Joe Cunningham: “Mr. Chairman, we thought very carefully when we went through the list on potential offsets and tried to minimize. For…”

“Mr. Chairman, we thought very carefully when we went through the list on potential offsets and tried to minimize. For example, the FEMA funding of $5 million, the most it has ever been funded is $10 million each year. This year it still leaves $105 million, still an increase, but reduces it $5 million. It is still more than the actual request. The $1.5 million from the chemical safety board, the board was funded at $9 million. OMB only requested $7.5. So this falls at level funding. The $5 million for EPA science and technology leaves $640 million left in that particular account. We feel that the deficit or lack of national security overrides the small offsets that we have in this particular bill. I would also say to the gentleman, this gentleman is not hard on any one of these cuts. In conference I would be happy to work with the gentleman in the reduction in different areas. To me the reduction areas are not as important as saving Selective Service.”