Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018
Floor Speech
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Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 3354.
Since we last met, we began spending, I guess, a new $15 billion on the tragedies in Florida and Texas. I haven't had a chance to see how all of my colleagues are doing, but I sure hope that we are getting nothing but amendments designed to reduce spending to make up for the difference. I hope that is so.
I am looking at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. I am on the Government Oversight Committee. We recently had another hearing on Fast and Furious. I don't think there has been enough contrition there at all. This was, I think, probably the biggest scandal in my lifetime, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has to consider themselves to be a big part of that scandal.
Being from Wisconsin, I am also familiar with a local scandal we had there. If you google ``ATF'' and ``Milwaukee,'' you will find a situation in which they were selling guns which they shouldn't have been selling and buying guns which they shouldn't have been buying. So there is another reason why we should look at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Despite these scandals, their funding has gone nothing but up over the last few years. We are, in this budget, looking to borrow between 13 to 14 percent of this budget, and that is before we begin to have to spend money on the Florida and Texas hurricanes.
I am introducing a bill with a mild 5 percent across-the-board cut to ATF. President Trump had wanted a smaller increase. The Appropriations Committee went $20 million over what President Trump wanted. I don't think that is right. I think they need a little bit of a slap-down here.
I am looking to reduce the amount of spending on this organization by $64 million. I think that is very appropriate given the scandals that they have been involved in. It is very appropriate given that we are borrowing 14 percent of our money. In the sane world, we would almost take every agency down 14 percent. We don't have time for that, but this agency, based on their behavior, seems in favor of that.
I know some people are going to probably not want to cut anything here. We just heard in the last amendment that it appears like some people want to go up. I think this is a modest decrease, and I think they should have no problem finding this small amount of money.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. Chairman, I am going to disagree a little bit with one of those past statements.
We have heard the statement made, sometimes behind closed doors by a lot of people, and that is we have an increase of discretionary spending over the last 3 years. This is a mild cut this year, but over the last 3 years, collectively, it is an increase, 3 or 4 years.
There are some people who feel that we shouldn't scrutinize that spending because so much of our budget is mandatory spending. I do feel that we need a larger cut in mandatory spending than the rather modest cut that came out of the Budget Committee, and I hope everybody in our Conference will demand a more significant cut in mandatory spending.
But, nevertheless, discretionary spending is 30 percent of the budget. Common sense will tell you that, as things become more technology oriented, it should be easier for an agency that processes data, like the ATF, to do their business with a little bit less money.
And one more time I will emphasize that there haven't been cuts to reflect these scandals in the ATF, and I think that, if we are not going to kind of slap them on the wrist now, when will we? Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. Chair, as mentioned, this amendment was actually drafted by Representative Buck from Colorado. I understand this amendment passed on a voice vote last time.
I do have a nice speech that Representative Buck's office has prepared for me, but I am not going to read a speech that is not my speech. I am sure it is a wonderful speech.
I hope the chairman allows this amendment in.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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