Remarks

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield myself three minutes.

It's my honor to bring the Fiscal Year 2014 Energy and Water bill before the membership of the House.

However, before I go through its highlights, I'd like to thank my ranking member, Congresswoman Kaptur, and all members for their participation in putting this bill together so quickly, and so responsibly.

I'd also like to recognize the hard work of Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey to bring this bill, and the several others before it, to the floor under an open rule.

The bill for Fiscal Year 2014 totals $30.426 billion, $2.9 billion below last year's levels, and more than $4 billion below the President's request.

The budget allocation we received this year made for some very difficult decisions, but in our bipartisan tradition we worked hard to incorporate priorities and perspectives from both sides of the aisle.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2217, the Fiscal Year 2014 Homeland Security Appropriations.

I'd like to thank my colleagues for their careful consideration of the MilCon Appropriations bill yesterday, and I'd like to ask them to continue these efforts on this bill today – a conscientious piece of legislation that I believe can and should pass this House on a bipartisan basis.

The bill before you today provides $38.9 billion for the Department of Homeland Security.

In such austere budget times, this bill rightly prioritizes spending on programs that save American lives. Frontline protection, terrorism prevention and response, disaster recovery assistance, and a strong and secure border – all of these are paramount to the safety and security of our homeland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, it was 69 years ago this Thursday that more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded during the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France. That courageous operation, as well as the sacrifice of so many brave individuals, serves as a sobering reminder that freedom and security are in fact not free.

It is with this solemn commitment to both freedom and security that I respectfully present to the people's House the fiscal year 2014 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

Similar to our Subcommittee's work over the past three fiscal years, this bill demonstrates how we can fund vital security programs and enforce the law while also reducing discretionary spending overall.

So, this bill is about our security and fiscal priorities...and getting them right.

The fiscal 2014 Appropriations bill for Military Construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs meets the needs of the Departments while saving money. Mr. Bishop and I worked together to ensure that this is a bipartisan bill and I would like to thank him for his hard work and dedication throughout this process. It has also been a great pleasure to work with Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey – they are equally committed to ensuring that our military, our veterans, and their families have what they need and have earned as a result of the sacrifices that they have made for our freedom.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 2216, the Fiscal Year 2014 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.

This is the first of 12 Appropriations bills I hope to bring to the floor under regular order. Although we received the President's budget nearly 2 months late, I have every intention of drafting and considering all 12 appropriations measures in a timely fashion and in the traditional open process that allows all members to have their say in how taxpayer dollars should be spent.

As we kick off the Appropriations process on the House floor today, we face some of the most challenging circumstances in recent memory – a tardy Presidential budget, a divided Congress, the ham-handed cuts of sequestration, and historically low funding levels.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present H.R. 933, the Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year. This legislation provides funding for essential federal programs and services, helps maintain our national security, and takes a potential shutdown off the table.

The House passed a very similar version of this bill two weeks ago, and yesterday, the Senate passed their version of this legislation. Now, it is back before the House today for our final stamp of approval.

I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the deadline we face here: The existing Continuing Resolution expires next Wednesday, so it's vital that we get this bill to the President for his signature straight away.

The total funding provided in this bill remains at $984 billion, the level required by the President's sequestration order.

To summarize the contents of H.R 933 briefly:

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present H.R. 933, the Department of Defense and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations, and Full-Year Continuing Resolution for fiscal year 2013.

Our nation faces a three-pronged threat to its finances as we deal with sequestration, the debt ceiling, and, most immediately, a looming government shutdown. This bill takes the risk of a government shutdown off the table – funding the government for the remainder of the fiscal year, while helping maintain our national security, and providing our troops and veterans with consistent, adequate funding.

First and foremost, this bill contains fiscal year 2013 Appropriations bills for the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. These bills passed the House with broad support last year, have been negotiated on a bipartisan basis by the House and the Senate, and do not add a cent to the overall top line of the CR.