Peter Visclosky: “I rise reluctantly to oppose the amendment offered by the gentleman from New Mexico. I deeply respect his concern with…”

“I rise reluctantly to oppose the amendment offered by the gentleman from New Mexico. I deeply respect his concern with the oversight of the programs under NNSA, and I agree that there are some areas of oversight that need to be strengthened. I cannot support any further cuts, however, to the Office of the Administrator. As written, the bill already reduces funding for the Administrator's Office by $10 million from this year's enacted level. This amendment would compound that cut by $89 million. At the same time, NNSA has already received an increase of $275 million when compared to current year spending. I'm concerned that any further reductions to the Administrator's Office would hamper the ability of NNSA to plan and oversee its core mission areas. I would like to work with the chairman and the gentleman from New Mexico to address the concerns expressed, and to ensure that NNSA properly maintains and cleans up its sites in New Mexico and throughout the country. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.”