Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the chairwoman of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this conference committee report. The Interior and Environment section provides $35.6 billion, which is $300 million more than fiscal year 2018 enacted. We made critical investments in this legislation in Indian Country, environmental protection, public land management, and the arts. The Environmental Protection Agency is funded at $8.8 billion. This funding will enhance the EPA's ability to protect human health and the health of our environment. We continue to invest in land and water conservation funds, civil rights initiative programs, and historic preservation. We worked in a bipartisan way to increase funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Humanities. Finally, it is critically important that this Interior bill upholds the Federal Government's trust responsibilities to our Native American brothers and sisters. Funding for Indian Country is over $1 billion more than the President's budget, and we did it in our committee's nonpartisan way. Programs in the Interior bill impact all of us, from preserving our natural and cultural resources, to protecting our health and safety. Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to vote for it as well.”