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

Floor Speech

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Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Chair, I thank Ranking Member Granger for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 8294, which includes the FY23 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

First, I thank Chair DeLauro and Ranking Member Granger for their leadership in moving these bills through the appropriations process. I also thank the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee chairman, Mr. Bishop, for his leadership in crafting a bill that funds a number of programs with broad bipartisan support, such as rural broadband programs, critical ag research programs, and protections to ensure we have safe food, drugs, and medical devices.

While there are many things to like about this bill, the total discretionary spending level of $27.2 billion, or an 8 percent increase over the previous year's funding, does not acknowledge the economic reality that our Nation faces.

A stunning 88 percent of Americans believe our country is on the wrong track, according to a recent poll by the Monmouth University Polling Institute. That is what Americans are talking about around their kitchen tables.

Just last week, inflation jumped again to a 40-year high of 9.1 percent. We can't keep ignoring this situation. Americans have figured out that more government spending only ends in higher prices for the American people and adds to the inflation problem created by this Congress and the Biden administration's reckless and immoral spending included in this minibus.

In this vein, this division of the minibus provides unsustainable funding increases across the board, most notably for the Food and Drug Administration, which would receive an overwhelming and unnecessary 10 percent increase. A lot of American families wish they were getting a 10 percent increase in their paychecks. Based on how the FDA has handled the infant formula crisis, it is clear that strong leadership is needed at the FDA, not this unnecessary increase in funding.

The bill also includes increased benefits for the WIC program, a great program, but those increased benefits were intended to be a temporary, one-time increase included in the American Rescue Plan. I understand the importance of making sure WIC participants have access to fruits and vegetables. However, this bill is taking a temporary increase in response to COVID and including it in the regular, ongoing program as if to make these increased benefits permanent without regard to the inflationary pressures of out-of-control government spending that is already squeezing taxpayers.

I am also extremely concerned about providing the administration with unlimited spending authority for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, at the end of the next fiscal year. The administration claims this authority is needed for an unexpected increase in SNAP participation, but the President continues to tout record-low unemployment rates, which should translate into a decrease in SNAP participation. Furthermore, the program has a reserve fund totaling up to $9 billion already to address unexpected participation increases should they unexpectedly occur, so providing USDA with a blank check is just simply irresponsible.

In times like these, as stewards of taxpayer dollars, Congress must make tough decisions in the greater interest of the American people. While I support a number of programs in the bill, I cannot support the bill at this unsustainable spending level.

This bill touches the lives of every American, and I hope we can find common ground to support America's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. As this process moves forward, I am committed to working with Chairman Bishop, Chair DeLauro, Ranking Member Granger, and the rest of our colleagues to resolve these differences.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

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