Political Quotes

“I first want to congratulate Chairwoman Mikulski and Vice Chairman Shelby for their leadership in bringing these appropriations bills to the floor for final consideration. While I would have preferred these bills to have been brought to the floor individually so that they could be amended, this nevertheless is a noteworthy achievement. The 2-year budget agreement negotiated by Senator Murray and Congressman Ryan provided the framework for the bill we are considering today, allowing the Appropriations Committees to begin our work of developing bills that will responsibly fund the government. Since passage of the budget agreement, the Appropriations Committee members have worked tirelessly to craft a true compromise. As the ranking member for the Transportation and Housing Subcommittee, I worked with Chairman Murray to negotiate a bipartisan Transportation and Housing bill. While this bill makes prudent spending reductions--it is $3.2 billion below the original Senate bill and nearly $1 billion below the fiscal year 2013 enacted level--it continues to invest in important transportation and housing programs. I would like to mention a few highlights: First, the TIGER program, which supports transportation infrastructure and economic development in our local communities, is funded at $600 million.…”