THE DAILY WHIP: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

**Members are advised that today, the House is only expected to consider the Rule for H.R. 5781. The House will consider debate and vote on passage of the bill next week.  

H.Res. 770 – Rule Providing for Consideration of the Motion to Concur in Senate Amendment with an Amendment to H.R. 3979– National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Rep. McKeon – Armed Services)(Rep. McKeon – Armed Services), H.R. 5759 – “Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act” (Rep. Yoho – Judiciary) and H.R. 5781 – California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014 (Rep. Valadao – Natural Resources) (One Hour of Debate). The Rules Committee has recommended one Rule which provides for consideration of three measures.

For the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3979, the Rules committee has recommended a closed Rule that provides for one hour of general debate on a motion to concur, equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Armed Services.  The Rule also waives all points of order against the motion to concur.

For H.R. 5759, the Rules Committee has recommended a closed Rule that provides for one hour of general debate equally divided between the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Judiciary. The Rule allows one motion to recommit, with or without instructions, and waives all points of order against the resolution.

For H.R. 5781, the Rules Committee has recommended a closed Rule that provides for one hour of general debate equally divided between the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Natural Resources. The Rule allows one motion to recommit, with or without instructions, and waives all points of order against the resolution.

The Rules Committee rejected a motion by Ms. Slaughter of New York to consider H.R. 5759 and H.R. 5781 under open Rules.  The Committee also rejected motions to make in order a number of Democratic amendments. Members are urged to VOTE NO.

Motion to Concur in Senate Amendment with an Amendment to H.R. 3979– National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Rep. McKeon – Armed Services) (One Hour of Debate). The bill would provide for the authorization of funding for the Department of Defense and other related agencies, programs, and operations for Fiscal Year 2015. It authorizes approximately $513.4 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $495.9 billion for the Department of Defense base budget and $17.5 billion for the defense-related activities of the Department of Energy. It also authorizes $63.7 billion in discretionary budget authority for overseas contingency operations. The bill also rejects the Defense Department’s request for an additional round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) in 2017.

The bill supports a 1 percent pay increase for military personnel. It also includes important provisions related to sexual assault in the military and authorizes funding for suicide prevention programs among the Special Operations community.

The legislation maintains the current restriction on domestic transfers of Guantanamo detainees and prevents the use of funds for construction or modification of U.S. facilities to house Guantánamo detainees. It also places restrictions on military cooperation with Russia, including on nonproliferation matters.

The bill contains no Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).  To combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), this bill provides important authorities for the Department of Defense to train and equip the Iraqi security forces and moderate elements of the Syrian opposition.

In addition, the bill contains a bipartisan package of parks, wilderness and conservation provisions, and land conveyances.

Text of the Amendment to H.R. 3979:
PDF Version

H.R. 5759 – “Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act” (Rep. Yoho – Judiciary) (One Hour of Debate). This bill is being brought to the Floor as a direct response to President Obama’s executive action to address our broken immigration system. President Obama’s actions provide smarter enforcement at the border, prioritize deporting felons – not families – and allow certain undocumented immigrants, including the parents of U.S. citizens and lawful residents, who pass a criminal background check and pay taxes to temporarily stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation.

The President has the legal authority to take these actions under the Constitution and the Immigration and Nationality Act. In fact, every President for over half a century, Democrat and Republican, has taken executive action on immigration. Most prominently, Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush created the Family Fairness Program which was estimated to protect in excess of 1 million undocumented immigrants.

This bill is a dangerous and hastily drafted attempt to override the President’s authority. While aimed at President Obama’s November 20 executive actions, H.R. 5759 would override any future president’s exercise of prosecutorial or other immigration authority. The bill is drafted so broadly it would prevent the President from protecting discrete categories of individuals facing unique dangers as other Presidents have done in the past.

It has been over 500 days since the Senate passed its comprehensive immigration reform bill with a strong, bipartisan 68-32 vote. The bipartisan Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill would provide security for families and an earned pathway to citizenship that also allows immigrants who want to serve in our armed forces to become citizens. It would also reduce our deficit by nearly $1 trillion.

Democrats support the executive action that President Obama has taken, but recognize that it does not take the place of legislative action. If Speaker Boehner is serious about “letting the House work its will,” then he should schedule a vote on the Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform bill immediately. At a time when our nation is facing serious challenges that require Congress to act, it is irresponsible to focus on partisan gimmickry at the expense of making real progress. Members are urged to VOTE NO.

Bill Text for H.R. 5759:
PDF Version

Postponed Suspension (1 bill)

1. H.Res. 758 – Strongly condemning the actions of the Russian Federation, under Vladimir Putin, which has carried out a policy of aggression against neighboring countries aimed at political and economic domination, as amended(Rep. Kinzinger – Foreign Affairs)