Providing for Consideration of H.R. Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. American Dream and Promise Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Farm Workforce Modernization Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Preventing Paygo Sequestration; Providing for Consideration of H.J. Res. Removing the Deadline for the Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment; and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule. This rule and the accompanying legislation, sadly, is not about passing law. It is about making a point.

All five of the bills dealt with in this rule have not been marked up by any committee in this Congress at all, and all of them are filled with poison pills that are designed to make sure most Republicans will not vote for them, and they cannot pass the Senate of the United States.

The two bills dealing with illegal immigration will not just help DACA people, it will legalize millions of people in this country illegally.

The measure on ERA, the timeline ran out for that 42 years ago. This matter cannot be reversed now.

Frankly, the matter dealing with the budget, as my friend from Minnesota suggested, we said last week you are going to run into this problem, you are going to cut Medicare. There are billions of dollars of wasted spending in that reconciliation bill that could actually offset those cuts. We should be considering that.

Let me turn now to the Violence Against Women Act, Madam Speaker. I have been one of the strongest supporters of that legislation since I arrived in Congress, and I particularly am pleased with some of the measures dealing with Native American women, particularly some of the changes in this bill that extend it to children, that extend it to Tribal law enforcement officers. Those are good changes.

But there are other measures coupled with it dealing with the Second Amendment or dealing with, frankly, people that are not biologically female that will put this bill at risk on this floor and certainly in the United States Senate.

Madam Speaker, none of this was ever designed to become law. Two years ago, we made that mistake. Three years ago, actually, a little over two years ago, in 2018, and none of the good things happened. Let's not make that mistake again. Let's reject this rule. Let's modify these bills. Let's send the Senate something it can work with and pass. If we do that, we have a chance of not making a point, but of actually making law that benefits every single American.

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