Heidi Alexander: “I thank the Senator from Texas for his leadership and for his comments. He is exactly right. Over the next 10 years…”

“I thank the Senator from Texas for his leadership and for his comments. He is exactly right. Over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office, that red line is projected to increase by nearly 80 percent--nearly 80 percent. The blue line--the one that is reasonably under control--will go up about 23 percent. But the bigger problem is that the blue line, as a share of the Federal budget, will decrease from 33 percent to 22 percent. That is the money for national defense in an unsafe world. That is the money for national laboratories in an economy that needs the job growth that comes from that research. That is the money that cleans up after the Missouri River, the Tennessee River, and the Mississippi River flood. It deepens the harbors in Savannah, Los Angeles, San Diego, Gulf Port, and all around. After a big spring flood, I have been to Environmental and Public Works Committee hearings where we have had 17 U.S. Senators come in and ask for more money. Well, we have record levels of funding for the Army Corps of Engineers in this budget for the purpose of locks, dams, flooding, and environmental cleanup, and it is all within the Budget Control Act. We set priorities. We reduced projects. We cut some out that weren't as important. And we have kept that blue line flat. We have done our job on financial oversight. There are a number of advantages to having a full 10 or 12 weeks to deal with appropriations bills.…”