David Price: “I am pleased that we are finally considering an omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal 2012 to fund critical Federal…”

“I am pleased that we are finally considering an omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal 2012 to fund critical Federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. After a year of lurching from one manufactured crisis to another, destabilizing the American economy and sending Congress' approval ratings to record lows, it's high time we restored some measure of regular order to this critical legislative function. I applaud Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Dicks, and my subcommittee chairman, Mr. Aderholt, for their commitment to restoring regular order and maintaining the pattern of bipartisan cooperation that distinguishes our committee, even in today's hyperpartisan environment. I also want to thank our talented and dedicated staff for drafting and negotiating what was a very difficult package to put together. With respect to DHS, overall funding will drop for a second year in a row to $39.6 billion. But this drop is compensated for by the separate disaster relief bill we will be considering shortly. When these two measures are combined, FEMA will receive a total of $7.1 billion for disaster relief, ensuring that families and businesses affected by recent disasters will receive assistance vital for recovery and rebuilding. Beyond disaster assistance, the reduced allocation meant that we had to make some tough decisions.…”