Media

House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers gave the following statement on H.R. 2219, the fiscal year 2012 Defense Appropriations bill, on the floor of the House today:

"Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2219, the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Appropriations Bill.

"The nearly $649 billion in total funding contained within this legislation will provide our armed forces with the resources they need for our nation's missions abroad and the protection of our people here at home.

"Welcome everyone to today's Full Committee mark up of the fiscal year 2012 Financial Services and General Government bill.

"The bill before us today matches the Subcommittee's discretionary allocation of $19.9 billion. This allocation is nine percent less than fiscal year 2011, 18 percent less than fiscal year 2010, and 22.5 percent less than the President's request. This reduction resulted in some very tough decisions, but they are necessary to reduce the Federal government's unsustainable level of spending.

"Thank you, Chairwoman Emerson and Ranking Member Serrano, for your remarks. We appreciate your hard work and bipartisan spirit on this Subcommittee.