Steny Hoyer: “I want to thank chairman Knollenberg and ranking member Olver for doing the best they could with the limited resources…”

“I want to thank chairman Knollenberg and ranking member Olver for doing the best they could with the limited resources that were made available to the subcommittee. The allocation that we were given highlights this inescapable fact: the budget resolution passed by the republican majority has real consequences. It is clear, for example, that the funding for Amtrak is simply not adequate. It seems to be an effort to shut down national passenger rail in this country. Make no mistake: if we fail to provide Amtrak the funds it needs to operate, we won't just be shutting down the few routes identified by the committee to be closed. The resulting layoffs, inability to fund capital upgrades, and lack of funds to operate remaining routes will eventually lead to the shut down of national passenger rail permanently. However, despite this and other problems with the bill, I believe that it contains many good provisions that deserve our support. For example, I am pleased that the committee adopted the Hoyer-Wolf- Moran amendment, providing a 3.1 percent pay adjustment for Federal civilian employees--which is consistent with the pay adjustment proposed for our military personnel. We must recognize the contributions made by both Federal civilian employees and military personnel to the safety and security of this Nation. I am also pleased that the $126.7 million that the president requested for the FDA consolidation was included in the bill.…”