On the recordJune 8, 2012
I am pleased we are considering the fiscal year 2013 Legislative Branch appropriations bill. Chairman Crenshaw has been collegial in the development of this bill, and I appreciate his willingness to accept our input throughout the process. The chairman's mark before us funds the legislative branch at $3.3 billion, a cut of 1 percent from fiscal year 2012, and this does not include Senate items. Even with a lower allocation, Chairman Crenshaw was able to level-fund and even increase several areas important to the operation of the legislative branch. The House, overall, is held flat at $1.225 billion. The Capitol Police will receive $360 million, a nearly 6 percent increase. The Congressional Budget Office is funded at $44.3 million, at $493,000 above the fiscal year 2012 level. And the Government Accountability Office is funded at $519.8 million--$8.5 million, or nearly 2 percent, above fiscal year 2012. While the levels are adequate for some agencies, the allocation required the subcommittee to propose no funding to continue the rehabilitation of the Capitol dome, this Nation's great symbol of democracy. This bill's lack of funding for this critical project is a direct result of the House Republicans' unilateral decision to cast aside the funding levels agreed to under the Budget Control Act. The majority's decision required the Appropriations Committee to absorb $19 billion in reductions across all of the bills.…
