Marcy Kaptur: “I thank Ranking Member Fattah for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I reluctantly rise today to oppose the fiscal…”

“I thank Ranking Member Fattah for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I reluctantly rise today to oppose the fiscal year 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies appropriations bill, but I want to commend Chairman Wolf and Ranking Member Fattah for their truly diligent work on this bill. The bipartisanship shown during the markup of the bill was remarkable in today's political climate and a tribute to both Members' willingness to compromise in order to move legislation forward, doing the work we were sent here to do. I would also like to thank the Appropriations staff for their hard work on the first fiscal year 2013 bill the House will consider. From my perspective, the Appropriations staff is the hardest working committee staff in Congress and deserves recognition for all their efforts. Mr. Chairman, the legislation we are considering today fails to make the necessary investments to promote economic growth in jobs across this country. It also fails to provide significant resources for law enforcement officials, particularly local law enforcement, as they face difficulties from austerity cutbacks by State and local governments. The total funding for this bill is the result of the Republican leadership breaking the agreement made in the Budget Control Act. The agreed-upon funding levels were an attempt to get our fiscal house in order in a fair and balanced way.…”