The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2017” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H3280-H3283 on May 26, 2016.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT,
2017
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 743 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill, H.R. 5055.
Will the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ribble) kindly take the chair.
{time} 1030
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill (H.R. 5055) making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, and for other purposes, with Mr. Ribble (Acting Chair) in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The Acting CHAIR. When the Committee of the Whole House rose on May 25, 2016, an amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. DeSantis) had been disposed of and the bill had been read through 80, line 15.
Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I move that the Committee do now rise and report the bill back to the House with sundry amendments, with the recommendation that the amendments be agreed to and that the bill, as amended, do pass.
The motion was agreed to.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Lucas) having assumed the chair, Mr. Ribble Acting Chair of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5055) making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, and for other purposes, directed him to report the bill back to the House with sundry amendments adopted in the Committee of the Whole, with the recommendation that the amendments be agreed to and that the bill, as amended, do pass.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under House Resolution 743, the previous question is ordered.
Is a separate vote demanded on any amendment reported from the Committee of the Whole? If not, the Chair will put them en gros.
The amendments were agreed to.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was read the third time.
Motion to Recommit
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentleman opposed to the bill?
Mr. LANGEVIN. I am opposed to the bill in its current form.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to recommit.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. Langevin moves to recommit the bill H.R. 5055 to the Committee on Appropriations with instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith with the following amendment:
In the ``Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation'' account on page 53, line 11, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by
$20,000,000)''.
In the ``Federal Salaries and Expenses'' account on page 54, line 14, after the dollar amount relating to the National Nuclear Security Administration, insert ``(reduced by
$20,000,000)''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Rhode Island is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which would not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, this amendment is simple. It adds $20 million to nuclear nonproliferation accounts so that nuclear materials do not fall into the wrong hands.
The possibility that terrorists or rogue nations will acquire nuclear weapons, fissile material, or radiological material that could be used in a dirty bomb are among the gravest threats facing our Nation and the international community.
Right now, luckily--though there are, of course, exceptions--these most dangerous weapons are in the hands of responsible actors. We cannot allow that dynamic to shift, and we must ensure that these weapons never fall into the hands of bad actors who would seek to do us or the rest of the international community harm.
However, today, there is more fissile material in the world than at any other time in our history, and the bad actors are taking notice. According to several studies conducted at Harvard, at least two terrorist groups--al Qaeda and the Japanese terror cult Aum Shinrikyo--
have made serious efforts to buy, steal, or otherwise obtain nuclear weapons in recent years.
There is clear evidence that ISIL would, if given the opportunity, strive to do us great harm. After all, it only takes a grapefruit-sized amount of highly enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon, and there are hundreds of metric tons of material out there, some of which is still vulnerable to theft. Now, according to reports, ISIL has been monitoring a senior official of a Belgian facility, by way of example, with substantial stocks of highly enriched uranium.
We absolutely cannot assume the risk that the United States would be ambushed by a rogue nuclear threat, and we must not leave ourselves exposed to a threat that would forever change our American way of life. While we can never protect against every threat, we can, however, mitigate it by working with our international partners, Federal agencies, national laboratories, and the private sector to more quickly secure and eliminate vulnerable nuclear materials.
Small investments, such as the ones offered in this amendment, can yield significant national security benefits. By moving $20 million into the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation account, we would ultimately make our country--and the world--a safer place to live.
Mr. Speaker, Congress has worked across the aisle on this issue many times before, and we have seen some incredible success stories that have a profound impact on the security of our nuclear materials.
During the fiscal year 2012 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill, the House approved an amendment--by a voice vote, no less--offered by Congressman Fortenberry and Congresswoman Sanchez to do exactly what this motion to recommit seeks to do today.
Their amendment to increase appropriations for the Global Threat Reduction Initiative under the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation account was enthusiastically supported on both sides of this Chamber, securing an important bipartisan victory for the international effort to secure vulnerable fissile material and keeping our Nation safe from the threat of nuclear terrorism.
Mr. Speaker, this House did not cower when faced with this challenge back then, and we must not do so today. Let today be another one of those bipartisan success stories. Let us redouble our efforts to prevent the proliferation and catastrophic abuse of sensitive nuclear materials and technologies across the globe and here at home.
I beseech my fellow Members, adopt this amendment, keep our Nation safe, and deny the nuclear terrorists who would seek to do us harm their own success story.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Idaho is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5055, is a good bill that invests
$37.4 billion in priorities we can all support--national security, critical water resources, infrastructure projects for our districts, and energy independence--through an all-of-the-above approach.
