Political Quotes

“today I voted for the Appropriations Bill for the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies for the year FY 2003. It is not a perfect bill, but it includes many provisions that are important for Oregon and the rest of the country. The bill appropriates a total of $20.4 billion, which includes an important $700 million for emergency fire fighting in the West. The bill includes an increase in funding over both the President's request and the appropriation for last year for important programs within the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service. The bill also increases funding for the National Parks Service, which has a tremendous responsibility as caretaker of some or our nation's most valued natural, cultural, and historic resources that draw nearly 300 million visitors annually. I was also pleased to vote for a bill that provides $1.4 billion for conservation programs, $120 million more than what President Bush recommended. Finally, on the 100-year anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge system, the bill provided a $60 million increase for the refuge system to $458 million. I was pleased that the bill also provides funding for programs that are crucial to Oregon. We were able to secure $10 million and $2.5 million to purchase land from willing sellers in the Columbia River Gorge and the Sandy River watershed, respectively.”