the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 388. the nays are two. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the motion on the gentleman from kansas, mr. marshall, to suspend the rules and pass s. 2679 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: designate 2679, an -- senate 2679, an act to manage the distribution of excess or surplus property to veteran-owned small businesses. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 389. the nays are one. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from south carolina, mr. rice, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 7227 as amended on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7227, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to modernize and improve the internal revenue ervice, and for other purpose. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

members will record their votes y electronic device. members, please be reminded, again, we are in a two-minute vote series. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] members, please be reminded, again, we are in a two-minute

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 378. the nays are 11. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from kansas, mr. estes, to suspend the rules and concur with senate amendments to h.r. 4227 on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. an act to h.r. 4227, require the secretary of homeland security to examine what actions the department of homeland security is undertaking to combat the threat of vehicular terrorism, and for other purposes. senate amendments. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house

suspend the rules and concur with the senate amendments. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 388. the nays are two. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the senate amendment is agreed to. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from michigan, mr. huizenga, to suspend the rules and pass s. 2652 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title. the clerk: senate 2652, an act to award a congressional gold medal to stephen michael gleason. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 390. the nays are two. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from michigan, mr. huizenga, to suspend the rules and pass s. 2765 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title. the clerk: senate 2765, an act to amend the investment advisers act of 1940 to exempt investment advisers who solely advise certain rural business investment companies, and for ther purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. members, again, this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 389, the nays are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the tavenlt -- on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, to suspend the rules and concur with senate amendment to h.r. 5509 on which the yeas and nays are order. the clerk: h.r. 5509. an act to direct the national

science foundation to provide grants for research about stem education approaches and the stem-related work force and for other purposes. senate amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and concur to the senate amendment. members, please be advised, these are two-minute -- advised, these are two-minute vote series. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 376, the nays re 13.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 378, the nays are 13. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, it's rules are suspended, the

senate amendment is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, to suspend the rules and pass s. 7 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 7. an act to amend title 51, united states code, to extend the authority of the national aeronautics and space administration to enter into leases of non-excess property of the administration. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. members, two-minute vote. please vote early. two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 390, the nays are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed, without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, to suspend the rules and pass s. 2200 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 2200. an act to re-authorize the national integrated drought information system and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. members, a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 379, the nays are nine. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the

bill is passed. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, to suspend the ruse and concur with the senate amendment to h.r. 767. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk: h.r. 767, an act to establish the stob, he observe, ask and respond to health and wellness training pilot program, to address human trafficking in the health care system, senate amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment. members will record their votes by electronic device. members, again, a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 386, the nays are six. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules is suspended, the senate is greemed to -- amendment is agreed to. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, on suspending the rule and pass s. 3322.

the clerk: senate 2322 an act to amend the federal food, drug and cosmetic act to define the term natural cheese. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. members, two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 230. the nays are 162. 2/3 of those not responding in the affirmative the bill is not suspended, the bill is not passed. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from tennessee, mr. roe, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6418 as amended on

which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. to clerk: h.r. 6418, a bill direct the secretary of veterans affairs to conduct a study regarding the accessibility of websites of the department of veterans affairs to individuals with disabilities. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. members, be reminded this is a two-minute vote series. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 386. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are uspended --

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 376. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from tennessee, mr. row, to suspend the rules and pass -- mr. roe, to suspend the rules and pass s. 3444. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 3444, a bill you to designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the department of veterans affairs in lake charles, louisiana, as the douglas fournet department of veterans affairs clinic. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members are reminded this is a two-minute vote series. members will record their votes by electronic device. this so two-minute vote. -- this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is

expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 388. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from tennessee, mr. roe, to suspend the rules and pass s. 3777 on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 3777, an act to require the secretary of veterans affairs to establish a tiger team dedicated to addressing the difficulties encountered by the department of veterans affairs in carrying out section 3313 of title 38, united states code, after the sections 107 and 501 of the harry w. colmery veterans educational assistance act of 2017. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 389. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will come to order. he house will come to order. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? ms. pelosi: mr. speaker, pursuant to rule 9, i rise to a question of privilege of the house and i send to the desk a

privileged resolution to keep government open. the speaker pro tempore: the lerk will read the resolution. the clerk: making further additional continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2019 and for other purposes. be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the united states of america, in congress assembled, title 1, continuing appropriations. section 101, full-year extension. division c of public law 115-245 is amended by striking the dates specified in section 1053 and inserting to september 30, 2019. title 2. temporary assistance for needy families. section 201.

