Celia Israel: “I believe that our colleagues will be treated to a rare display of bipartisan harmony on this amendment. Mr. Chair, I…”

“I believe that our colleagues will be treated to a rare display of bipartisan harmony on this amendment. Mr. Chair, I strongly oppose the amendment. Look, this is not a perfect bill, and there are clear differences on this amendment, but we should not be underfunding what, in my view, is already underfunded. If this amendment were to pass, we are looking at fewer patients that would be seen at the Indian Health Service, fewer safety inspectors ensuring that accidents do not occur, and deferred maintenance on our Nation's drinking water and sanitation infrastructure. More generally, Mr. Chairman, investments in our environmental infrastructure and our public lands will be halted, and jobs will be lost. The bill is already underfunded in my view, and this amendment would not encourage the agencies to do more with less. Simply put, it would force agencies and our constituents to do less with less. I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.”