Kay Granger: “And rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 4502, a package of seven fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills that will be…”

“And rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 4502, a package of seven fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills that will be considered this week. I wish the circumstances were different and I could support this important piece of legislation that funds critical programs. Unfortunately, after months of committee hearings and markups, this year's bills have too many fatal flaws. First, there is no agreement between Republicans and Democrats on the top-line spending level for appropriations. Second, there is no bipartisan agreement on the funding level for each individual bill. To put it simply, nondefense spending is too high and defense spending is too low. Third, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have included the most alarming policy changes I have ever seen. While acknowledging the hard work of Chair DeLauro and her subcommittee chairs, this package does not reflect the type of bipartisan agreement that we must have to complete the appropriations process this year. Instead of crafting legislation both sides of the aisle can support, the bills included in the package were written to address the most extreme views in the majority party. At a time of record-high deficits and debt, now is not the time to double down on increasing domestic spending.…”