Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 648, legislation to reopen and responsibly fund the government, including the Departments of Transportation and of Housing and Urban Development. This bill reflects the various conference agreements that were reached on a bipartisan, bicameral basis late last year. The chairman at the time of our Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, my friend, Mr. Diaz-Balart, was an excellent partner through this process. We worked together with our Senate counterparts to secure numerous priorities in the final package that spoke to the good work done in both the House and Senate. Unfortunately, the House and Senate leadership failed to bring this legislation to the floor before the end of the 115th Congress, despite unified Republican control of the branches of government. They failed in September, and they failed again in December in the lame-duck session. But, now, we do have a chance to rectify that mistake. Division F of H.R. 648 funds DOT, HUD, and related agencies. It includes $71.1 billion in discretionary funding, which is $23.1 billion above the President's budget request and $1 billion above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. This total includes more than $17 billion for new housing and transportation infrastructure.…”