First and foremost, this legislation is a defense bill. $19.44 billion out of the 37.4 billion, or 51 percent, is dedicated toward our national security. Carrying out our Nation's nuclear deterrence mission is, in part, the responsibility of the Department of Energy; while DOD provides delivery vehicles and operators, DOE provides nuclear warheads themselves.
Congress provides funding for this critical defense mission through the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. As we drafted this bill, we carefully considered 2,700 Member requests. This legislation addresses 95 percent of those requests in one form or another. This included four requests from Democratic Members to fund nonproliferation programs at the budget request level of $1.8 billion, which this bill does.
I agree that nonproliferation is a critical part of our overall nuclear defense strategy. We need to be doing everything we can to keep dangerous nuclear materials away from rogue nations and terrorists. Extra funding for DOE nonproliferation programs, however, is not the only way to do this. We must also provide for a strong defense capability, and this bill accomplishes that.
While I appreciate the passion for the nonproliferation and securing these materials abroad, I would also like to see the same passion for securing these materials at home. While the prospect of a terrorist getting hold of nuclear materials in the Middle East, Africa, or East Asia is terrifying, the prospect of them getting ahold of these materials in Tennessee, Texas, or California is even more so.
In 2012, three peace activists--a drifter, an 82-year-old nun, and a house painter--penetrated the exterior of the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee, supposedly one of the most secure nuclear facilities in the United States. If they had been terrorists armed with explosives, that scenario would be frightening to imagine. That is why this funding in this bill is so critical.
The bill increases funding $30 million above the request to improve security at aging nuclear weapons facilities to make sure our own nuclear materials are secure on our home soil and address a backlog of
$2 billion in security upgrades needed at nuclear weapons facilities.
In a tight fiscal environment, we need to be making these investments at our own nuclear facilities, not spending American taxpayer dollars to perform work in Russia's nuclear facilities.
In addition to these investments, the bill also continues prohibitions on funding for nonproliferation projects in Russia, which is spending billions of dollars on its own nuclear modernization.
In all, this is a fiscally responsible, economically smart, and critically important national security bill. It deserves to be passed quickly without further changes or delays.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this motion and to support the underlying bill.
Lastly, let me say, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate every Member of this body, on both sides of the aisle, for the 2 days of debate we have put in for the amendments that we have debated and the respectful debate that we have had on a lot of important issues. It has been a good debate, and I look forward to seeing my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who had some of their amendments adopted now voting for this bill because of the amendments that were adopted in the Committee of the Whole.
So I would urge my colleagues to vote against this motion to recommit and vote for passage of the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 and clause 9 of rule XX, this 15-minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by 5-minute votes on passage of H.R. 5055; ordering the previous question on House Resolution 751; and adoption of House Resolution 751, if ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 178, nays 236, not voting 19, as follows:
YEAS--178
