Hal Rogers: “I thank the chairman for the generous introduction. I rise in support of this, the first of 12 appropriations bills that…”

“I thank the chairman for the generous introduction. I rise in support of this, the first of 12 appropriations bills that I hope to bring to the floor under regular order. Although we received the President's budget nearly 2 months beyond the deadline, I have every intention of drafting and considering all 12 appropriations measures in a timely fashion and in the traditional open process that allows all Members to have their say in how taxpayer dollars should be spent. As we kick off the appropriations season on the floor today, we face some of the most challenging circumstances in recent memory--a tardy Presidential budget, a divided Congress, the ham-handed cuts of sequestration, and historically low funding levels. Given our tight budget, my committee has and will continue to prioritize funding in areas of the highest national need--our security and enforcement of law. However, virtually all areas of the government will face cuts this year, including critical national security programs. Clearly, this is an austere budget year, to put it mildly. Our top line number is severely low and billions apart from the Senate's number. It is my sincere hope that there will soon be a budget compromise that will undo the harmful sequestration law and give us a single common top line allocation that we can work with the Senate to pass all of the funding of the government. In spite of all this, I want to reiterate my commitment to regular order.…”