David Price: “I appreciate the chance as we enter the homestretch of this debate to also express my appreciation to the many…”

“I appreciate the chance as we enter the homestretch of this debate to also express my appreciation to the many colleagues and staff members who have brought us to this point. I want to commend Chairman Aderholt for this first voyage that he has taken as the subcommittee chairman and for the professional approach that he has brought to this, the careful process, the inclusive process. We are very grateful to him. We had a good, full season of hearings and an open process in the Appropriations Committee, at markup, and we've had an open process here on the floor. That's the way Appropriations is supposed to work. And so I do commend the chairman and the leadership for that. We have had a good, robust debate here. I certainly wish that we were in closer agreement on this bill. I have always believed that on Appropriations we should look out for the institutional role of this House in holding the executive accountable, on a bipartisan basis, no matter which party is in charge either here or in the White House. And so when the partisan divisions that inevitably characterize our work here, when those partisan divisions are evident on Appropriations, we try our best to overcome them. Historically, we have tried our best to overcome them. That has been very difficult this year, and we have a bill that we are divided on--but not on the entire bill by any means.…”