Political Quotes

“I rise this morning to encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 2578, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill for fiscal year 2017. Before I discuss this bill, I want to take a few minutes to extend my condolences to all who lost loved ones in the horrific act of terrorism that took place over the weekend in Orlando, FL. The unthinkable act of violence underscores how critical it is for the Nation's law enforcement to have the tools they need to prevent future incidents and protect the American people. This bill funds important functions that are vital to our Nation's security, including law enforcement, immigration enforcement, cyber security, and severe-weather forecasting. I believe this bill reflects our strong bipartisan relationship on the Committee on Appropriations, and I thank my colleagues across the aisle for working with us to move the bill out of the committee. As chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee, I worked with my colleagues to provide critical funding for the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Justice, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation, among others. The Commerce-Justice-Science bill before us meets the subcommittee's allocation of $56.3 billion in discretionary spending. This level is $563 million above the fiscal year 2016 enacted amount and is $1.6 billion above the budget request.…”