Kay Bailey Hutchison: “over the past decade, Congress has approved over $46 billion in disaster relief and emergency spending. This is an…”

“over the past decade, Congress has approved over $46 billion in disaster relief and emergency spending. This is an average of $4.6 billion a year. The majority of this funding--$34 billion--has been provided through supplemental bills, not subject to the normal appropriations process. Supporters of supplemental spending suggest it provides Congress flexibility to respond to emergencies and to priorities that did not receive the proper consideration during the budget cycle. While supplemental bills do offer flexibility, they are not always helpful for fiscal responsibility. Millions of dollars are put in emergency spending bills that should go through the regular budget process, adding more and more to the bottom line. America is at a critical time--we must be prepared to address domestic emergencies without increasing the deficit or being forced to fund non-emergency projects in order to release necessary funds. Supplemental spending circumvents budgetary enforcement mechanisms and can lead lawmakers to under-fund programs in the regular appropriations process, because they know they ultimately can get what is needed through a supplemental. Supplemental bills allocate funding for emergencies, and we have all witnessed, firsthand, how a natural disaster can impact a country severely. Merely because something is unforeseen does not mean we should not prepare. Congress needs to plan in a manner that is fiscally responsible and procedurally transparent.”