Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. While this subcommittee may be small, it has a very important role. I very much appreciate the hard work and collegial attitude of all the members of this subcommittee, particularly the contributions and cooperation of our ranking member, Ms. Herrera Beutler. This is a good bill. I am proud of this bill and I am proud that it makes a substantial investment to expand recruitment and retention of staff, prioritizes funding to expand diversity and inclusion campus- wide, and funds needed investments to support the day-to-day operations of the House so that we can support our constituents. Included within this bill is a 21 percent increase for the Members' Representational Allowance, which covers staff, district office space, and day-to-day operations for lawmakers to best serve our constituents. This has been a priority for me as I recognize the important role of expanding pay and benefits for our staff as we strive to recruit a more diverse workforce in our offices, and then to retain these staff, instead of losing them to the private sector. Additionally, this year's bill makes important steps in exploring other areas where we can expand benefits for staff to compete with the private sector.…”