Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I rise to speak on the amendment for 3 minutes, if I might.

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Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I appreciate that.

First of all, I don't think the Senate is going to adopt the Ernst amendment because we authorized--reauthorized this important ARC program just last year on a bipartisan basis in both the House and the Senate.

I want to make this point: This is discretionary spending that is largely under control. This is discretionary spending. It is 2008 projected out to 2026. As you can see, it hardly keeps up with inflation. We have a spending problem in this country, but it is mandatory programs--the red line--not this discretionary line from which comes the Appalachian Regional Commission. I want to make that point. This amendment is targeted at the wrong type of spending.

What do we get out of ARC? My friend from Maryland is exactly right. We leverage private dollars for investments to create jobs. We build infrastructure that creates jobs and supports jobs. We have revolving loan programs that have created 50,000 jobs since 1977 and retained 51,000 jobs.

Let's attack spending. Let's get together and talk about Bowles- Simpson and do what we need to do about the problem that has given us this $19 trillion debt. But for heaven's sake, we have a program that was reauthorized almost unanimously last year that helps people get a job and persuades private industry to contribute to that effort at a 6- or 7-to-1 ratio. We want to keep that type of investment to create jobs for our families.

I will be voting against the Ernst amendment and urge my colleagues to do so.

I yield back.

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