Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2021

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, once again this Congress is being asked to vote on an enormous spending package after being produced in just the last few weeks.

How can the American people possibly have time to learn where their tax dollars are going?

Today, we are considering amendments to a four-bill, 689-page package that totals $219.6 billion in discretionary spending, plus another $37.5 billion in emergency spending.

The bills in this package spend billions on top of what the current budget agreement allows, and they also contain partisan poison pills, like overturning the administration's Mexico City Policy, allowing foreign organizations to receive Federal funds, even if they perform abortions.

Let me underscore, under the Democrat majority, we can't even stick to the budget that was agreed to.

As a former business owner--and if you talk to any business owner, they will tell you the same thing--you have to operate within a budget.

Every day, families across this country are sitting down at the kitchen table making tough choices to live within their means.

I am appalled by the lack of fiscal responsibility being shown by this body today as we seem to hold ourselves to a different standard than American workers and families.

Unfortunately, that is just business as usual in the 116th Congress.

The level of appropriations for State Department and Foreign Operations, which is what this amendment is specifically targeting, is $8.5 billion higher than Fiscal Year 2020, an increase of nearly 15 percent.

The bill continues funding normal activities through Overseas Contingency Operations, rather than through the normal funding accounts, which is a mechanism that was originally set up to avoid spending constraints.

My amendment today is simple. It would reduce State and Foreign Operations spending by 5 percent for Fiscal Year 2021. If you do the math, my amendment would cut about $3.3 billion.

Even with my modest 5 percent cut, this division would still increase spending for Fiscal Year 2021 compared to Fiscal Year 2020.

I believe my Democratic colleagues should support my amendment, since they will still be spending a lot of your hard-earned money, just a bit less than they initially intended.

I want to be clear, though. I do not want to cut funding going towards our cherished and critical ally, Israel.

I also want to know that our diplomatic efforts abroad are necessary. In fact, my son is currently living overseas and working on behalf of our Nation's interests. But it is important that we look at the balance sheet and make cuts wherever possible.

We can no longer neglect our national debt crisis, and my colleagues must take a serious look at Washington spending and start to take back control.

For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we must act immediately to rein in Federal spending so we don't leave our next generation with an insurmountable debt.

Mr. Speaker, I am the proud grandfather of 13 grandchildren, with one on the way, and I believe it is my duty to do everything in my power to avoid placing a $26 trillion and rising burden of debt on their backs.

My amendment is just a small first step toward bringing fiscal responsibility back to Washington. I urge all my colleagues in this body to support my amendment today.

Mr. Speaker, I understand we are in unprecedented times. But of the $10 billion in spending that Democrats say go towards international coronavirus relief, only $2.5 billion is designated to health programs, and a significant amount of those funds are diverted away from coronavirus.

And let me just say that I understand the need to work with our allies on a vaccine and global health response to the coronavirus, but I believe that our priorities should be focused on combatting the virus here in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot overstate the importance of restoring fiscal sanity here in the United States Congress. It is in the best interests of the future of our country that we take desperately needed steps to rein in our national debt.

We are passing along to future generations an enormous debt burden. Does anybody understand that? I mean, can you imagine our children's children's children's children dealing with this?

I would ask all my colleagues today to think about your kids, your grandkids, and your great-grandkids before casting your vote.

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Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
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Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, this bill that we are debating here is a partisan travesty and spends entirely more than this government can afford. That is why I rise again today to offer an amendment to cut spending to the Interior and Environment portion of the bill.

In addition to its overspending, this bill attempts to delegitimize President Trump's replacement for the Obama administration's overreaching WOTUS rule. The farmers and landowners in my district will tell you how devastating that would be.

It continues down the path that the far left have been touting this entire Congress, implementing socialist Green New Deal policies disguised as emergency funding, but this couldn't be further from the truth. This bill not only spends more of Americans' taxpayer dollars, but forces others to spend more, forcing onerous regulations on American business owners that would ultimately lead to higher costs for our American families.

Continuing to adhere to the Obama administration's outdated and repressive regulations would be detrimental not only to the energy sector workers, but to millions of American families whose budgets depend on affordable and reliable fuel and natural gas, and would jeopardize America's energy independence.

Today's minibus totals $219.6 billion in discretionary spending, plus another $37.5 billion in emergency spending, busting the budget agreement and increasing funds in the form of BCA cap-exempt funding, with almost a third of the funding of this division not subject to the BCA caps.

And let me remind you that under the Democratic majority, we can't even stick to the budget that was agreed to. The Interior and Environment division would provide funding at a whopping 41.4 percent above the fiscal year 2020 enacted level and 59 percent over the President's request.

While the President's budget proposed to reduce or eliminate programs in the EPA that are better left to States, communities, and private individuals, the House's proposal for Interior and Environment maintains or increases spending on EPA programs.

I am a former business owner, and just like any good business owner or family knows, you must operate within a budget and make tough choices to live within your means. As Members of the people's House, we must hold ourselves to the same standard that American workers and families do. My simple amendment is a good place to start.

My amendment would reduce interior and environmental spending by 5 percent for fiscal year 2021. I am going to do some quick math for you. My amendment would cut about $2.7 billion.

Even with my 5 percent cut, this division would still dramatically increase spending for fiscal year 2021 compared to fiscal year 2020. To be honest, I wish we could cut more, but this is a place that I believe we can start.

Even with my amendment, we still will be spending a lot of taxpayer dollars, so I believe my Democratic colleagues could easily support this.

Our national debt crisis can no longer be ignored, and my colleagues must take a serious look at Washington spending in order to start taking back control.

Madam Speaker, earlier today I mentioned my 13 beautiful grandchildren, and I am excited that we have another one on the way. I believe it is all of our duties to do everything possible to avoid placing a $26 trillion, and growing, national debt burden on the backs of the next generation.

My amendment is just a small, first step toward bringing fiscal responsibility back to Washington.

I urge all of my colleagues in this body to support my amendment today.

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Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, let me try to understand what we are saying here. We have a $25 trillion or $26 trillion and growing debt in this country. I mean, is there no concern for future generations?

And when you look at the explosion of this debt--I mean, when I saw the appropriations package, I could not believe it. I mean, we can't even live within a budget? I mean, what kind of message are we sending to our children and grandchildren here?

We can't leave them with an insurmountable debt simply because we as a body refuse to take some commonsense steps to take back control of this spending. We can't even cut 5 percent?

I am deeply concerned about the future of this country, and I urge a ``yes'' vote on my amendment today.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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