tanf program extensions. a, family assistance grants. section 403-a-1 of the social security act, 42, united states code, 603 a-1 is amended in each of subparagraphs a and c by striking 2017 and 2018 and inserting 2019 and 2020. b, healthy marriage promotion and responsible fatherhood grants. ction 403-a-2-d of such act, 42, united states code, is amended. one, by striking 2017 and 2018, and inserting 2019 and 2020. and two, by striking for fiscal year 2017 or 2018. c, contingency fund. section 403-b-2 of such act, 42, united states code, 603-b-2 is amended by striking fig fiscal year 2018 and inserting each of fiscal years 2019 and 2020. d, tribal family assistance grants. paragraphs 1-a and 2-a of

section 412-a of such act, 42, united states code, 612-a, are each amended by striking 2017 and 2018 and inserting 2019 and 2020. e, child care. section 418-a-3 of such act, 42, ited states code, 618-a-3 is striking 2017 and 2018 and inserting 2019 and 2020. f, grants to the territories. section 1108-b-2 of such act, united states code, is amended by striking 2017 and 2018 and inserting 2019 and 2020. section 202. measuring and understanding outcomes. a, in general. section 411-a of the social security act, 42, united states code, 611-a, is amended by redesignating paragraph 7 as paragraph and inserting after paragraph 6 the following. 7, report on engagement,

employment and outcomes. a, reporting agreement. each state and the secretary shall enter into an agreement specifying the manner by which the information and data described in this paragraph shall be collected and reported to the secretary beginning in fiscal year 2020. one, outcomes for exiting recipients. information and data regarding families who formally received assistance and including a work-eligible individual, participation in work activities during the proceeding fiscal year. under the program, funded under this part or any -- or under any state program with qualified state expenditures as defined with respect to the following. 1, the percentage with at least one formerly workle-eligible individual employed after exiting the program. two, the percentage with at least one formerly work-eligible individual employed during the fourth quarter after exiting from the program.

three, the median earnings when at least one formerly work-eligible individual is employed during the second quarter after exiting from the program. four, the percentage with at least one formerly work-eligible individual employed during any of the first four quarters after exiting from the program. five, the distribution of income and earnings, including relative to poverty and deep poverty for each of the first four quarters, ending after the quarter of exit from assistance. six, the percentage who at the time of exit from the program were subject to the following. ample a-a, a penalty. b-b, a section or penalty described in section 404 or 408. cc, a penalty or sanction not described in time ample ample or b.b. -- a.a. or b.b. work eligible individuals in the case of current work eligible individuals under the state program funded under this part ourned any state program funded

with qualified state expenditures as defined in section 409-a-7-b-1, the following information relative to current quarter being reported. a.a., earnings in each of the four quarters immediately preceding the quarter. b.b., standard measures of employment earnings, receipt of assistance and participation in work activities as defined in section 407-d, in each of the first four quarters following the quarter. two, all recipients, the percentage of recipients of assistance under the state program funded under this part who have not attained 24 years of age and who obtain a high high school degree or its recognized equivalent while receiving the assistance. b, statistical adjustment model for employment outcomes. the secretary in consultation with the secretary of labor and relevant experts shall develop recommendations by march 1, 2020. on how to establish and

disseminate an objective statistical model that will allow the secretary to make adjustments to the data reported pursuant to subclauses 1 through 4 of subparagraph a-1 of this paragraph, based on economic conditions and the characteristics of participants. to the extent practicable, the recommendations shall be compatible with the statistical adjustment model developed under section 116-b-3-a-8 of the work force innovation and opportunity act, 29 united states code 3141-b-3-a-8 and with respect to a state, the state adjusted levels of performance established for the state under that section. section 203. technical corrections to data exchange standards, to improve program coordination. a, in general. section 411-d of the social security act, 42 united states code 611-d is amended to read as follows. d, data exchange standards for improved interoperability.

