Boy Scouts shouldn't get a merit badge for telling the truth, and Senators shouldn't get an award for passing an appropriations bill, because that is what we are supposed to do. But it is worth noting that for the first time in at least 10 years, these appropriations bills that we just passed are on time and within the budget Congress has set. With this vote today, we are moving toward restoring the practice of regular order in the Senate from start to finish. This is what the right way means: hearings--we held three. Mark up the bills--all 12 bills are completed before the Fourth of July recess. Consult with other Senators--in the case of the Energy and Water appropriations bills, 87 Senators, we believe, had their wishes reflected in our bill. Floor debate, amendment votes, then a conference committee, and then we had the vote today. I look forward to President Trump signing these appropriations bills into law. They will help to keep our country first in science, technology, and supercomputing, and they will build the ports and waterways that create jobs. This bill supports funding for several important agencies, including the Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Bureau of Reclamation, and regional commissions, including the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Delta Regional Authority.…
Share
More from Heidi Alexander
We'll start getting rid of the dreaded 'ironing board seats' so passengers can enjoy comfier, more pleasant journeys on some of Britain's busiest commuter routes.
I heard a lot about Doug Jones before he got here from another courageous former U.S. attorney, Hal Hardin from Nashville. I was not disappointed when he arrived. Doug Jones reminds me of another former Democrat who was very effective in…
I come to the floor to talk about COVID in two ways. The Senator from Tennessee, who is presiding today, will appreciate this. She and I have a regular call with Governor Lee, our Governor, and we just finished part of it. Her staff was on…
It’s something I think about quite a lot myself, in terms of this job being absolutely insane, in terms of the number of hours I have to work, and how do I build in a little bit of physical activity into my life.





