Remarks

The recommendation for FY 2013 provides $3.3 billion, excluding Senate items, which are traditionally left to the Senate to determine. This is a decrease of $34.4 million, or 1% from the FY 2012 enacted level and a decrease of $190 million, or 5.3% from the requested level.

Americans are sending hard-earned dollars to Washington and deserve to know they are being cost-effectively spent. This Subcommittee has taken that philosophy to heart in hearings and meetings where members have listened to agency heads lay out their priorities and budget requests. We've made tough, but workable choices that will allow our agencies to move forward in an efficient manner.

Since becoming Chair of the Subcommittee last year, we have cut the spending by 7.9% and with this mark we will bring that cut to 8.8% excluding the Senate.

Thank you, Chairman Crenshaw and Ranking Member Honda, for your comments and for your hard work on this Appropriations Bill. You and your staffs have put in a great deal of effort into drafting this legislation, and we appreciate it.

The bill before us today provides funding for the functions of the Legislative Branch – which we all know is needed to accomplish the work of this branch of government, and maintain the safety and security of Members, staff, and the thousands of visitors who come to the Capitol Complex each day. With this bill, we are in a position to lead by example – to be ever mindful of our limited tax dollars and to spend less wherever possible.

The recommendation for FY 2013 provides $3.3 billion, excluding Senate items, which are traditionally left to the Senate to determine. This is a decrease of $34.4 million, or 1% from the FY 2012 enacted level and a decrease of $190 million, or 5.3% from the requested level.

Americans are sending hard-earned dollars to Washington and deserve to know they are being cost-effectively spent. This Subcommittee has taken that philosophy to heart in hearings and meetings where members have listened to agency heads lay out their priorities and budget requests. We've made tough, but workable choices that will allow our agencies to move forward in an efficient manner.

Since becoming Chair of the Subcommittee last year, we have cut the spending by 7.9% and with this mark we will bring that cut to 8.8% excluding the Senate.

Thank you, Chairman Crenshaw and Ranking Member Honda for your hard work on the Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2013. I wish to extend my congratulations to each of you and the subcommittee staffs on both sides who have put in long hours to craft this important piece of legislation.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Before us today is the Subcommittee recommendation for the fiscal year 2013 Department of Defense budget. This recommendation includes base funding of $519.2 billion, which is $3.1 billion above the CBO estimate of the President's request, and overseas contingency operations funding of $88.5 billion, the same as the request.

This allocation provided the Subcommittee with the resources to address shortfalls contained in the budget request. We examined these shortfalls very closely during the Subcommittee's multiple hearings and briefings the past few months – especially the risks associated with Navy shipbuilding and Air Force force structure decisions. Let me take just a moment on each of these.

I thank the Chairman for yielding.

I want to begin by thanking Ranking Member Lowey for her continued dedication to the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee. Mrs. Lowey and I have a unique relationship. While we do not agree on everything, we do have a strong working relationship and I respect her very much.

I want to thank all the Members of our Subcommittee – from both sides of the aisle – for their participation and thoughtful contributions to this bill.

The bill before us saves taxpayer dollars by spending 9 percent less than last year. We do this by terminating ten programs, rescinding funds, and not providing new appropriations if funds are still in the pipeline.

At the same time this bill supports critical activities related to our national security, such as assistance for Israel and Mexico.

Thank you, Chairman Young and Mr. Dicks, for your remarks and your laudable leadership on this Committee. You both, as well as our dedicated staffs, have helped craft an excellent bill that provides the necessary resources to keep our country safe and that will advance our important missions around the globe.

I'd like to take this time to express my gratitude to Mr. Dicks for being an excellent partner and leader over the years. His involvement and expertise has been a tremendous asset to the Committee, and we look forward to working with him for as long as he graces us with his presence. The same goes for Jerry Lewis, who has been both a member and a chairman of this subcommittee for many years. It won't be the same without them.

Thank you both for your remarks, and I congratulate you on producing a solid Appropriations bill and for bringing this bill to the Full Committee. It's a sign of the important progress we have made in making the appropriations process more open, transparent and thorough.

Another achievement of this Committee has been our unprecedented success in reining in federal spending. For two fiscal years in a row, we cut discretionary spending below the previous year – more than $95 billion – without decimating the programs and services our citizens rely on, and we are on track to continue that trend this year.