one, designation. the secretary shall in consultation with an interagency work group established by the office of management and budget, in considering state government per err perspectives by rule designate standards to govern under this part. a, necessary categories of information that state agencies operating programs are required under applicable federal law to electronically exchange with another state agency and, b, federal reporting and data exchange required under applicable federal law. two, requirements. the data exchange standards required by paragraph 1 shall, to the extent practicable, a, incorporate a widely accepted nonproprietary searchable computer-readable format such as the ex tensable markup language. b, contain interoperable standards developed an maintained by intergovernmental partnerships such as the national information exchange model. c, incorporate interoperable standards developed and

maintained by federal entities with authority over contracting and financial assistance. d, be consistent with and implement applicable accounting principles. e, be implemented in a manner that is cost effective and improves program efficiency and effectiveness. and f, be capable of being continually upgraded as necessary. three, rule of construction. nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require a change to existing data, exchange standards found to be effective and efficient. b, effective date. not later than the date that is 24 months after the date of the enactment of this section, the secretary of health and human services shall issue a proposed rule that, one, identifies federally required data exchanges, include specification and timing of exchanges to be standardized, and address the factors used in determining whether and when to standardize data exchanges and, two, specify state implementation options and describes future milestones.

the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlewoman seek to present an argument on whether the resolution qualifies as a privilege of the house? ms. pelosi: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the clerk for his reading. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady will suspend. does the gentlelady freep give arguments on the reason why this would be a question of the privilege of the house? ms. pelosi: for give me for thanking you for recognition. i am prepared to do so, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for that purpose, the gentlelady is recognized. ms. pelosi: i do. mr. speaker, the house and senate, democrats and republicans, of the appropriations committee, have worked hard and long to come up with bipartisan legislation to meet the needs of the american people. right now we're in the midst of congress delaying, the market's down almost 500 points for this and other reasons. this is not the time for us to shut down government. we have a product developed in a bipartisan way for the reasons described by the clerk who read it, and it is privileged because of the time of the year, because of the extent of the concern

that the american people have, and because of the harm that will be done to them if government shuts down. it would be totally irresponsible and that's why i consider it a privilege to rise to say, let's keep government open by passing this bipartisan legislation first introduced by congresswoman lowey, our distinguished democratic leader on the appropriations committee. the speaker pro tempore: the chair is prepared to rule. proposes resented legislation to continue funding for certain elements of the u.s. government. the proposed text by seeking the proposed legislation does not qualify as a question of the prives -- of the privileges of the house. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? ms. pelosi: mr. speaker, i appeal the ruling of the chair. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman -- the decision of the chair to stand as the judgment of the chair. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. mccarthy: mr. speaker, i have a motion at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the lerk will report the motion.

the clerk: mr. mccarthy of california moves to lay the appeal on the table. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to table. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. ms. pelosi: mr. speaker. on that i demand a recorded vote. to keep government open, i demand a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas are 156, the nays are 144 -

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 187, the nays are 170. the motion is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

order in the chamber. rder in the chamber, please. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, pursuant to house resolution 1181, i call up the bill, h.r. 88, with the senate amendment thereto. tom brady and i have a motion -- mr. brady: and i have a motion at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill, designate the senate amendment and designate the otion.

the clerk: h.r. 88. an act to modify the boundary of the shiloh national military park located in tennessee and mississippi, to establish parkers crossroads battlefield as an affiliated area of the national park system and for other purposes. senate amendment. mr. braidy of texas moves to concur in the senate amendment with an amendment. the speaker pro tempore: order in the chamber. pursuant to house resolution 1180, an amendment consisting of rules committee print 115-87 shall be considered as read. the motion tol shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on ways and means. the gentleman from texas, mr. brady, and the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. neal, will each control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from texas. mr. brady: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill that's currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. brady: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. brady: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of this important tax and oversight legislation. this bill has key timely components, each of us -- each of which will help our economy continue moving in the right direction. and provide help to families and communities damaged by disaster. first, i think it is simply irresponsible to wait until next year to deliver crucial tax relief for families in 14 states and territories who are struggling today to recover from this year's devastating wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes and other severe storms. california alone, 17,000 structures destroyed, nearly 90

lives lost throughout the carolinas, throughout these other states. so many families waiting to hear from congress that they'll receive relief now and not next year. both parties need to come together to help these communities rebuild and rebuild today. this bill allows disaster victims to immediately access funds from their retirement accounts to begin their home rebuilding. it ensures losses from these disasters are immediately deductible. and helps small businesses keep their workers on the payroll, even when their operations have been interrupted by these severe storms. and wildfires. together we can, we will and we should help these communities rebuild today. secondly, working with the senate, we've reached common ground on important retirement savings reforms. the house version of this bill already passed with many

