Heidi Alexander: “As we decide whether or not the President of the United States should have the authority to propose cuts to funding that…”

“As we decide whether or not the President of the United States should have the authority to propose cuts to funding that Congress appropriates money to, I cannot help but be gravely concerned about how he may use those powers. While I, as much as anyone here, agrees that our government must constrain and cut the unnecessary expenditures, I fear that giving the President certain powers to take away that which Congress has given would severely harm certain States and regions whose needs the President may not fully understand. Of particular concern to me, Mr. Chairman, is the importance of the water resources, the projects across this country that are vitally important to our national security and economy. With this in mind, I believe that a line must be drawn when it comes to the President's authority to propose a rescission to the budget of the Army Corps of Engineers, an agency that's older than our Nation itself. The Corps of Engineers helped General Washington win the Revolutionary War. The Corps of Engineers carries out water resource projects throughout the United States, including projects that protect citizens from flood hazards and keep commercial waterways navigable. These projects are important. They are important to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The congressional appropriations for the Corps typically exceed what the President's requests have been.…”