Remarks
Good morning, welcome to the Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee for consideration of legislation making appropriations for fiscal year 2013.
This legislation appropriates $150 billion in discretionary funds, which is a little more than $6 billion less, or 4% below, fiscal year 2012 levels.
Welcome to the full Committee markup of the fiscal year 2013 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. I want to personally thank Mr. Moran and each of the Members of the subcommittee for their active participation and the bipartisan spirit that continues to be a hallmark of our subcommittee's work.
The fiscal year 2013 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill does a good job providing adequate funding for important programs, while reducing funding for departments and agencies that have been known for rampant, wasteful and over-inflated spending, bringing their budgets down to more sustainable, reasonable levels.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 5972, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2013.
This is the sixth bill we've considered on the House floor, which means the House is nearly halfway done with its Appropriations bills for fiscal year 2013. The Appropriations Committee has considered 11 of the 12 annual bills so far this year, in record time. I'm proud of our quick and thorough progress, and also that we've been able to work in regular order – which has been a goal of this Committee from the get-go last January.
Thank you all for being here today. After many long hours of debate yesterday, I appreciate your timeliness and readiness coming into today's meeting.
The Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee has jurisdiction over a diverse group of agencies and activities including financial regulators, tax collections, the White House, the Federal courts, DC, GSA and the Small Business Administration.
Welcome to the subcommittee markup of the fiscal year 2013 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies bill. I want to thank our colleagues, especially Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Dicks, for joining us today.
I also want to personally thank Mr. Moran and each of the Members for their active participation and the bipartisan spirit that continues to be a hallmark of our subcommittee's deliberations.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to offer the THUD bill for Full Committee consideration today. I hope we can be brief. I'd like to thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Dicks for your leadership in getting this bill to Full Committee, and, we hope, to the floor in the near future. I think we stand a good chance of being successful in completing House consideration.
This bill does the important work of supporting a vibrant and safe infrastructure, while making the difficult but responsible cuts needed to get our budgets back into balance. This bill continues the thoughtfulness and restraint that have become the hallmark of this Committee over the last several years of budgeting. It prioritizes our nation's most critical transportation programs accordingly, creating an environment that fosters job creation and funds important repairs and improvements, and ensuring access to affordable housing options.
