Washington,
December 20, 2018
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen gave the following statement on the House floor today in support of the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 695:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 695, a bill making further additional continuing Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2019.
This measure keeps our government open until February 8, 2019, and prevents a costly, destabilizing government shutdown.
This Continuing Resolution reflects the House position on border security and provides $5 billion for the construction of physical barriers at our borders.
This is the same amount that was provided in the Homeland Security funding bill approved by the Appropriations Committee back in July.
In addition, this legislation includes $7.8 billion in supplemental funding for disaster relief. Congress has always been responsive to hurricanes, wildfires, typhoons, and other natural disasters, and we must continue to do so to help our fellow Americans as they rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
I don’t support a government shutdown, and I never have. Americans deserve stability and predictability of a government that is 100 percent operational.
I would have much preferred to complete negotiations on our remaining seven bills with our Senate counterparts, but several very challenging issues remain.
As I’ve stated many times, a Continuing Resolution is a last resort when it comes to funding the federal government.
I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this bill, and I urge the Senate to do the same.
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