Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. CLINE. Mr. Chair, it is with sadness that I come to the floor to speak against this measure.

We had opportunities in the Appropriations Committee to work across the aisle to address the concerns of the minority and to fund the priorities of this country and its people. Unfortunately, with a 40- year high in inflation, CPI rising to 9.1 percent in June, $30 trillion in debt, and the CBO recently predicting $1.6 trillion in deficits over the next decade, business as usual can no longer be contemplated.

We must take action to secure the financial stability of this country for the future, for our children, for their children, and for future generations. We have to return to fiscal sanity through these appropriations bills to rein in inflation and rescue this economy.

Transportation-Housing and Urban Development has an increase of more than 12 percent; Agriculture an increase of 8 percent; Financial Services and General Government an increase of 17 percent over FY22; Interior, 18 percent increase; MILCON, more than 10 percent above 2022.

All of these bills contain important priorities, but they also contain excessive amounts of waste and liberal priorities that are not in keeping with the priorities of the American people, so I urge their defeat.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for her hard work in trying to get our priorities considered.

I look forward to continuing to work to ensure that fiscal responsibility is the watchword of the day and that the American people have their tax dollars looked after by the Appropriations Committee.

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