John Sarbanes: “They are operating on a deficit now. So if we forgive their debt to us, how does that give them money to pay our allies?”

But these are dramatic changes that can bring us to a new place and, I think, have given many people a sense of hope instead of despair in the face of what we are seeing with a warming planet.

The health of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed can only continue to improve through robust Federal, state, and local partnerships.

I hope that today's hearing is the first step in continuing that legacy of strong bipartisan support for the Chesapeake Bay in this Congress.

Without the strong and continued investment the EPA has requested for the Chesapeake Bay Program in fiscal year 2024, the risk is we could jeopardize decades of work in collaboration towards the Bay's restoration.