democrat votes. these reforms will help families save more throughout their lives, start saving earlier, while also helping our small businesses offer retirement plans to their valued workers. this bill includes bold redesigns and restructuring of the internal revenue service, the first and bipartisan reforms to that agency in nearly two decades. working together, republicans and democrats in the house passed this redesign package 414-0. earlier this year. it's time now to send these reforms to the president's desk, to ensure that the i.r.s. is an agency truly focused on quality taxpayer service. we're also offering bipartisan tax relief from some of obamacare's most damaging, harmful and egregious taxes. specifically this bill provides relief from the cadillac tax that punishes companies that

provide good health care to their workers. the medical device tax, that's changed thousands of jobs -- chased thousands of jobs overseas. relief from the health insurance act and the tanning tax. these harmful taxes stifle innovation, reduce jobs, and increase the cost of families' health insurance. this package also makes good progress on two temporary tax provisions that expired at the beginning of this year. temporary tax policy is hardly ever good tax policy. we have an opportunity here to set a new tone for how we treat these temporary tax extenders moving forward. additionally in this bill, we proactively eliminate any potential uncertainty for our churches and community groups, so nothing distracts them from their core mission. and we've included a small number of straightforward, time-sensitive technical corrections to the tax cuts and jobs act. technical corrections, as we know, are normal and traditional

with any big piece of legislation, especially with rewriting the tax code. these small tweaks are important and will ensure our new tax code works as intended, to grow the economy and increase wages for middle class families. i urge all of my colleagues to support these measures so we can send this important legislation to the senate soon. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. neal, is recognized. mr. neal: thank you, mr. speaker. i recognize myself for at least five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i recall this very quaint time when some of us arrived in congress, when the legislative session would wind down, there'd always be this stellar photograph of the speaker of the house and the republican leader and the republican leaders and democratic leaders in the united states senate, would be photographed on the front page of most major dailies.

on the phone, speaking to the president of the united states, regardless of who the president 's political affiliation might be. so here we are closing the 115th session of the congress, when we had time to do this. instead, this is the second generation of an irresponsible manner in terms of process that was offered to the democratic minority in this house. on monday night we got notice of this, without even seeing the substance of the proposal that was in front of us. this is not the way the regular order functions, nor, as i've just referenced, the way that legislative sessions are supposed to conclude. my friend, i mean that with all sincerity, the chairman of the committee, he noted that the american people are waiting to hear from congress. well, let me tell you this about these tax bills. it didn't take the wealthy long to hear from congress. they heard from them right away. and the offering they had was more concentrated wealth and tax relief for the people at the

very top in america. taking that top rate from 39.6% to 37%, a cut in the corporate rate to 21%, doubling the estate tax. and here we are again with another vehicle that is not paid for. so where do we find revenue right now as a percent of gross domestic product? it's at 16.4% and we're hearing, well just maybe this tax bill might bring us to 17.5% when the historic battle that the two parties have had in this house has generally been about -- between 18% and -- 18 cents and 19 cents on the dollar. so a year later, what do we have in front of us? the same procedure. closed doors. no hearings. not one witness. and if you pick up some gossip in the hallway about what what this is to include, that is generally concede noud to be a point of achievement -- conceded now to be a point of achievement. so a year later we're rushing another package through to

correct the errors that were delivered in the first bill. by the way, these were not small errors. a couple of them were big enough to drive a mack truck through. not one hearing, not one witness. not one piece of evidence documented to put in front of this committee. so this is a last-ditch effort by our republicans to revisit their tax law. ensure that it further benefits those who really are the strongest already in our society. they want to jam through some of these provisions to help corporations at the expense of shining some light on how we might have found a substantive opportunity to achieve a bipartisan outcome. the american voters delivered a resounding rebuke last month and our friends don't seem to understand what that message was about. on election day, the tax bill polled at 49% against and 41% before. if you think it was just a

messaging problem, that would be a mistake. they should have joined with us to advance some very important mats that are are in this legislation -- matters that are in this legislation, and when we would have had an opportunity to fix these together through transparency, hearings, witnesses, i think we could have easily accomplished a different outcome. i oppose this legislation because it's also not offset. for the third time this year, the party of fiscal rectitude that always lectures us when there's a democratic president about balancing the budget, went out and borrowed more than $2 trillion for the purpose of providing a tax cut to the people at the top. $2 million added to the budget deficits. can you imagine what the reaction would have been if barack obama or bill clinton did that. the outrage would have been empowering in this institution. we would have heard about it for years at a time. but no, it's ok to do it, and then call it juice to the economy. well, there many items that we approve

