On the recordJuly 26, 2017
It is my distinct honor to bring the fiscal year 2018 Energy and Water bill before you today. Before I go into the details, I would like to recognize Chairman Frelinghuysen. It is because of his leadership and unswerving commitment to the appropriations process that our committee has managed to bring 12 bills through the full committee process and have them ready for consideration by the House. I would also like to thank Ranking Members Lowey and Kaptur. As always, their thoughtful approach to issues has made this a better bill. The bill totals $37.6 billion, which is $209 million less than last year's level and $3.2 billion above the request. {time} 1545 Increases over last year are targeted to those areas where they are needed most: to provide for our Nation's defense and support our Nation's infrastructure. The bill provides strong support for the Department of Energy's national defense programs. Weapons activities is funded at $10.24 billion, up $921 million from last year's level, to keep our Nation's nuclear deterrent reliable and effective. This increase will fully fund the ongoing stockpile life extension programs and will make substantial progress toward addressing the continued deterioration of infrastructure across the enterprise. The recommendations for Naval Reactors is $1.49 billion, and includes full funding for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, formerly referred to as the Ohio-class replacement.…
