Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. JOYCE of Ohio. Mr. Chair, I rise in reluctant opposition to the gentleman's amendment.

Under Article I, section 9, clause 7 of the Constitution: ``No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence of appropriations made by law.''

That function resides within the appropriately named Appropriations Committee, and I take great pride in having served on this committee.

Every year, we dedicate a great deal of time to crafting and amending the annual spending bills to fulfill this constitutional responsibility and to keep the Federal Government operating.

We spend countless hours hearing from agency officials, outside advocates, and our fellow Members of Congress about our budgetary needs. We make tough choices regarding prioritization.

That is why I must oppose this amendment and I oppose the previous amendment.

Rather than evaluating the worthiness of each individual program, the amendment would indiscriminately cut funding across the board.

Such drastic cuts could harm bipartisan efforts to improve healthcare for American Indians and Alaska Natives; combat invasive species like Asian carp and zebra mussels; prevent devastating wildfires; address the maintenance backlogs at National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service sites; and provide payments to local communities under the Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILT, program.

Therefore, even though I share some of the gentleman's concerns about the excessive spending in these bills, I must oppose the amendment.

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Mr. JOYCE of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), I move to strike the last word.

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Mr. JOYCE of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

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

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