Robert Pittenger: “I thank the chairman for his leadership and hard work on this bill. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is simple, it is fair, it…”

“I thank the chairman for his leadership and hard work on this bill. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is simple, it is fair, it is fiscally responsible, and it strengthens our national security. My amendment reduces Federal spending for the Legal Services Corporation by $25 million while leaving the program substantially intact. That money is then used to increase funds for the FBI in their critical counterterrorism efforts. The underlying bill appropriates $300 million for the LSC, but Congress has not authorized the LSC since 1980. Mr. Chairman, 35 years is much too long to leave a Federal program on autopilot. Even the nonpartisan CBO has recognized defunding the LSC is a way to rein in our out-of-control spending, noting that programs receiving LSC grants already receive funding from States, localities, and private entities, as well as from private attorneys involved in pro bono work. Community problems are best solved at the community level, not through the Federal bureaucracy. This amendment, however, does not suddenly end LSC and its programs. It simply reduces funding in a responsible and modest way and applies that money toward critical national security efforts. This amendment prioritizes the spending of taxpayer money on our current needs.…”