Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017

Floor Speech

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Ms. BROWNLEY of California.

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Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer a very brief amendment to the bill. I offer this amendment on behalf of myself and my good friend from California (Mrs. Napolitano).

Many of my colleagues, especially those who are members of the Congressional Ports Caucus, have worked very hard in recent years to ensure that the Army Corps of Engineers has the funding necessary for operations and maintenance of our waterways. We achieved a great victory in WRRDA 2014, which set annual targets for the harbor maintenance trust fund usage.

It is vitally important that we not only hit the WRRDA targets, but that we also ensure that the Army Corps and the White House Office of Management and Budget allocate harbor maintenance trust fund resources properly, according to the authorizing statute.

The Brownley-Napolitano amendment simply directs that none of the funds in the bill can be spent contrary to existing law.

Our amendment is supported by the American Association of Port Authorities. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment to ensure that the Army Corps and the OMB follow the direction provided by Congress in the 2014 law which passed the House in a vote of 412-4.

Mr. Chairman, again, it is critically important for Congress to ensure that the administration follows the law.

This amendment is intended to ensure that the Corps and the administration and the OMB implement the law as directed by Congress.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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