Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for the work that went into this bill. I knew a lot of difficult decisions had to be made, given our current fiscal situation, and this bill manages to do some good. I am pleased with the strong investments made to address the needs across Indian Country, for example. We have taken some real steps to bolster Indian health and education, not to mention providing some assistance to tribes facing the very real threat of rising sea levels. I am also glad that the committee secured strong investments in the USGS budget for the West Coast early earthquake warning system and the volcano hazard program. These systems are critical to monitoring and detecting seismic and volcanic activity and giving Washingtonians and folks on the entire West Coast a few crucial seconds to get out of harm's way. The bill we are debating today makes some real progress in these areas, but unfortunately it doesn't measure up in others, particularly when it comes to investing in the environment. This legislation is supposed to provide critical funding for our most treasured natural resources, and it fails to live up to what the folks we represent demand. For one thing, the funding is inadequate. Among the agencies hardest hit is the Environmental Protection Agency, whose budget was cut by more than $164 million and, judging by the list of amendments we will be considering, I expect it will lose even more.…”