Harry Reid: “Everyone should understand a vote for the Enzi-Craig-Voinovich amendment is a vote to allow further outsourcing studies…”

“Everyone should understand a vote for the Enzi-Craig-Voinovich amendment is a vote to allow further outsourcing studies to go on. That is wrong. What is this amendment about? It is about the Park Service spending millions of dollars in outsourcing studies which would siphon off funds critical to the needs within the parks. The amendment that has been offered by a significant number of Senators--and I ask unanimous consent to add Senator Kerry and Senator Clinton as cosponsors--allows current studies to move forward on the implications to be evaluated. Current studies can go forward. A short pause is not too much to ask, for the protection of our national heritage is at stake. The House included the same reasonable language in its bill. According to the House report, the Appropriations Committee was 'concerned about the massive scale of seemingly arbitrary targets and considerable costs of initiatives which are on such vast tracts that Congress and the public are neither able to participate nor understand the costs and implications of the decisions being made.' That is the end of the quote. That is from the Republican House of Representatives report language in their appropriations bill. The administration's own Park Service director has indicated the current plan will reduce services to the public, will negatively impact the diversity of the Park Service, and will not save resources. That is from the administration's own Park Service director.”