Media

Thank you, Madam Chair, for yielding.

Chairman Cartwright and Ranking Member Aderholt, thank you for your work on this Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill.

I know both of you have worked together to address priorities of Members on both sides of the aisle.

Unfortunately, this year's bill is overshadowed by partisan politics and unbalanced spending priorities.

The difference of opinion on both issues could slow down our appropriations process this year, leaving us vulnerable at a time when we know our nation is facing increasing threats.

Instead of prioritizing these security challenges, this bill focuses on funding new, overlapping, and potentially duplicative programs that may not even be useful for our local communities.

Thank you, Madam Chair, for yielding.

First, I want to thank the chair and ranking member for their work on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill.

I have great respect for Chair DeLauro's dedication to these issues. I also appreciate Ranking Member Cole's ability to find common ground when it is necessary, but also to clearly highlight when the parties disagree.

I need to begin my remarks today by noting concerns that Tom and I share about this year's Labor-HHS bill.

This bill includes an unprecedented increase that is nearly 40 percent more than last year. This is simply too high, especially when many programs in this bill have already received billions of dollars over the past year from COVID spending bills.

That said, the incredibly high price tag is not the only problem with this bill.

Thank you, Madam Chair, for yielding.

First, I want to thank Chair McCollum and Ranking Member Calvert for their work on the fiscal year 2022 Defense appropriations bill.

As the former chair of this subcommittee, I know how much hard work goes into drafting this bill and how important it is.

I also want to acknowledge the efforts of the committee staff, specifically our minority clerk, Johnnie Kaberle, and the majority clerk, Chris Bigelow.

Providing funding for our nation's defense is one of the most important responsibilities we have as Members of Congress, and those staffers are so very, very important.

I am pleased to see that this bill funds many priorities for Members on both sides of the aisle.

Madam Chair, thank you for yielding.

First, I want to thank the subcommittee chair, Ms. Roybal-Allard, and the ranking member, Mr. Fleischmann, for their work on this Homeland Security appropriations bill. It's a very important bill, and I know you have put a lot of work into this.

I know that you both work extremely hard to find common ground. Unfortunately, there are just too many differences of opinions in this year's bill, and I am going to have to oppose it in its current form.

To put it simply, the bill before us today proposes funding levels and policies that fail to address the illegal immigration crisis we are currently experiencing in this country.

If we are going to get serious about stopping migrants from making the dangerous journey to the United States, then we cannot include some of the things in this bill, such as:

I want to thank Chairman Price for presenting the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill today.

I would also like to thank my friend, Mario Diaz-Balart, the ranking member of this subcommittee.

This bill supports key transportation infrastructure and safety programs, including highways, rail, and ports.

The funding provided for airport infrastructure and air traffic control will be critical for the aviation industry as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

It is time for our investments in the FAA to provide real benefits to the traveling public, so I am pleased to see that this legislation includes programs that move air traffic modernization forward.

Many of the housing programs in this bill provide a critical safety net to working families, the elderly, and the disabled.

Chairman Cartwright, thank you for presenting the Fiscal Year 2022 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

I also want to recognize and thank my friend, the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Aderholt.

I know both of you have worked together to address priorities of members on both sides of the aisle.

The Commerce-Justice-Science bill always supports initiatives that:

• Strengthen the ability of the United States to be competitive around the world,
• Invest in cutting-edge research and technology, and
• Protect children and our communities.

Unfortunately, this year's bill is overshadowed by partisan politics and unbalanced spending priorities.

This comes at a time when we know our nation is facing increasing threats on a daily basis, such as: