On the recordNovember 17, 2011
I thank the chairman for this opportunity, and I really congratulate him. This is the first time in many years, since 2009, that we've actually come to the floor with a conference report. Think about that. Before, things just kind of came out of the blue, and we were forced to deal with them without having an opportunity to see them and without going through regular order. But this would have not happened without the leadership of our chairman, Chairman Rogers. I cannot thank you enough, sir, for, once again, making the people's House do its work and do it in a responsible way. I also want to commend the ranking member for working hand-in-hand with the chairman. Look, there is no denying that we are on an unsustainable path of borrowing too much and spending too much. In past appropriations bills, they were judged to be successful by how much more taxpayer money we were spending. I guess Congress felt good because we were spending more money. Well, that has changed dramatically. This bill actually cuts funding. It actually spends less than the previous year's level. So, again, it is a huge step in the right direction, but it also funds the essential services that the American people depend on. I want to recognize the work of Chairmen Kingston and Wolf, who have balanced the funding for necessary food safety and for, as an example, law enforcement. They also made some very difficult choices-- but necessary choices--to reduce spending.…
