Remarks
"I thank the Chairman for yielding, and I congratulate him on drafting the FY12 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriation Bill. Mr. Latham, Mr. Olver and staff on both sides have worked tirelessly to bring this important legislation before the subcommittee today.
"As I heard across my Appalachian district during our recent work period, the American people are crying out for jobs. Not a single new net job was created in the month of August, and unemployment still hovers over 9%. In Kentucky, the message is clear – the overspending, overtaxing, and over-regulating has to stop if we're to grow our economy and put our people back to work.
"The bill before us today is yet another example our commitment to return our government to some semblance of fiscal sanity by restoring responsibility, restraint and thoughtfulness to the budgeting process.
"Good morning and welcome to the subcommittee markup of the fiscal year 2012 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill.
"I want to begin by thanking Ranking Member Lowey for her dedication to this subcommittee. Mrs. Lowey and I have a unique partnership in this Congress. While we do not agree on some policy items, we are both very invested in the important work of this subcommittee and it is a joy to work with her and I respect her very much.
"I want to thank all the Members of our subcommittee for their participation and contributions to this bill. This is a very knowledgeable and engaged subcommittee.
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Chairman Mike Simpson today made the following remarks on the floor of the House while presenting H.R. 2584, the Fiscal Year 2012 Interior, Environment and Related Appropriations Act:
"Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to bring to the floor H.R. 2584, the fiscal year 2012 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.
"As we begin, I want to personally thank Mr. Moran, Mr. Dicks and each of the Members of our subcommittee for their active participation and the bipartisan spirit that has been a part of our deliberations this year. Regardless of our positions on this bill, I do sincerely appreciate your constructive contributions—and I mean that.
House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers gave the following statement on H.R. 2219, the fiscal year 2012 Defense Appropriations bill, on the floor of the House today:
"Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2219, the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Appropriations Bill.
"The nearly $649 billion in total funding contained within this legislation will provide our armed forces with the resources they need for our nation's missions abroad and the protection of our people here at home.
"This bill sustains our military readiness, facilitating the continued modernization of our national defense systems and preserving the American Armed Forces as the greatest military in the world.
"Welcome everyone to today's Full Committee mark up of the fiscal year 2012 Financial Services and General Government bill.
"The bill before us today matches the Subcommittee's discretionary allocation of $19.9 billion. This allocation is nine percent less than fiscal year 2011, 18 percent less than fiscal year 2010, and 22.5 percent less than the President's request. This reduction resulted in some very tough decisions, but they are necessary to reduce the Federal government's unsustainable level of spending.
"The funding priorities in the bill include the Small Business Administration's business and disaster loan programs, drug task forces, public safety and education in the District of Columbia, and Treasury's antiterrorism and financial intelligence activities.
"Thank you, Chairwoman Emerson and Ranking Member Serrano, for your remarks. We appreciate your hard work and bipartisan spirit on this Subcommittee.
"Today, we are considering the Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations bill that funds our Financial Services and General Government programs and agencies. The $19.9 billion in funding included is nearly $2 billion less than last year, and nearly $6 billion below the President's request. It's safe to say that the Subcommittee and its staff have ensured that we have found real, responsible savings wherever possible in this bill.
"Many of the agencies and programs funded within this legislation can withstand reductions, and so we've returned funding levels to below the pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels of 2008 – making the necessary steps to reduce spending to help get our budgets back into balance.
"Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2112, the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.
"This bill answers the call from Americans to reduce government spending while still providing for critical programs that keep American agriculture competitive in a global economy. The $125.5 billion in both discretionary and mandatory funding in this bill will help our rural communities to thrive, provide daily nutrition to children and families across the country, and keep our food and drug supply safe.
"However, we can't spend at the rate we used to. We've hit the debt ceiling, we're borrowing more than 42 cents on every dollar we spend – we're mortgaging our children's futures. We must rein in our spending - even if it may not be the most popular thing to do.
"I'd like to thank the Chairman, Mr. Frelinghuysen, and the Ranking Member, Mr. Visclosky, for their remarks and for their hard work on the FY 2012 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill.
"This legislation represents your commitment, Mr. Chairman, and that of the Republican majority, to restoring restraint and responsibility to the appropriations process in a time when we cannot spend as we used to. The Committee has taken a hard look at each and every line in this bill to make sure that we are prioritizing taxpayer dollars in programs that have the most benefit to the American people, while cutting back funding for programs that we simply cannot afford or that are not performing up to snuff.
