David Thomas: “I take a few minutes to comment on the bill and some of the areas of particular concern. First, I recognize and thank…”

“I take a few minutes to comment on the bill and some of the areas of particular concern. First, I recognize and thank the chairman and Senator Byrd for their good work. It is a tough job on any appropriations bill to hold down spending and keep it within the budget. Yet it is very difficult to set the priorities. This is one of the hardest jobs in the Congress. I appreciate the work they have done. Particularly in this Interior bill, it is very hard to put together a bill that gets support throughout the entire Congress, representing all the States in the country, when a large part of the activity goes on, of course, in the public land States. I want to comment on a few of those areas that are of particular concern to those who live in the West, where much of the State is owned by the Federal Government, ranging from 25 to nearly 90 percent of some States belonging to the Federal Government. Our economy, our future, all those things are tied very closely to what happens with the management of Federal lands. Much of that is within this budget of Interior. I am particularly pleased, as chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, that the funding for national parks is in this budget, as well.”