Lois Capps: “Yesterday, I was dismayed to see the Interior, Environment Appropriations Subcommittee approve a 2014 funding bill that…”

“Yesterday, I was dismayed to see the Interior, Environment Appropriations Subcommittee approve a 2014 funding bill that cuts EPA funding by 34 percent. Such a drastic, unnecessary cut would prevent EPA from addressing critical air quality, water quality, and climate change issues that have direct impacts on human health. As everyone knows by now, we are already feeling the impacts of climate change--stronger storms, more severe droughts, hotter heat waves. But it's our children and our grandchildren who will bear the brunt of these impacts in the future. Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change. We've already seen that there are higher rates of asthma and infectious diseases in children. These proposed cuts to EPA will only make things worse. Mr. Speaker, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to act now to protect our children and our grandchildren from the impacts of climate change. I urge my colleagues, let's stop these shortsighted political games and start taking action to address climate change and protect the long- term health of future generations. ____________________”