Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I also thank Chairman Frelinghuysen and former Chairman Dent for their hard work on the bill. Mr. Chair, I recognize Chairman Carter for taking up the reins on this bill. It is not an easy, carefree situation to come in and take over after a bill has been completely written and then have to manage it. But I am confident, given the track record that I have seen Chairman Carter have, that it is going to be an absolute pleasure to work with him, as it has been all throughout my tenure on the Appropriations Committee. As you all know, the MILCON-VA bill has a strong reputation for common ground and bipartisanship. Chairman Dent set a cooperative tone and was inclusive throughout the process before his retirement. The MILCON portion of the bill is up by $241 million over last year's enacted level. In my opinion, the fiscal year 2019 request adequately provides funding for both the Active and Reserve components. One item that I want to point out in the MILCON portion of the bill is new funding for enhancing security and safety. The bill includes $150 million for enhancing much-needed force protection and safety concerns at military installations. Too often, we had situations where these projects were deferred for big-ticket items and then never made it into the request. For the Department of Veterans Affairs, title 2 is $3.9 billion over, for a 5 percent increase above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. Mr.…”