On the recordDecember 10, 2019
I thank Representative Morelle for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this week, Democrats have scheduled a series of bills on the House floor in the name of combating climate change that are actually retreads of the programs that are already authorized and actions that are already being taken by the Federal Government. H.R. 729 is clear proof that the Democrats have no agency and have no priorities other than to impeach the President of the United States. Most of the bills included in this package duplicate existing authority that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife already have. Most authorizations of appropriations in the bill package are, therefore, unnecessary and are higher than current levels being spent. NOAA, the agency that would be responsible for carrying out most of this legislation, stated in testimony that it can do and is doing most all of these functions under current law. This package also creates a precedent of having a city, Washington, D.C., and a non-coastal one at that, as participating in the Coastal Zone Management Act. There is a real threat that this would give D.C. veto power over Federal actions affecting its coastal zone once it develops an approved coastal zone management program.…
