On the recordJuly 30, 2020
As the Republican leader of the Appropriations Committee, I oppose H.R. 7617, the second package of fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills to be considered by the House. My concerns today will sound very familiar. I had many of the same objections when I spoke on the House floor last week about the first package of appropriations bills. I regret that I again oppose a very important piece of legislation. This bill supports: The servicemembers who risk it all for our freedoms; The law enforcement officers that keep us safe; The small business owners who want to achieve the American dream; The researchers seeking groundbreaking cures for diseases; The ports and waterways that are so critical for commerce; and Our transit systems that millions of Americans rely on every day. Unfortunately, like the bill we considered last week, H.R. 7617 has some fatal flaws that make it unacceptable. First, many of the policy provisions are similar to the partisan legislation the majority has pushed through the house the last few months; and second, the spending levels exceed the amounts the Congress and the President agreed to just last year. Instead of policy and funding proposals being developed from the bottom up within the Appropriations Committee, many of these decisions appear to have been dictated from the top down. This is disappointing because the committee has held more than 100 hearings and briefings in the last six months--even in the middle of a global pandemic.…
