Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined House Democrats for a bill enrollment photo opportunity for H.R. 5305, the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act, which funds government through December 3rd.  Below are the Speaker’s remarks:

 

Speaker Pelosi.  Good afternoon, everyone.  I really am so excited to be here to say, that because of the great work of our distinguished Chair of the Appropriations Committee – and her Cardinals, that’s what they’re called, ‘Cardinals,’ when you are Chair of the Subcommittees of Appropriations – Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.  Thank you, Congresswoman DeLauro.  

 

Where’d our Whip go?  Mr. Whip, thank you for honoring us with your presence.  Mr. Clyburn and I, and Mr. Hoyer, are all appropriators, so this is where we feel at home.  It’s our culture.  It’s where we work, almost always in a bipartisan way, for the good of the American people.  We did get some bipartisanship today – certainly in the Senate, some here. 

 

So, thank you, Congresswoman DeLauro, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Congressman Sanford Bishop, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, Congresswoman Barbara Lee – oh, I should be saying Madam Chair, Mr. Chairman, Madam Chair, Chair Barbara Lee, as well as Brenda Lawrence, thank you for joining us, Madam Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.  Again, Mr. Clyburn, we feel very comfortable in this meeting.  But, thank you, Rosa DeLauro.  It was a masterful feat.

 

As I said on the Floor, this is about honoring our Preamble to the Constitution.  It talks about establishing justice, insuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, the general welfare and the blessings of liberty.  And each of these Subcommittees do just exactly that. 

 

And, with this Continuing Resolution, we not only keep government open, keep checks flowing to our veterans and Social Security recipients and the rest, but it’s about, again, whether it’s science at the National Institutes of Health, the education of our children, the protecting of our environment.  It’s just a remarkable thing to think of all the things that we can do working together For The People.   

 

This comes at an especially sad time for us because of the destruction of Ida.  And Congresswoman – Madam Chair DeLauro was very much in the lead, working, putting together a bill in a very bipartisan way to help meet the needs.  One of the fastest turnarounds in disaster occurrences, and people have told us that, who are waiting for their – receiving these funds.  This is quite remarkable.  Hurricane Ida, its victims, other disasters – eagerly await this bill. 

 

And, also, to meet the needs of our – the evacuees from Afghanistan.  Some of us are particularly concerned about the women in Afghanistan, but they and their families needed some of our assistance in this regard to help communities help them. 

 

For these and other reasons, we are very, very proud of this legislation.  And, I now have the honor of signing it and when I do, it will then go to the President of the United States for his signature. 

 

Thank you.

 

[Applause]

 

It really is exciting to keep government open.

 

[Laughter]

 

Thank you, all.  Mr. Clyburn. 

 

There you go.  Off to the President.

 

[Applause]

 

In addition to having these Cardinals, Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence is the Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee.  It’s a wonderful honor.  

 

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