Water Resources Development Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment to the Water Resources Development Act, which will increase funding for the Army Corps of Engineers' storm and hurricane restoration and impact minimization program.

As communities across the country come together to rebuild in the wake of unprecedented storms, this program funds vital coastal resiliency projects across the Nation. I emphasize ``resiliency'' because part of what this program does is save money by making cost- effective investments now that will prevent that money from having to be spent on costly recovery efforts in the future.

Over the past year, severe storms and hurricanes have devastated communities throughout our country, costing us billions of dollars in recovery efforts. We know that severe weather patterns are occurring at a more frequent rate, and with the 2018 hurricane season fast approaching, the cities and towns along our coasts need more resources to minimize the impacts of flooding, storm surges, and coastal erosion.

What we don't need are more outdated government projects that are wasting taxpayer dollars. And by cutting these, we fund the increases to this program. That makes this amendment fully offset and budget neutral.

Cities and towns in my district and throughout the country are undergoing studies to assess the feasibility of implementing beach erosion and control projects under the storm and hurricane restoration and impact minimization program today. By raising the cap on this program's authorization, we can ensure that the vital resources provided by the Army Corps are available to more districts throughout the country.

There are States across the Nation that have already benefited from this program, from Alabama to Louisiana, from Alaska to Florida, Ohio, Virginia, New Jersey, and Indiana. All of these States, in addition to my home State of Massachusetts, have benefited from this innovative program.

I am proud to have bipartisan support, and I think we need to come together to support this commonsense solution that will empower us to protect our coastal communities by leveraging private sector innovation to enhance coastal ecosystems, promote recreation, and save taxpayer dollars.

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Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chair, I would just like to thank the chairman for his help in supporting this amendment, and ushering it through the process. I think it is a good amendment, and I am proud to have bipartisan support for it.

Mr. Chair, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano).

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Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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