So you are proposing to spend that money without congressional authority.

The USDA seems to have a much better grasp on conservation, whereas the Department of the Interior seems to embrace preservation.

Let me say that I remain disappointed that the Service has been unwilling to support the need for a Congressional authorization of new national wildlife refuges.

I would use a scalpel--I wouldn't use a meat-ax with that--because you want an agency to be able to move quickly.

a government that governs closest governs best.

Now, first of all I will ask. This is a two part question, and I would love to hear from anybody on the panel on this.

It doesn't appear that there is very good access. That is the whole problem.

So the question is why can't we divert these kind of funds towards a restoration and access rather than running out there and stuffing money in people's pockets, which seems to me to be significantly unnecessary?

If we put that back into congressional approval we could make it statutory where access would be required.

For many of us, our families have been here for generations, and we wish to have a Florida that our descendants may enjoy in similar fashion.

I want to take issue, and maybe this is a distinction without a difference, Ms. Jacobson, with your statement that this is not taxpayer money.

It is my hope that the Service will provide us with assurances, if not a guarantee, that wildlife dependent recreation will be permitted within the entire Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge if it is created.

the production levels have dropped and they continue down.

It seems that despite the fact that the involved federal agencies have a two-decade track record of over 60 uncompleted projects, they have an insatiable appetite to acquire more land, and to restrict recreational access to the public.

That is precisely why I voted against the Budget Control Act, because I knew we would be here today talking about these problems.

$465 billion in cuts that you are barely able to swallow and now we are talking about plussing that up to maybe a full trillion dollars over 10 years.

As we draw down and as we come out of Afghanistan and other places, it is imperative that we continue to improve our jewels of our training programs.

I appreciate the courtesy of the Committee to allow me to participate.