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House of Representatives

Agoa Extension Act

2026-09-01 Issue 138 Showing 1–3 of 3

Official Congressional Record ↗

Rosa L. DeLauro

Democrat

“I want this bill to pass to keep the government open. I don't like some parts of the previous bill. This bill stops bad things. It gives money for many programs. It stops money for border patrol and ICE. It stops the President from controlling money. I want to protect Congress' power over spending. This bill is not a replacement for full funding. We need to pass full funding bills. I want to stop political appointees from controlling money. We need to help people with high costs.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the measure we are considering today, which would extend government funding through December 11. This bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 90-6, is a marked improvement on the measure House Republicans forced to the floor before the district work period. We had three main objectives to that piece of legislation. It did not address a proposed rule from the White House Budget Office that granted unprecedented authority over Federal spending to political appointees in the Trump administration. It did not include spending adjustments known as anomalies that prevent interruptions or reductions of certain services during a temporary funding extension. It created a loophole that would have allowed certain funds within the Department of Homeland Security to be diverted to the Border Patrol in violation of the bipartisan agreement struck earlier this year. I am pleased that the measure that we are considering today corrects these issues with the House Republican legislation. It prevents cuts to wildfire suppression, election security, economic development, and infrastructure investments. It supports the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, allows the FBI to continue planning for the 2028 Olympics, facilitates preparations for the 2030 census, extends the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Whistleblower Program, supports the launch schedule for NOAA's weather satellites, and much more. The bill contains no funding for ICE and prevents the Department of Homeland Security from using any money in this bill for the Border Patrol. The Trump administration has provided tens of billions of dollars in advance funding for these agencies already. We will not support a single cent in further funding without substantial reforms to protect our communities from abuse. Additionally, the bill denies the administration's request for vanity projects, like the $1 billion Trump-class battleships. These are all welcome provisions. This measure also freezes a White House budget policy that would put President Trump's political appointees in charge of virtually all of Federal funding. This is an important first step, but more must be done to permanently block this policy before it is allowed to take effect. Federal funding must be awarded as Congress intended based upon genuine need and objective merit. Funding for cancer research should not be blocked because of partisan politics. Whether a community receives disaster relief should not depend on who they voted for in the last election. Recently, the Department of Energy admitted in court that they had canceled certain grants solely because they were awarded to communities represented by Democrats. If this proposed policy is allowed to come to fruition, this kind of political weaponization will become the norm. It is an extraordinarily dangerous precedent, one which will harm all of our constituents in the long run. I know there is bipartisan opposition to this policy, but I am optimistic that we can work together to prevent it from taking effect, to protect Congress' constitutional prerogative over Federal spending, and protect our communities from being starved of sorely needed Federal resources. To be clear, the continuing resolution we are considering today is in no way a substitute for the full-year funding process. It is merely a means to complete this important work while averting a lapse in government funding. I remain committed to negotiating bipartisan agreements for all 12 appropriations bills for fiscal year 2027 before the conclusion of this continuing resolution. I believe Chairman Cole, Vice Chair Murray, and Chair Collins share this commitment. There can be no replacement for the appropriations process, not continuing resolutions, not reconciliation, not empowerments, nor pocket rescissions. The power of the purse resides in the Congress. It is our exclusive responsibility. We do a disservice to this institution and the American people when we forfeit our authority over Federal spending to the executive branch. The first step in exercising that authority is passing this bill today. The next step is enacting full-year bills that protect our constituents' interests and make sure that Federal investments are delivered to the American people without the interference of unelected political appointees in the White House, at the Office of Management and Budget, or throughout the Trump administration. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation while we continue the difficult but necessary work of crafting full-year funding bills that rein in this reckless administration, reassert Congress' power of the purse, and provide relief to the American people struggling with the high cost of living. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Betty McCollum

Democrat 12:30 p.m.

“I want this funding bill to pass. It will keep the government open. I don't like temporary funding bills. But we need this one. I'm happy it doesn't fund a war. The other side's policies are bad. They make things cost more. I want more government spending to help people. I want to pass full funding bills. The Senate hasn't passed bills. I want them to. We should work together to pass big funding bills. That will help Americans. We need to avoid a shut down.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this continuing resolution, and I thank the chair and the ranking member for bringing it to the floor for us to have a vote on. Congress knows that CRs are not the way to fund the Federal Government. They are ineffective. They are inefficient in so many ways. Yet, we must keep the Federal Government operating because Americans deserve the certainty that the government services they rely on will be there for them. I also wish to state that I am very proud that this bill for the CR does not have any funding that the President requested in his supplemental for the war in Iran, which was his war of choice. There is no money in this that the President had been requesting in supplementals. President Trump's disastrous tariffs on allies like Canada, his unlawful war in Iran, they are all driving up the costs for Americans, and the President fails to address the rising cost of living. When the President fails to do so, Congress cannot. Congress cannot let a government shutdown happen, too. It puts more burden on our families. Our constituents simply cannot afford it. They deserve so much better. Senate Republicans also let the American people down by failing to release any of their 12 appropriations bills for next year. I am proud that the House moved forward in its work. As I said, the House has done its job. It has advanced all 12 appropriations bills through the committee. I might not agree with the bills in their totality, but it was a framework to get to conference and to get the job done on time. Again, I thank the chair and ranking member for working together to make that happen. As I urge my Senate colleagues to complete their work, to get it done. Let's get to the negotiation table. I encourage my colleagues to vote for the CR so we can have a bipartisan funding package that truly invests in the needs of the American people.

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Rosa L. DeLauro

Democrat 12:40 p.m.

“I want this bill to pass. It is better than the old bill from before August. The other side tried to give the President too much power over money. This bill stops that. We need to pass more funding bills. This bill lets us work on that.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purposes of closing. Mr. Speaker, I support this measure, as I have indicated. It makes important improvements over the bill that was put forward by House Republicans before the August break. It received broad bipartisan support in the Senate. It freezes a White House budget policy that would take substantial power over Federal funding away from Congress and claim it for the President, and it allows us to complete our work on the 12 full-year funding bills for fiscal year 2027. The House has completed its work, and now the Senate must complete its work. Continuing resolutions are imperfect tools. They are not replacements for full-year appropriations, but they can be useful under certain limited circumstances like those we currently find ourselves in. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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