Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, this week marks progress in the return to regular order. Although 4 months late and following the resignation of former Speaker John Boehner, a victim of Republican gridlock, this critical funding legislation deserves passage to avoid another shutdown of the Federal Government. This Congress must be disciplined and constructive, and I thank Chairman Hal Rogers of Kentucky and Ranking Member Nita Lowey of New York for leading our committee in that direction. I want to thank our subcommittee chair, Mike Simpson, as well as staff leads Donna Shahbaz and Taunja Berquam for absolutely stellar work. Our appropriations accounts constitute but a third of overall Federal spending, about 30 percent. The appropriations accounts have been shaved away for nearly 30 years now, down from 50 percent of cost for running our Nation's most vital functions in prior decades. This has meant cuts to everything from defense of our Nation at home and abroad all the way to funding for critical lifesaving programs like clean water modernization. Just ask the people in Flint, Michigan, how it feels to have a water emergency because the children and the adults are having to drink water with lead. We can't continue to shortchange our appropriations accounts. Other committees beyond our own must act to grow our economy while balancing our Nation's accounts: the Committee on the Budget, the tax committee, and the authorizing committees.…”