Marsha Blackburn: “First, I want to begin by thanking the subcommittee chairman for his hard work on this effort that is in front of us and…”

“First, I want to begin by thanking the subcommittee chairman for his hard work on this effort that is in front of us and for the committee's identifying ways to reduce what the Federal Government spends, especially in the leg branch. The fiscal year 2016 proposed funding level is $3.3 billion. That is $173 billion below the President's request. I think there is more work that we could do, and my 1 percent across-the-board spending reduction will save taxpayers an additional $29 million in budget authority and $25 million in outlays for fiscal year 2016. It is a targeted cut in discretionary spending that exempts the Capitol Police, the Sergeant at Arms, and security maintained by the Architect of the Capitol. Again, as I said, I want to recognize the work of Chairman Graves and his committee. They have done several very important things that, I think, we ought to highlight. First, this measure continues to freeze Member pay in place, where it has been since 2010. Second, it continues a 14 percent reduction in funding for the House of Representatives, which Republicans began in 2011. I appreciate that Chairman Rogers brought attention to that as general debate began. Third, the bill cuts funding for programs such as the Government Publishing Office, which we have just been discussing-- many programs that have outlived their usefulness. We can cut more, and a penny on a dollar is worth the effort. We are a country that has over $18 trillion in debt.…”