Political Quotes

“I rise to speak on the amendment I have filed to the House continuing resolution, House Joint Resolution 117, which we are currently considering. I understand that House and Senate leadership came to an agreement that seeks to keep the government running for the next 6 months and I want to applaud their willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion to reach an agreement that avoids a government shutdown. Still, after the House passed this funding bill, I was greatly concerned that emergency funding for Colorado and other states impacted by natural disasters this year was left out. In my state, these funds are essential to protecting and restoring critical watersheds that were damaged by the most devastating wildfires in Colorado's history--which if left unaddressed present serious flooding, landslide and other risks that threaten the lives of residents in our state. My amendment would provide the U.S. Department of Agriculture $27.9 million in emergency funding to mitigate watershed damage through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, or EWP, in areas that have been presidentially declared disaster areas as authorized under the Stafford Act. As of September 18, 2012, the USDA estimated $126.7 million in funding needs for EWP projects in 15 States. Of that total, $27.9 million is needed to mitigate the aftermath of presidentially declared disaster areas in Louisiana, Florida, Oklahoma and Colorado, as authorized under the Stafford Act.…”