Political Quotes

“I bring before the Senate today the fiscal year 1997 Department of the Interior and related agencies appropriations bill. This bill, as reported by the Appropriations Committee, totals $12,617,764,000 in discretionary budget authority and $13,306 million in outlays and is within the 602(b) allocations. Any amendments offered to the Interior bill will require offsets. The President's budget request is $263 million above the committee's budget authority allocation and is $333 million above the committee's outlay allocation. The bill before you represents difficult choices and challenges. The needs for various agencies funded through the Interior bill are great, from operations and facilities requirements of the national parks, forests, refuges, public lands, and museums to the basic health care, tribal government, and education services provided to native Americans. Funding for fighting fire on public lands, such as the fires that have been devastating the West this summer, is provided through the Interior bill. In putting this bill together, we have attempted to strike a balance among these competing interests.”