Bruce F. Vento: “I want to, at the onset, recognize the service of our distinguished colleague from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) who has so ably led…”

“I want to, at the onset, recognize the service of our distinguished colleague from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) who has so ably led this subcommittee as initially chairman, first as a Member, of course, and finally now as ranking member. I think that his steady hand and intellect, keen intellect, and efforts have really done a remarkable job in terms of trying to deal with some of the neediest in our Nation. I am most familiar, of course, with his work on housing and our mutual interest in homelessness and other issues. But, Mr. Chairman, just speaking to the merits of this briefly, I wanted to express my concerns about some of the fundamental problems with the bill that we have before us. Regrettably, we have serious problems, but it seems as though, notwithstanding positive revenue projections that continue to buoy our economy, that none of the benefit of that positive economy are translating into some of the essential programs that we should have, and this bill even falls short of the budget agreement that was written just last year with regards to some of the agreements on environmental expenditures. I am very concerned about the attacks on the environment and the riders in this bill. I am concerned about the political game that is going on with regards to providing zero funding for AmeriCorps. I am concerned about the continued expenditure of billions of dollars on the space station, notwithstanding the fact that commitments year after year are not met.”