Jeb Hensarling: “again, this amendment, as some previous amendments have, attempts to make a very, very modest step towards saving the…”

“again, this amendment, as some previous amendments have, attempts to make a very, very modest step towards saving the family budget from the single largest tax increase in American history. Specifically, over the requested level or the level in the bill, this would reduce funding for Interior's Water and Related Resources account to the President's request from roughly $871 million to $816 million, representing a $55 million savings to the American taxpayer. This account has been a traditionally earmarked account for certain water restoration activities in 17 Western States. The bill's current funding level represents a 6.7 percent increase over the President's request. Again, I am sure this account funds many worthy projects. But we need, I believe, a number of us believe we need a road map to try to bring fiscal sanity to the House in an appropriations bill that is already increasing spending twice the rate of inflation. So now we are having a debate over $816 million, as proposed by the administration, which I am sure many in this body might think is an overly large number when we recognize that money is coming from hardworking American taxpayers, but a difference of $816 million versus $871 million. Again, as the majority in their budget resolution enacts the single largest tax increase in American history, they are asking American families to somehow do more with less.”