Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, this week marks progress in the return to regular order. Although 4 months late and following the resignation of former Speaker John Boehner, a victim of Republican gridlock, this critical funding legislation deserves passage to avoid another shutdown of the Federal Government.

This Congress must be disciplined and constructive, and I thank Chairman Hal Rogers of Kentucky and Ranking Member Nita Lowey of New York for leading our committee in that direction.

I want to thank our subcommittee chair, Mike Simpson, as well as staff leads Donna Shahbaz and Taunja Berquam for absolutely stellar work.

Our appropriations accounts constitute but a third of overall Federal spending, about 30 percent. The appropriations accounts have been shaved away for nearly 30 years now, down from 50 percent of cost for running our Nation's most vital functions in prior decades. This has meant cuts to everything from defense of our Nation at home and abroad all the way to funding for critical lifesaving programs like clean water modernization.

Just ask the people in Flint, Michigan, how it feels to have a water emergency because the children and the adults are having to drink water with lead. We can't continue to shortchange our appropriations accounts.

Other committees beyond our own must act to grow our economy while balancing our Nation's accounts: the Committee on the Budget, the tax committee, and the authorizing committees.

Quite frankly, Congress ought to require the executive branch to balance U.S. trade accounts, which have ballooned to $9 trillion in the negative over the past quarter-century, creating such a drag on economic growth.

Still, vast energy imports continue to represent the single largest component of our trade deficit, and this bill promotes an energy and water bill that tries to move our Nation forward despite all of this. As 1 of 12 measures in the omnibus, our Energy and Water section provides a strong pathway for American energy independence as well as upgrades to vital port and water assets essential to life in America.

A $535 million increased investment at the Corps of Engineers will keep our ports open for business and continue to clean our waterways.

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, there is $1.275 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation for western drought response, WaterSMART programs, and river restoration.

The increased funding for science is equally important, up to $5.3 billion, which will support American innovation, critical for manufacturing competitiveness, and job creation.

The $2 billion in the bill for energy efficiency and renewable energy sets us on a path toward greater energy independence.

Let me end with this. When our foes decide to flood our global market with excess crude oil and push prices below $2 a gallon, they try to snuff out emergency energy sectors like natural gas.

Our bill attempts to move America and the world in a different direction. We don't want any more recessions caused by those who control the spigot raising gas prices over $4 a gallon.

Though this bill is not perfect, it reflects a compromise. I urge my colleagues to vote positively and support this measure to move America forward again.

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