Rodney Frelinghuysen: “Let me commend the gentleman from Iowa for his strong advocacy and passion for his district and his State and his…”

“Let me commend the gentleman from Iowa for his strong advocacy and passion for his district and his State and his constituents. First and foremost, he's very, very concerned about a critical issue. We all know that there are significant water resource needs across our country, and we're doing our best in our bill to address them responsibly. The clarification I would like to be make is that the amendment simply adjusts overall account numbers. It does not direct funding to any specific project. I would advise, respectfully, the gentleman and any other colleagues thinking of offering similar amendments--and we understand why people do; because they have a passion--that under the earmark ban, the final bill will not include funding towards specific projects in an amount above the President's budget request. Instead of listing specific projects, our bill includes additional funding for categories of ongoing projects, primarily navigation and flood control. Final project-specific allocations will be made by the administration following the enactment of our bill. With that clarification in mind, I'm pleased to support the gentleman's amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time. {time} 0940”