Political Quotes

“I thank Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz. And I thank Chairman Graves and Chairman Rogers. It is a pleasure for me to work here with all of them. However, in the fiscal year 2017 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill, the House majority has put its political interests first with a process that limits amendments based on a fear of another embarrassing failure, like the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which the House rejected 2 weeks ago. The legislative branch bill contains a number of important services that allow the public to safely visit the U.S. Capitol and for Members to respond to the needs of their constituents. The bill would provide modest increases for the first time in years, including more funding for the Library of Congress, Capitol Police, Architect of the Capitol, and the Members' Representational Allowance. These increases are badly needed. The legislative branch bill has remained essentially flat for several years, despite the steadily growing needs of this institution, including staff shortages, enhanced security, repairs to aging buildings and infrastructure, and preservation at the Library of Congress, among others. Unfortunately, rather than focus on these institutions' value to the public, House Republicans went out of their way to include provisions that ignore these issues, and instead push a partisan agenda that wastes taxpayer dollars.…”