On the recordOctober 26, 2023
before I address the amendment offered by Senator Braun, let me thank the Senator from Washington State for her very kind comments expressing condolences to the people of Maine. Our hearts are so heavy today. This heinous attack, which has robbed the lives of at least 18 Mainers and injured so many more, is the worst mass shooting that we could ever imagine in our State. This is a dark day for our State. I am grateful for the expressions of support and offers of help and condolences that I have received from my colleagues and friends across the Nation as well as from the administration. I have had conversations both last night throughout the night and early this morning with President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and special advisor to the President Tom Perez, who has been particularly helpful in mobilizing resources for the State of Maine so that this killer can be captured. S.J. Res. 44 It is hard to transition from the terrible attack in Maine to talk about the Braun amendment, but that is what I must do. First, let me make a very important point. What we are talking about is whether the legislative branch of government should make decisions about government spending or whether that decisionmaking should be given entirely to the executive branch when it comes to specific projects. We are not talking about adding more money; we are talking about who makes the decision.…
Source
govinfo.gov




