OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

Date: Nov. 1, 2023
Location: Washington, DC

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the House Republican 2024 Legislative Branch funding bill.

This bill falls short of ensuring we can continue to grow a strong and well-functioning legislative branch that is essential to our democracy.

As an institution, we should be increasing our ability to serve our constituents and recruit and retain talented staff and United States Capitol Police officers. We should not merely be treading water.

This bill eliminates the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and does nothing to facilitate the use of funds for collective bargaining rights for congressional staffers.

This bill also does not allow legislative branch agencies to employ individuals who are authorized for employment under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, DACA.

We made progress in the last Congress, but this bill will take us backwards.

Ranking Member Espaillat said during the markup of this bill, but I believe it is a point that we should emphasize again today: We all have an obligation to make sure that our staff, whether they serve here in Washington, D.C., or if they serve in our home districts, are safe.

I support my colleague's efforts to increase funding to bolster that safety.

This bill is not an appropriate venue for divisive and partisan language, especially the extreme and offensive culture wars riders that House Republicans have placed in each one of the appropriations bills that we have considered.

We should be working together to ensure that the Congress is able to serve the American people, complete the people's business safely, securely, and efficiently, our political differences notwithstanding.

Bipartisan, bicameral legislation is required to keep the government open. Otherwise, the President will not sign a bill. Bipartisan, bicameral legislation is required to fully fund the legislative branch. It is time for House Republicans to abandon a partisan path to nowhere and to join House Democrats at the negotiation table.

We have wasted enough time. Let us move forward. We are here. We are ready to get to work for the American people.

For all of these reasons, I cannot support this bill, and I ask others not to support it.

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