it but we disagree with the approach and the substantive matters that are being offered. there is a national principle nd we come to aid of the american family when natural disasters. and we will try very quickly to address many of these same issues and i guarantee you this, there will be hearings and there will be witnesses and it will be done in daylight to make sure there is an opportunity for all to be heard, including our epublican friends. msh as well. this bill significantly erodes the johnson amendment by allowing certain tax-exempt organizes to make political statements during the ordinary course of activities. i yield myself two minutes.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: this would allow the priest, rab eye, minister to stand at a pulpit and endorse a particular candidate. what happened to jefferson's wall of separation? unlike europe where they have had religious strife for centuries, we were able to avoid that because of the wall mr. jefferson skillfully constructed. this is a dangerous precedent at threatens political philanthropist organizations. and employers or health insurers. if we are going to provide tax relief to the people, the savings should be re-invested in lower insurance premiums and another issue that is not in dispute is the following. overwhelmingly that tax cut went to share buybacks for

corporations and dividend and did not come to the benefit of the people who needed tax relief every single day. there are a number of provisions that we find very supportable, but the idea that we are doing this in the closing minutes of the 115th congress i think is objectionable to our side. the proposal before us is not paid for and did not through the regular order and i urge our colleagues to oppose this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman reserve? the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: the senate has passed s. 3277, an act to reduce regulatory burdens and streamline processes related to commercial space activities and for other purposes in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. brady: everyone in congress

is eager to get back to a fuel week of christmas shopping, but i yield to the gentleman whose community was devastated. i yield three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. >> mr. speaker, i stand in strong support of the tax and oversight package before us today. i appreciate the concern about the deficits but my colleague across the aisle, but i would remind my colleague that president obama added $2 trillion in deficits in only one year. mr. speaker, this bill adds to the successes, the amazing successes of the tax cuts and jobs act, which became law last year and our economic potential in america has once again been unleashed and america is once again the land of opportunity.

unemployment is at a record low, mr. speaker. consumer confidence and small business confidence are at historic highs and wages are growing at their fastest pace in nearly a decade. mr. speaker, my friends across the aisle can say that this bill benefited only the wealthy, but i can tell you, i represent three of the poorest counties, marion county, dillan county and marlboro county. and all three of those counties in 2016 were at or about 10% unemployment. today, each one of those counties, largely as a result of this tax bill are below 6% for the first time in 30 years. they are below 6% unemployment. when we passed the tax cuts and jobs act, our message was clear, we will not wait another 30 years to take up tax legislation.

we will improve the tax code. the legislation before us is an opportunity to build on the economic momentum that is creating opportunities and lifting people up in south carolina and across the country. two years ago, hurricane matthew made land fall in south carolina and a few days before a tax filing deadline people were ignoring evacuation orders to ensure they could meet their tax deadlines. can you imagine boarding up your house or filing a tax return? that's what my constituents had to do. ambiguity under the current law results in the i.r.s. waiting to grant a deadline extension weeks after a natural disaster. y bill would create a 60-day filing after a presidential disaster declaration. and it is included in this bill. this package includes the

hurricane natural relief act. this gives disaster vick tips the flexibility to access emergency funds, and encourages charitable giving and enhances the deduction for personal casualty losses. families are faced with the cost of home repairs and temporary housing, but most do not have these funds at their disposal. mr. speaker, i encourage my colleagues to support this package. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: i yield three minutes to the ranking member of ways and means, mr. levin who has served this body with distinction for many years. mr. levin: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. levin: thank you, mr. neal,

and i salute your eloquent statement. i hope everybody listens. usually legislation has either rhyme or reason or both. this bill has neither. it is dramatically unreasonable. it adds insult to injury. it would further increase our growing federal debt. this time by almost $100 billion, driven by the irresponsible 2017 tax law. our projected annual deficit has already more than doubled since president trump came into office. more than double. mainly to benefit, as mr. neal spoken about so well, the very wealthy. the majority thought the first tax bill of theirs would at least be helpful politically. t turned out for voters sour

music. it was as was described earlier, hypercxds hyperpartnership at its worse. no hearings. nothing like it. and once again. so on this last day of votes this session and close to my last of thousands and thousands votes over 36 years, i will proudly vote no. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. brady: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from illinois for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. >> i want to thank you, chairman brady, for yielding time for improving our country's tax code. i rise today in strong support of h.r. 88, the retirement savings and other tax relief act