AdamsAguilarAshfordBassBeattyBecerraBeraBeyerBishop (GA)BlumenauerBonamiciBoyle, Brendan F.Brady (PA)Brown (FL)Brownley (CA)BustosButterfieldCappsCapuanoCarneyCarson (IN)CartwrightCastor (FL)Chu, JudyCicillineClark (MA)Clarke (NY)ClayCleaverClyburnCohenConnollyConyersCooperCourtneyCrowleyCuellarCummingsDavis (CA)Davis, DannyDeFazioDeGetteDelaneyDeLauroDelBeneDeSaulnierDeutchDingellDoggettDoyle, Michael F.DuckworthEdwardsEllisonEngelEshooEstyFarrFosterFrankel (FL)FudgeGabbardGallegoGaramendiGrahamGraysonGreen, AlGreen, GeneGrijalvaGutierrezHahnHastingsHeck (WA)HigginsHimesHinojosaHondaHoyerHuffmanIsraelJackson LeeJeffriesJohnson, E. B.KapturKeatingKelly (IL)KennedyKildeeKilmerKindKirkpatrickKusterLangevinLarsen (WA)Larson (CT)LawrenceLeeLevinLewisLieu, TedLipinskiLoebsackLofgrenLowenthalLoweyLujan Grisham (NM)Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)LynchMaloney, CarolynMaloney, SeanMatsuiMcCollumMcDermottMcGovernMcNerneyMeeksMengMooreMoultonMurphy (FL)NadlerNapolitanoNealNolanNorcrossPallonePascrellPaynePelosiPerlmutterPetersPetersonPingreePocanPolisPrice (NC)QuigleyRichmondRoybal-AllardRuizRuppersbergerRushRyan (OH)Sanchez, Linda T.Sanchez, LorettaSarbanesSchakowskySchiffSchraderScott (VA)Scott, DavidSerranoSewell (AL)ShermanSinemaSiresSlaughterSmith (WA)SpeierSwalwell (CA)TakanoThompson (CA)Thompson (MS)TitusTonkoTorresTsongasVan HollenVargasVeaseyVelaVelazquezViscloskyWalzWasserman SchultzWaters, MaxineWatson ColemanWelchWilson (FL)
NAYS--236
AbrahamAderholtAllenAmashAmodeiBabinBarlettaBarrBartonBenishekBilirakisBishop (MI)Bishop (UT)BlackBlackburnBlumBostBoustanyBrady (TX)BratBridenstineBrooks (AL)Brooks (IN)BuchananBuckBucshonBurgessByrneCalvertCarter (GA)Carter (TX)ChabotChaffetzClawson (FL)CoffmanColeCollins (GA)Collins (NY)ComstockConawayCookCostaCostello (PA)CrawfordCrenshawCulbersonCurbelo (FL)Davis, RodneyDenhamDentDeSantisDesJarlaisDiaz-BalartDoldDonovanDuncan (SC)Duncan (TN)Ellmers (NC)Emmer (MN)FarentholdFitzpatrickFleischmannFlemingFloresForbesFortenberryFoxxFrelinghuysenGarrettGibbsGibsonGohmertGoodlatteGosarGowdyGrangerGraves (GA)Graves (LA)Graves (MO)GriffithGrothmanGuintaGuthrieHardyHarperHarrisHartzlerHeck (NV)HensarlingHice, Jody B.HillHoldingHudsonHuelskampHuizenga (MI)HultgrenHunterHurd (TX)Hurt (VA)IssaJenkins (WV)Johnson (OH)Johnson, SamJollyJonesJordanJoyceKatkoKelly (MS)Kelly (PA)King (IA)King (NY)Kinzinger (IL)KlineKnightLabradorLaHoodLaMalfaLanceLattaLoBiondoLongLoudermilkLoveLucasLuetkemeyerLummisMacArthurMarchantMarinoMassieMcCarthyMcCaulMcClintockMcHenryMcKinleyMcMorris RodgersMcSallyMeadowsMeehanMesserMicaMiller (FL)Miller (MI)MoolenaarMooney (WV)MullinMulvaneyMurphy (PA)NeugebauerNewhouseNoemNugentNunesOlsonPalazzoPalmerPaulsenPearcePerryPittengerPittsPoe (TX)PoliquinPompeoPoseyPrice, TomRatcliffeReedReichertRenacciRibbleRice (SC)RigellRobyRoe (TN)Rogers (AL)Rogers (KY)RohrabacherRokitaRooney (FL)Ros-LehtinenRoskamRossRothfusRouzerRoyceRussellSalmonSanfordScaliseSchweikertScott, AustinSensenbrennerSessionsShimkusShusterSimpsonSmith (MO)Smith (NE)Smith (NJ)Smith (TX)StefanikStewartStiversStutzmanThompson (PA)ThornberryTiberiTiptonTrottTurnerUptonValadaoWagnerWalbergWaldenWalkerWalorskiWalters, MimiWeber (TX)Webster (FL)WenstrupWestermanWestmorelandWilliamsWilson (SC)WittmanWomackWoodallYoderYohoYoung (AK)Young (IA)Young (IN)Zeldin
NOT VOTING--19
CardenasCastro (TX)CramerDuffyFattahFincherFranks (AZ)HannaHerrera BeutlerJenkins (KS)Johnson (GA)LambornO'RourkeRangelRice (NY)TakaiWhitfieldYarmuthZinke
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). There are 2 minutes remaining.
{time} 1103
Messrs. POE of Texas, SHUSTER, and ROHRABACHER changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, and Ms. McCOLLUM changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the motion to recommit was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
Under clause 10 of rule XX, the yeas and nays are ordered.
