Barbara Mikulski: “Senator Shelby and I have worked on a bipartisan basis to bring this bill back to the floor as a conference report. We…”

“Senator Shelby and I have worked on a bipartisan basis to bring this bill back to the floor as a conference report. We are in agreement with the principles of the bill so we are able to bring the bill forward. On our side, we estimate that we have three other speakers. We note the Senator from Minnesota is in the Chamber and he wishes to speak. There are two others whom we expect to speak. This is a new subcommittee. The VA-HUD Subcommittee on Appropriations was dismantled and farmed out to different subcommittees, so some parts came to the Commerce Committee and the Justice Committee, and now we call it the Science Committee. It has a fantastic jurisdiction. Its jurisdiction is focused on saving lives and saving livelihoods. It is about investing in innovation through science and technology for our country's future, and it is about looking out for our communities and justice system. Despite a tough allocation, I believe this bill, as completed, is fair and we have done the best we could. The Commerce Department oversees many agencies, some of which are very important Federal labs such as NOAA and the National Institute of Standards. The Department of Justice is on the front line. It funds the FBI, DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Attorneys.…”