of 2018. since the passage of the tax cuts and jobs act last year at this time, our economy has boomed. and under the direction of chairman brady, the ways and means committee hasn't stopped working on advancing and improving our nation's tax laws. in doing so, our committee has worked to make positive reforms to the i.r.s. and i'm proud this legislation includes language from my bill, the improving assistance to taxpayers act which will bowls steer protections by requiring the i.r.s. to respond promptly to directives. specifically, the i.r.s. would be required to respond to taxpayer advocate directives within 90 days. implementing these changes will improve accountability and more efficiently address system attic issues within the i.r.s. not only does h.r. 88 take important steps to make our system more accountable but includes provisions that will

provide certainty to our agricultural community in central illinois. representing the country's largest agricultural district, i have seen the positive impact of the bio diesel tax credit on our agricultural community. they have been hurt in the past by lapses in this credit which has hindered their ability to plan for the future. h.r. 88 provides a long-term extension and a path forward for the bio diesel tax credit which will provide assurances for our producers in the midwest. as americans continue to reap the benefits of pro-growth tax reform we need to fine tune our tax code to work better for the citizens of this country. h.r. 88 takes important steps towards doing just that and i have been proud to work along side chairman brady and other members of the ways and means committee to ensure we put taxpayers first and that's what this bill does. i urge my colleagues to support

this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from neas is recognized. kneel kneel i yield two minutes -- mr. neal:, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. doggett. dog dog the voters told them, the party's over, go home. but before going home, they want to go big with another big irresponsible national debt-busting bill. republicans are struggling to stuff a little more silver in their donor's pockets as they get pushed out the capitol door. republicans are ending this session the very same way they began it in january of last year, with arrow gans, with due policity with total indifference to the needs of working families across our country. and this bill comes from the great coverup committee, the

committee that covers up as much of its tax work from the public, the committee that secretly changes the tax law to directly benefit the trump family and the committee that refuses to even review under existing law the trump tax returns. the committee that believes in overlook and not oversight of the corruption that pervades this trump administration. since trump took office, the republicans have pursued two goals, take away health care from the many and award the few with more tax benefits. last friday, a republican judge in texas ruled that they can take away the coverage. he declared the entire the affordable care act unconstitutional. so what is the response today from the actions of our indicted, texas attorney general coluding with the trump administration that refused to

defend the act, are they here to defend americans with pre-existing conditions? no. they are here to reward those with more billions of tax breaks. today's republican parting shot adds $100 billion to our national debt sad willing existing and future americans with that debt. we need a new congress genuine tax reform. today's bill does not provide it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. brady: i yield two minutes o the the gentleman from ohio, dr. wenstrup. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. wenstrup: i rise in support of the legislation which includes the retirement savings and other tax relief act of 2018 and taxpayer first act of 2018. since the passage of the tax cuts and jobs act, 2.1 million jobs have been creating. americans are taking more money

and cleaning up an overly burdensome regulatory regime. we can keep this going by enacting reforms. this package includes legislation to make it easier for families to save for retirement and make it easier for employers to offer retirement plans to their employees. i'm a former employer. i know employers want this for employees and makes important structural changes to the i.r.s. to ensure it is preventing buses and creates a more appeals process. there are delays for the cadillac tax and i can tell you it's harmful to the advancement of medicine. this bill offers a full repeal of the excise tax on indoor tanning services which affects small businesses all over the country and gives americans impacted by recent disasters flexibility to access their

retirement savings and increases charitable contributions and helps businesses to keep employees on their payroll. it makes corrections to the tax cuts and jobs act by ensuring individuals and businesses can benefit from the important reforms of the law as intended. this package of bills continues our efforts to help americans save, help the economy grow, improve i.r.s. operations and keep a anymoreble a tax code. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation on behalf of all americans of all generations and i yield back the speaker pro tempore: the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. neal: i recognize the gentleman from california, congressman thompson for two minutes. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. thompson: here we go again. we start this session with a terrible tax bill that was written in the dark of night,

ot one single hearing, not one single expert witness, an unpaid for $2.3 trillion tax cut. we find out after it's passed that it's fraught with problems, and now we're going to end the session with another tax bill, not quite as fiscally irresponsible as the first, but $100 billion, unpaid for. again, no hearings, no expert witnesses. why in the world do you think this one's not going to be fraught with problems? this is the height of irresponsibility, and just one more example of the republicans' borrow-and-spend philosophy and practice. and once again, i'm sure we're going to hear from our friends