This will be a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 112, nays 305, not voting 16, as follows:
YEAS--112
AshfordBarrBenishekBishop (UT)BoustanyBrady (TX)Brooks (IN)BucshonByrneCalvertCarter (GA)Carter (TX)ChaffetzCoffmanColeCollins (NY)ComstockCookCostaCostello (PA)CrenshawCuellarCulbersonCurbelo (FL)Davis, RodneyDenhamDentDiaz-BalartDoldDonovanEmmer (MN)FitzpatrickFoxxFrelinghuysenGibbsGibsonGrangerGreen, GeneGrothmanHardyHillHunterHurd (TX)Hurt (VA)IssaJenkins (WV)Johnson (OH)JollyJoyceKatkoKing (NY)Kinzinger (IL)KlineKnightLaHoodLanceLoBiondoLoveLummisMacArthurMassieMcCarthyMcClintockMcHenryMcKinleyMcMorris RodgersMcSallyMeehanMesserNewhouseNunesPaulsenPetersonPoliquinPompeoPrice, TomReedReichertRenacciRigellRogers (KY)RohrabacherRokitaRooney (FL)Ros-LehtinenRoyceSalmonScaliseSchweikertShimkusSimpsonSmith (NE)Smith (NJ)StefanikStewartStiversThornberryTiberiTiptonTurnerUptonValadaoVelaWaldenWalters, MimiWilson (SC) WomackWoodallYoung (AK)Young (IA)Young (IN)Zeldin
NAYS--305
AbrahamAdamsAderholtAguilarAllenAmashAmodeiBabinBarlettaBartonBassBeattyBecerraBeraBeyerBilirakisBishop (GA)Bishop (MI)BlackBlackburnBlumBlumenauerBonamiciBostBoyle, Brendan F.Brady (PA)BratBridenstineBrooks (AL)Brown (FL)Brownley (CA)BuchananBuckBurgessBustosButterfieldCappsCapuanoCarneyCarson (IN)CartwrightCastor (FL)ChabotChu, JudyCicillineClark (MA)Clarke (NY)Clawson (FL)ClayCleaverClyburnCohenCollins (GA)ConawayConnollyConyersCooperCourtneyCrawfordCrowleyCummingsDavis (CA)Davis, DannyDeFazioDeGetteDelaneyDeLauroDelBeneDeSantisDeSaulnierDesJarlaisDeutchDingellDoggettDoyle, Michael F.DuckworthDuncan (SC)Duncan (TN)EdwardsEllisonEllmers (NC)EngelEshooEstyFarentholdFarrFleischmannFlemingFloresForbesFortenberryFosterFrankel (FL)Franks (AZ)FudgeGabbardGallegoGaramendiGarrettGohmertGoodlatteGosarGowdyGrahamGraves (GA)Graves (LA)Graves (MO)GraysonGreen, AlGriffithGrijalvaGuintaGuthrieGutierrezHahnHarperHarrisHartzlerHastingsHeck (NV)Heck (WA)HensarlingHice, Jody B.HigginsHimesHinojosaHoldingHondaHoyerHudsonHuelskampHuffmanHuizenga (MI)HultgrenIsraelJackson LeeJeffriesJohnson (GA)Johnson, E. B.Johnson, SamJonesJordanKapturKeatingKelly (IL)Kelly (MS)Kelly (PA)KennedyKildeeKilmerKindKing (IA)KirkpatrickKusterLabradorLaMalfaLangevinLarsen (WA)Larson (CT)LattaLawrenceLeeLevinLewisLieu, TedLipinskiLoebsackLofgrenLongLoudermilkLowenthalLoweyLucasLuetkemeyerLujan Grisham (NM)Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)LynchMaloney, CarolynMaloney, SeanMarchantMarinoMatsuiMcCaulMcCollumMcDermottMcGovernMcNerneyMeadowsMeeksMengMicaMiller (FL)Miller (MI)MoolenaarMooney (WV)MooreMoultonMullinMulvaneyMurphy (FL)Murphy (PA)NadlerNapolitanoNealNeugebauerNoemNolanNorcrossNugentOlsonPalazzoPallonePalmerPascrellPaynePearcePelosiPerlmutterPerryPetersPingreePittengerPittsPocanPoe (TX)PolisPoseyPrice (NC)QuigleyRangelRatcliffeRibbleRice (SC)RichmondRobyRoe (TN)Rogers (AL)RoskamRossRothfusRouzerRoybal-AllardRuizRuppersbergerRushRussellRyan (OH)Sanchez, Linda T.Sanchez, LorettaSanfordSarbanesSchakowskySchiffSchraderScott (VA)Scott, AustinScott, DavidSensenbrennerSerranoSessionsSewell (AL)ShermanShusterSinemaSiresSlaughterSmith (MO)Smith (TX)Smith (WA)SpeierStutzmanSwalwell (CA)TakanoThompson (CA)Thompson (MS)Thompson (PA)TitusTonkoTorresTrottTsongasVan HollenVargasVeaseyVelazquezViscloskyWagnerWalbergWalkerWalorskiWalzWasserman SchultzWaters, MaxineWatson ColemanWeber (TX)Webster (FL)WelchWenstrupWestermanWestmorelandWilliamsWilson (FL)WittmanYoderYoho
NOT VOTING--16
CardenasCastro (TX)CramerDuffyFattahFincherHannaHerrera BeutlerJenkins (KS)LambornO'RourkeRice (NY)TakaiWhitfieldYarmuthZinke
{time} 1112
So the bill was not passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________
