National Nuclear Security Administration Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014

Floor Speech

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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, my amendment is a long-overdue commonsense improvement that has bipartisan support in this House and has the majority of support of the American people. If my amendment passes, it will end this costly and irresponsible government shutdown and reopen the entire Federal Government so that we may once again appropriately serve the American people.

As written, the bill before us offers the men, women, and children we represent little comfort. This piecemeal approach to funding the government is hurting folks in all of our districts. How can we commit to protecting nuclear security but not commit to the security of our Federal Government by completely funding it? How can we protect nuclear weapons but furlough our intelligence personnel who serve on the front lines in defending us from terrorist attacks? Why are we paying hardworking Federal employees, who want to get back to work, to stay at home and not to do the job our Nation depends on them to do?

As we sit here voting to fund bills bit by bit, our constituents are being dealt the full blow and consequences of this shutdown. They can't afford for this shutdown to drag on as we mull over whether it is more important to get our food inspectors back on the job or for America's veterans to have their benefits claims processed.

The piecemeal approach isn't working. The gimmicks must stop.

As we discussed nuclear weapon security, I was reminded of the movie ``War Games.'' This was the eighties movie with Matthew Broderick as the slacker hacker facing off against a supercomputer that was programmed to go to war when it doesn't even know what it is fighting for.

I will allow a quick second for a ``spoiler alert'' and summarize: after several failed attempts at starting a global nuclear war, the computer runs through all the possible scenarios--all of which end in stalemates--before it discovers the concept of mutually assured destruction, the very simple concept that the war it was trying to launch was an exercise in futility because it would destroy the U.S. in the process.

``A strange game,'' the computer says. ``The only winning move is not to play.'' And that is where we find ourselves as a Nation, heading toward a mutually assured destruction at the hands of an ideological few, programmed to go to war when they don't even know the risk of the game they are playing and the consequences of their fight.

We have had a week go by without the lessons resonating that there are no winners in the funding scenarios that have been brought to the floor, and the American people are losing out worst of all.

But this isn't a game. This is reality. This isn't a fictional eighties movie. This is the United States of America in October of 2013.

For the past week, we have pursued a fundamentally inept method for reopening the government. Today we need to pay particular attention to one number, 79. That is how many different appropriations bills the House and Senate will have to pass to fund the full nondefense portion of the Federal Government, given the rate of funding and the bills passed or announced in the House of Representatives so far.

The men, women, and children in my district--in all of our districts--are dealing with the taxing reality of a shut-down government. We can't cherry-pick who to fund and who not to fund bit by bit.

I ask all of you to vote ``yes'' on this motion because Congress has a duty to offer the security of a functional government to our families, our veterans, and our economy. Vote ``yes'' on this motion. Vote ``yes'' to open up all of our government right now.

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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, doesn't the bill before us fund a portion of the Federal Government? My motion to recommit would open up the entire Federal Government so that all of the benefits that the taxpayers have paid for with their hard-earned dollars are available.

Can the Chair explain why it is not germane to open up all of the government instead of just a portion of the government? Mr. Speaker, if you rule this motion out of order, does that mean we will not have a chance to keep the entire Federal Government open today? Can the Chair please explain why we can't keep the entire Federal Government open today?

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New Jersey makes a point of order that the instructions proposed in the motion to recommit offered by the gentlewoman from Illinois are not germane.

The joint resolution extends funding relating to the National Nuclear Security Administration. The instructions in the motion propose an order of business of the House.

As the Chair most recently ruled on October 10, 2013, a motion to recommit proposing an order of business of the House is not germane to a measure providing for the appropriation of funds because such motion addresses a matter within the jurisdiction of a committee not represented in the underlying measure.

Therefore, the instructions propose a non-germane amendment. The point of order is sustained.

Ms. KELLY of Illinois. I appeal the ruling of the Chair.

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