Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to this bill, but want to take a moment to recognize the hard work our subcommittee has put into this legislation. I do appreciate the work of Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum on this bill. This bill is critical to our country, and there are so many programs in it that are vital to my constituents in Maine. Programs like the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund, are all funded in this bill and all provide vital programs, resources, and research to my State and to the Nation as a whole. Although we worked in a bipartisan fashion to create this bill, at the end of the day, the funding levels are still too low. The bill provides $64 million below the FY 2016 enacted level and $1 billion below the President's budget request. Although I am very glad to see programs for our local arts communities, such as the NEA and NEH, are increased and that programs for our local infrastructure, such as the Clean Water Fund are funded slightly above the President's request, there is not enough money in the bill for our national needs. In particular, the EPA overall is not funded to the levels that we need as a Nation. Back home in Maine, one of the most often cited needs of our communities is for more infrastructure resources. In some towns, that means transportation infrastructure, and in others, it means water and sewer infrastructure.…”