On the recordMay 8, 2012
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment would reduce the budget for the salaries and expenses of the Marine Mammal Commission by just 6 percent. The underlying bill is suggesting that Congress allot the same amount of Federal funding for the Marine Mammal Commission as last year--more than $3 million--when, in fact, every other office on Capitol Hill endured a 6 percent cut just this year. It seems only fair that in the midst of our current economic crisis we should ask Federal Commissions without any extreme need or urgent purposes to bear the same reductions. I believe that the Marine Mammal Commission falls under this criteria and that it should be able to find 6 percent worth of savings if they comb through every corner of their budget. Mr. Chairman, we reduced our budget in our offices by much more than this. I think the Marine Mammal Commission can trim their budget by just 6 percent, and I urge my colleagues to support this very simple amendment that would save nearly $200,000. I yield back the balance of my time.
