Steve Daines: “I want to thank the gentlewoman for her leadership on this amendment, as well as the chairman for allowing us to have…”

“I want to thank the gentlewoman for her leadership on this amendment, as well as the chairman for allowing us to have this debate. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. In the appropriations process, we must prioritize funding for necessary projects and balance those with spending reductions to reduce the national debt. In Montana, we depend on a steady supply of water to irrigate our crops, to water our livestock, and to provide energy through hydropower--a renewable resource. The struggle for clean water continues to create health challenges for Indian Country and nearby communities, in addition to making economic development more difficult. Without this critical funding for Rocky Boy's-North Central Mountain Rural Water System and the Fort Peck Reservation-Dry Prairie Rural Water System, thousands of Montanans in rural communities could go without quality water accessibility. The President's budget requests for these critical projects continue to decline each year, while prioritizing other accounts that are not related to the basic needs of our rural communities. Mr. Chairman, every year that we wait to delay the funding of these essential projects, the more expensive construction, operation, and maintenance become. For instance, the Fort Peck project's reduced funding levels have doubled the authorization period, and inflation has nearly doubled the overall cost of construction, but the projected savings is still $11 million.…”