Rodney Frelinghuysen: “I do appreciate the passion of both of these gentlemen for coastal restoration. I know it's a high priority for his…”

“I do appreciate the passion of both of these gentlemen for coastal restoration. I know it's a high priority for his district and his State. Of course, the focus is Louisiana, and they have suffered greatly. The bill before us includes $10 million to continue studies, engineering, and design work on various components of their program in Louisiana. That is more than 9 percent of the entire investigations account dedicated to continuing work on coastal restoration in Louisiana. The committee has had to make some tough choices in this bill, though. While overall funding for the Corps of Engineers has increased slightly above the President's request, unfortunately, it is reduced by 4 percent from fiscal year 2012. The construction account, specifically, is also slightly above the President's budget request, but that is still a reduction of almost 13 percent from fiscal year 2012. The Corps has numerous projects already under construction that were not included in the President's budget and so are unlikely to be funded in fiscal year 2013. While construction funding is trending downward, I believe it is most prudent to prioritize funding for ongoing projects so they can be completed, actually completed, and the Federal Government can realize the public safety, economic and other benefits from previous spending rather than starting new projects.…”