep the Columbia-class submarine, which is the top modernization priority of the Department of Defense, United States Navy, on schedule.

For those of us who have been in Congress for a shutdown, we have seen firsthand the damage it does to our military readiness. A shutdown would prevent any contract changes or new contracts for the entire Department of Defense. It would require Active-Duty servicemembers to report to work without pay. It would close essential base services for military families. It would reduce training, and it would create a long list of other hardships for the United States military.

As threats like China and Russia continue their provocation, we must avoid these failures at all costs. As an appropriator, I know how imperative it is that Congress carries out its constitutional responsibility and passes the 12 appropriations bills as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge support of this bill.

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