Political Quotes

“Before I begin my comments on this amendment, I want to thank the chairman for including my other amendment regarding volunteer and State wildfire assistance en bloc earlier today. While a great deal of attention is being paid to Hurricane Harvey and Irma, the West is also being ravaged by wildfires, costing hundreds of millions of dollars and lives. My amendment with Representatives Renacci and King that passed makes sure that States and local governments will have a little bit more resources with their volunteer fire departments to fight those fires, and I appreciate that. Madam Chair, this amendment that is at the desk would address the really unsound plan by the EPA to close down their regional field offices. My amendment would prevent this plan from occurring by preventing funds from going to the closure of regional Environmental Protection Agency offices. We already know that the new EPA leadership has its priorities backwards, focused on how they can help fossil fuels and coal and oil rather than the congressionally mandated responsibility of keeping our air and water clean and helping to keep people healthy. So earlier this year, when the President's budget included closing ten regional Environmental Protection Agency offices and reports began to surface in April that Secretary Pruitt was looking to close the Region 5 office, which covers the upper Midwest, I was disappointed, hence, this action that I am taking here today with this amendment.…”