Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chair, yesterday, we voted $8 billion for the tragedies in the Gulf Coast. I wake up this morning and I find out we are supposed to vote for another $8 billion, which is fine. But I think, as a result, we should also look extra hard to find ways to see if, in the bill as it passed out of the Appropriations Committee, maybewe can spend a little less somewhere.

I have a very modest suggestion for cutting a little bit of spending here. I would like a 1 percent reduction in the Economic Support Fund. This was in the Trump budget, combined with another fund, and subject to a 40 percent cut, I think because President Trump wanted to make good on his promise to put America first.

I realize political reality is such that we will not get the 40 percent cut that President Trump wanted, but I ask for a small, approximately 1 percent, cut of $12 million.

Part of the money of the Economic Support Fund goes for universities abroad. Sometimes these universities have, like our own universities, a little bit of an anti-American, perhaps anti-Israeli bent; and for that reason, I think there is no question but that we should eagerly look forward to the chance to cut the spending in the Economic Support Fund by 1 percent, particularly in light of the fact that we have now a $20 trillion debt and, particularly, because later today, I bet, after spending $8 billion yesterday, we are going to go for another $8
billion today.

Mr. Chair, I would like to ask for support for this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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