on the other side that now that we've done this, now that we charged all this money to future generations, we're going to have to come back and put on our fiscal responsible hat and cut medicare and cut social security. this is shameful and it's irresponsible. nd if that's not bad enough, now, in this bill, you're going to try and provide false hope to people who were victimized from natural disasters all across the country -- hurricanes, tornados, fires. you know this bill is not going any place. the senate's not going to take this bill up, so you're providing false hope to folks who really need our help right now. revictimizing people who were terribly hurt during these disasters. it's shameful, it's responsible and i urge a no vote.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. brady: mr. speaker, i'm proud to yield three minutes the leader of the retirement and savings portion of this bill, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. kelly. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. kelly: mr. speaker, i thank you for bringing this incredibly important legislation to the floor. mr. chairman, thank you. i rise in support of this comprehensive package that will in many way help americans save more of their own money for the future. among the many features has of retirement bills, the family savings act, stood as one of the pillars of tax reform 2.0 which passed this house in september. h.r. 88, along with the bipartisan right sizing pensions premiums is one giant step closer to becoming law. in short, this package is a wonderful gift at christmas for

all americans. and it cannot come soon enough. americans should be able to rely on three main sources of retirement income to ensure security during their retirement years. social security. personal savings. third, employer sponsored savings plan. an alarming number of americans don't have access to an employer sponsored 401-k plan. a recent study found 42 of those that do have them have less than $10,000. combined that 60% of americans don't have enough cash to cover a $1,000 emergency event. this will make it easier for employers to pull together and help bridge the divide between the benefits that large employers might offer to their employees and those that smaller employers only wish they could offer. overall, this will help ensure the next generation of americans don't outlive their savings. i got to tell you one of the

things i remember so clearly as a child growing up my mother and father said, the one thing we don't want to be to you kids is a burden. i vowed to myself, my gosh, my mom and dad are worrying about being a burden to my brothers and sisters after all they've done for us. what we're trying to do is make up for that. the greatest generation, they're telling us they don't want to be a burden to the next generation. how american is that? that has nothing to do with republicans and democrats. that has to do with who we are as americans. h.r. 88 accomplishes a lot of those goals. i got to tell you, a secured retirement for every american should not be a partisan issue and we know it's not. today, let's come together as a unified body and send this to the senate for every americans' peace of mind. highlight the shortline railroads, extension of the biodiesel credit, it will

support economic growth and job creation in rural communities across america. i think as i look across the other side, i think we're all the same. i can remember as a child growing up sitting down and making up a list and sending it off to the north pole telling santa claus all i wanted. i can remember coming down on christmas morning and i never got everything i wanted. mr. brady: i yield 30 seconds. mr. kelly: but i was really thankful for everything i got. this is bipartisan. this is who we are. if we cannot secure the future for those that have done so much for us, what are we doing here? this is a wonderful opportunity for us to act at a time of the year when it's much more important to give than to receive. i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: thank you, mr. speaker. with that i'd like to yold two minutes to the gentleman from oregon -- yield two minutes to the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. blumenauer: i listen to my friend from pennsylvania talking about bipartisan opportunities, things we agree on.

the railroad tax credit is something we could have done in a heartbeat. but unfortunately it's wrapped into a really embarrassing piece of legislation, which is a fitting symbol to the wrap-up of eight years of republican rule of the house ways and means committee. we are in the process of, begin, make -- again, making the tax code more complex, which they have done every year they have been in control. talk about tax simplification, make it more complex. and those complexities are for people who actually needed it the least. we've lavished massive tax cuts on the most well-off in this country, don't nothing to reduce the growing income inequality. they've assaulted the affordable care act and actually put it at risk. i hear about the improvement of i.r.s. customer service.

