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

Floor Speech

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Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time.

Madam Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 8294, the six-bill fiscal year 2023 appropriations package that includes the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill.

Unfortunately, these bills are based on funding levels that passed the House without any Republican support--zero Republican support. Like the President's budget request, the majority's Energy and Water bill overfunds certain nondefense programs and shortchanges our national security needs.

For example, the bill before us is below the budget request for weapons activities and naval reactors--a budget request that many of us considered insufficient to address the current global threats.

We must uphold our Nation's strong nuclear deterrence posture, and to do that, we must adequately fund the activities necessary to maintain a safe, reliable, and effective stockpile. Yet, the bill before us cuts some of these programs below last year, below the budget request, and leaves other items completely out.

On the other hand, the bill increases energy efficiency and renewable energy activities by more than 25 percent over last year's--and that is on top of the tens of billions--I repeat--tens of billions of dollars in the infrastructure bill programs that are in the early stages of implementation.

The bill includes funding for the President's proposal to use the Defense Production Act for nonemergency issues. For instance, even the Department of Energy has indicated that there is no supply shortage of insulation. Yet, the administration is claiming it is such an emergency that it justifies use of the Defense Production Act.

With inflation at the highest levels in 40 years, we need to be more judicious about how much and where we allocate our discretionary appropriations.

While Republicans have concerns with the overall direction of this bill, I would note there are also programs that, if considered individually, House Republicans could support. For example, strong support for the Army Corps of Engineers including specific Community Project Funding and additional programmatic funding that has long been a bipartisan priority.

Of great importance to me, of course, is the Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy program. I appreciate that the bill continues support for:

Work on microreactors, including the MARVEL program.

Work to ensure a supply of high-assay low-enriched uranium, which will be necessary for many of the next generation of reactors.

The Advanced Reactors Demonstration Program; and

The national laboratories infrastructure necessary to enable these other activities to succeed.

I would like to work with my colleagues as we move the bill forward to better support the Advanced Small Modular Reactors demonstration program.

The NuScale SMR is the first ever NRC-approved SMR design, and we need to ensure this demonstration succeeds.

Madam Chair, before I yield back, I would acknowledge Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Chairwoman Kaptur's continued commitment to addressing individual Member priorities on both sides of the aisle. I thank the chair for that consideration, and she has been a pleasure to work with across the aisle.

I also thank the staff for their hard work over the past several months, particularly Scott, Brian, Will, Daniela, and Jaime of the majority staff; Angie and Austin of the minority staff; and Sarah in my personal staff.

Finally, I thank Chairwoman DeLauro and Ranking Member Granger of the full committee for their leadership and support of the important programs in this bill and doing the appropriations process in regular order.

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