Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of Flake amendment No. 3820, which would lower the construction appropriation for the U.S. Corps of Engineers by just under $69 million and eliminate funding for environmental infrastructure projects. Ostensibly, the Corps of Engineers uses these funds to build water supply, water treatment, and wastewater projects. I am not here to argue against the need for environmental infrastructure projects. There are a great many municipalities that consider these projects essential and have made an effort to fund them on their own. That is usually done through a combination of utility bills and municipal bonds. Typically, the users pay for this. However, despite the fact that these projects have traditionally been funded by State and local governments, Federal support is actually duplicative. The Federal Government already offers resources for similar projects through the EPA. Specifically, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs provide States with low-interest loans based on the merits of these projects and the needs of the communities. Taxpayers deserve better than to be expected to provide the U.S. Corps of Engineers $69 million it never asked for to fund projects they already support in a program that has been described by many as a slush fund for parochial interests. That is certainly how the program started years ago.…”