Remarks
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.
Good afternoon, Chairman Sessions, Ranking Member Slaughter and members of the Committee. I am here before you today to present H.R. 933, a Continuing Resolution to provide funding for the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year, and to provide full-year appropriations for the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
The current six-month Continuing Resolution expires on March 27, so there is a need to move this legislation quickly, get it over to the Senate, and ultimately on to the White House. As you know, the White House has indicated it does not want a government shutdown, and neither do we. Consequently, Mr. Chairman, I would request an appropriate rule to bring this bill to the floor.
Good morning. Thank you all for coming. This hearing today is critically important. This week, our national defense will face serious and dangerous sequestration cuts, as well as potentially damaging constraints if the current DoD funding structure is simply extended for the remainder of the fiscal year. While it is not within this Committee's power to solve sequestration at this time, it IS within our jurisdiction to try and help loosen the chains and allow the Department some funding flexibility in order to do its best with what it has.
The Committee will come to order.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the first meeting of the Committee on Appropriations for the 113th Congress. I'm looking forward to a busy, successful year chock full of plenty of Appropriations work.
The main order of business today is the consideration and adoption of our Committee rules, subcommittee jurisdictions, and oversight plans.
Before we get down to the nitty gritty, I would like to make some general opening remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present legislation providing emergency supplemental funding for Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery.
The base bill totals $17 billion in crucial funding to meet immediate needs for the victims, businesses and communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Since this terrible storm hit, we have come to realize that recovery is going to take months and years – not days and weeks. This legislation puts the region on the path to recovery by providing the aid needed for immediate relief, while also beginning the process of meeting longer-term recovery needs.
Good afternoon, Chairman Sessions, Ranking Member Slaughter and members of the Committee. I am here before you today to present legislation providing urgently needed funding for Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery.
I am sure I don't need to explain to you why it is crucial we consider and pass this legislation, given the size and scope of the devastation caused by this storm. It's clear that recovery from this terrible hurricane is going to take months and years, not days and weeks, and thousands of victims are currently awaiting much-needed assistance.
To that end, this legislation will provide $17 billion in immediate relief funding to support the Disaster Relief Fund, transit and housing recovery, Army Corps of Engineers projects, and other emergency needs.