for eight years they have assaulted the i.r.s. in their war against taxes, and they've used taxpayers as the victims. the employers there haven't had the resources to be able to deal meaningfully with the ever-increasing tax code. they've had no time to listen to the american public. you've heard major tax bills after major tax bills. no public hearings. no expert witnesses. no opportunity to really try that bipartisanship. mr. speaker, i reflect now on our friend, paul ryan, who's leaving office, and what a sad note to end on. the federal government in november spent twice as much as it took in. after listening to paul talk

about deficits for -- mr. neal: i yield the gentleman one minute. mr. blumenauer: after hearing paul talk about deficits on the ways and means committee and on the budget committee, he leaves a legacy of exploding deficits. you talk about burdens for our extra n, $2.3 trillion of national debt. and think for a moment, if we can't balance the budget when times are as good as they are and unemployment as low, we've had eight years of increasing employment, i was just in the cloakroom. donald trump spouting off and watching as the dow jones plunged over 500 points. it's a verdasco on the reckless -- it's a verdict on the reckless tax and spending and they're leaving democrats with a problem to address.

but i know under our chairman and democratic leadership we will at least listen to the american public, will allow republicans to -- mr. neal: i yield the gentleman an additional minute. mr. blumenauer: republicans will at least be allowed to know what they're voting on and we will actually be able to start building on the foundation of things that make a difference -- rebuilding and renewing america, closing the income gap, allowing those most fortunate in our economy to be able to pay a little more, that we don't have to sacrifice services for the elderly and the poor, students, and be able to rebuild and renew this country. i'm looking forward to that opportunity for democrats to take control and this sorry congress cannot end fast enough. i urge rejection of this proposal.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. brady: mr. speaker, i recognize under democrat majority, every american will be taller and smarter and better looking. with that i'm proud to yield two minutes to the gentleman who helped lead legislation dealing with disaster relief, the gentleman from north carolina, two minutes, mr. holding. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. holding: thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. this is a broad package, including a host of strong policy proposals supported by both republicans and democrats in both chambers. if i may, mr. speaker, i'd like to touch on two specific parts of the bill. as you know, my home state of north carolina was devastated by hurricane florence this past september. the damage is widespread and the recovery efforts will take years. folks impacted are in need of help, which is why i'm grateful this package includes my legislation i introduced with

mr. rice, providing significant tax relief to individuals and businesses hurt by hurricane florence. better yet, we have expanded the scope of my bill to include countless americans who have been impacted by several natural disasters that have befallen our nation over the past year. specifically, this legislation will enact penalty-free access for retirement savings and provide tax incentives employees of small businesses to ensure they keep employees on the payrolls. it will also make it easier for folks to claim tax deductions for the cost of destroyed property and will encourage people across the country to donate to recovery efforts by suspending limits on charitable contributions. altogether, this bill will lessen the tax burden on folks impacted by natural disasters so they can use more of their money to recover, rebuild and get back on their feet. this is one piece of a larger disaster relief package, and i am so glad to see it moving forward in this overall bill.

the second provision i'd like to briefly highlight is an important one that will assist low-income taxpayers with issues concerning the i.r.s. taxes are already a major burden on low-income individuals living paycheck to paycheck. the last thing they need to have to do is worry about dealing with the bureaucracy of the i.r.s. so low-income taxpayer clinics provide much-needed relief and support to low-income individuals providing them with representation for the i.r.s. or in court on audits, appeals, and other tax disputes. they provide this for very little fee. the speaker pro tempore: time has expired. mr. holding: i'm glad these provisions are included in the overall package. i urge a yes vote on the overall package and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: mr. speaker, i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, the always air indict, mr. pascrell. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. pascrell: good afternoon, mr. speaker. good to see you.

the bill before us today did not go through committee like a bill this large should. we could have offered amendments to address some of the most pressing issues with this tax bill. i would have started with how this bill cherry picks winners and losers with many of the losers being in states like the state i live in, the state of new jersey. this is, again -- let me repeat -- "weekend at bernie's." they prop up the dead tax bill, make it look alive, make it look alive, and then they bring it something that looks more dead. that didn't work. this will not work. you didn't run on it, you will not run on this. our state got slammed by the new cap on the state and local tax deduction. better known as salt. state and local taxes. the oldest deduction in the books. the g.o.p. tax scam took money

from homeowners, communities in my state and others to fund their massive giveaway to big corporations. the data is there. it is clear. it is succinct. it is definitive. republicans even bragged about using their tax scam to hurt new jersey and the region. imagine that. imagine running about deliberately hurting millions of people. my amendment would have destroyed this critical deduction but it was blocked. this bill before us today provides targeted relief to victims of disasters, but only a select few. there have been 13 disasters since we last held a committee hearing on a tax bill, and i don't see them listed here. not to mention the tax relief that victims of hurricane sandy never received in the first place. there is a bill that would provide disaster tax relief to all federally declared disaster