Jay Inslee: “this amendment will assure that the Vice President's budget retains responsibility for the electrical costs associated…”

“this amendment will assure that the Vice President's budget retains responsibility for the electrical costs associated with the Vice President's personal residence. As Members know in quite a bit of controversy recently, the proposed bill in fact would remove responsibility for those personal bills, those electrical bills at the Vice President's residence and shift them away from the Vice President's budget and over to the financial shoulders of the United States Navy. We think that is a big mistake. We think it is a big mistake to remove accountability while many Americans are having great problems with their own electrical bills, for the Vice President to remove responsibility financially from his budget and shift it somewhere else in the Federal Government. We would suggest that our amendment will benefit three groups of people by assuring accountability in the midst of this energy crisis remains with the Vice President's budget: First, it will help our constituents, our citizens. The reason is, is that our citizens now are experiencing, many of them, skyrocketing energy costs. In my district people are paying 30, 40, 50, 60 percent more for their electrical bills. My constituents cannot send their bills for these skyrocketing electrical rates to the U.S. Navy. We do not think it is the right message to our constituents for the Vice President to say, but I'm going to send my skyrocketing electrical bill, and that bill is skyrocketing, to the U.S. Navy.”