Remarks

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 4502, a package of seven fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills that will be considered by the House this week.

I wish the circumstances were different and I could support this important piece of legislation that funds critical programs.

Unfortunately, after months of committee hearings and markups, this year's bills have too many fatal flaws.

First, there is no agreement between Republicans and Democrats on the topline spending level for appropriations.

Second, there is no bipartisan agreement on the funding level for each individual bill. To put it simply, non-defense spending is too high and defense spending is too low.

Third, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have included the most alarming policy changes I have ever seen.

Thank you, Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole, for allowing me to testify on H.R. 4502, a package of seven fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills.

I wish the circumstances were different and I were here speaking in favor of this important piece of legislation.

Unfortunately, there is not bipartisan support, so I am here to ask the Rules Committee to allow amendments to H.R. 4502, so that it can be improved.

I want to begin by acknowledging the tireless efforts of our full committee chair, Ms. DeLauro, and the subcommittee chairs and ranking members who will be testifying today.

In addition to having a rigorous hearing schedule, in just ten days we held twenty-four markups. It is quite an accomplishment to be sitting before you with all of our bills reported out of committee.

Madam Chair, thank you for yielding.

The revised spending allocations presented today contain only technical corrections to the initial allocations, which were adopted on a party-line vote two weeks ago.

Because there are no substantive changes from the initial allocations, I must once again oppose them.

They do not change the topline spending levels for any of the subcommittee bills – even though Members on my side of the aisle have consistently asked for bipartisan cooperation on funding levels.

These spending levels continue to short-change our national defense, while providing huge increases to domestic programs. Non-defense spending would increase by nearly 17% overall, and some agencies would receive unprecedented 30-40% increases above fiscal year 2021.

Underfunding our national defense while giving such extreme increases to domestic programs is unacceptable to Members on my side of the aisle.

Thank you, Madam Chair, for yielding.

First, I want to thank Chairman Price and Ranking Member Diaz-Balart for their work on this Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill.

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 F.A.A. 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.

Thank you, Madam Chair, for yielding.

First, I want to recognize Chairwoman Kaptur and Ranking Member Simpson for their work on putting this Energy and Water Development bill together.

As a result of their work, this bill addresses the priorities of Members on both sides of the aisle and does many good things for the American people.

In particular, I appreciate that the bill continues significant funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for navigation and flood control projects that are so important to our economy and public safety.

Unfortunately, just like with the other bills the committee has considered, this bill is based on a funding framework that lacks bipartisan support.

I am also concerned that the funding decisions in this bill could leave us vulnerable to countries that do not have our best interest at heart.

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.