Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I thank Chair DeLauro for yielding, and I thank her for her leadership of this really great and historic committee.

The Energy and Water division makes significant investments to secure the imperative of U.S. energy independence in perpetuity to foster world-class scientific innovation and address the crisis of climate change. Not only does our bill meet the needs of the current moment, it provides a firmer foundation to build back better.

Headlines tell a clear story. NBC News reported: ``The West catches fire while the East goes underwater as climate change fuels both extremes.'' As these extreme conditions spread across our country, our goal must be to provide the necessary energy and water assets to help sustain life on our corner of Mother Earth.

Our bill invests over $53 billion to provide strategic resources to address these challenges while creating good-paying, middle-class jobs in communities across this country, with a greater commitment to those too often left behind.

Let me walk through key investments in this bill.

Madam Speaker, $45.1 billion is for the Department of Energy, $3.2 billion above enacted. Within the Department of Energy, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy--so much a part of our future-- receives record funding of $3.7 billion, $906 million above enacted.

In the weatherization programs, they received $398 million, $83 million above enacted. That means thousands more homes retrofitted. ARPA-E receives $600 million, $173 million above enacted. The Office of Science--world-class science--receives $7.32 billion, $294 million above enacted. We responsibly fund our nuclear deterrent and increase funding for nonproliferation programs.

The Army Corps receives $8.6 billion, $1.9 billion above the budget request, to support our Nation's water infrastructure and dredge ports and harbors.

The Bureau of Reclamation receives $1.9 billion, $413 million above the budget request, including $191 million to address the western drought.

Our bill increases funding for regional commissions which promote economic development in distressed communities.

In short, this bill meets our responsibility to sustain life on Earth by providing critical funding for water infrastructure, clean energy, the highest level of scientific innovation, and a credible nuclear deterrent while supporting the creation of good paying jobs in every region of our country.

I also wish to, in closing, thank my dear staff for their very hard work beginning with Jaime Shimek, our chief clerk; Angie Giancarlo, serving the ranking member and the Republican side of the aisle; Mike Brain; Scott McKee; Brian Smith; Will Ostertag; Lauren Leuck; and, finally, Matt Kaplan of my own staff who will be going on to work with the National Resources Defense Council, and we will miss him so very much.

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