OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

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

Floor Speech

By: Jim Banks
By: Jim Banks
Date: June 20, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Government Budget and Spending

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BANKS. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is simple. It reduces spending in this division by 14 percent, the amount that is needed to avoid busting the budget caps and preventing sequestration.

With these spending packages, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are making it clear that they have no interest in reducing our national debt. If they did, they would not be proposing bills that would bust the budget caps by nearly $90 billion, which they are fully aware would trigger sequestration and lead to devastating and severe cuts to our national defense.

In this division alone, they are proposing to spend $37.2 billion, which is $1.73 billion above the previous year's enacted amount and $7.2 billion over the President's 2020 request. This does not even include the $2.2 billion in additional funding that is not subject to the caps.

Again, my amendment would bring spending in this division to the level needed to avoid sequestration through a 14 percent across-the- board cut.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BANKS. Mr. Chairman, frankly, the arguments from my colleagues who oppose this amendment simply don't add up.

By busting the budget caps, the nondefense programs that they are so passionately defending would face $55 billion in automatic cuts.

So it seems my colleagues are willing to allow reductions in nondefense spending if they can also force reckless defense cuts that endanger national security.

While that may be acceptable to those on the other side of the aisle, it is not acceptable to me.

My amendment will bring spending in this division to the level needed to avoid sequestration and to protect our national security.

Mr. Chairman, when I ran for this position, I promised my constituents that I would do my part to rein in Washington's spending addiction and safeguard the strength of the American military.

Mr. Chair, I am proud that this amendment accomplishes both of those goals. I strongly urge my colleagues to support it.

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

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BANKS. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT


Source
arrow_upward