Providing For Consideration Of H.J. Res. 20, Further Continuing Appropriations, Fiscal Year 2007
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.J. RES. 20, FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS, FISCAL YEAR 2007 -- (House of Representatives - January 31, 2007)
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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Continuing Resolution for Fiscal 2007 and I join in complimenting our distinguished chairman, Mr. Obey, for accomplishing in a few weeks, with the distinguished Senate Appropriations Chairman, ROBERT BYRD, what their predecessors were both unwilling and unable to do.
A mess was inherited from the prior Congress, and this bill cleans those up and corrects them in a very responsible fashion.
If any of our colleagues on the other side want to criticize this package, I ask why didn't they fix it when they had a chance? I also ask why did they create this irresponsible problem by delaying passage of these necessary measures in the first place? It should have been done by the end of September of last year. Despite the constitutional expectations to pass all appropriation bills by September 30 in time for the new fiscal year, the last time all appropriation bills passed on time was 1994, when the Democrats were in charge, and thank goodness we are again.
The action today roughly provides cuts in over 60 programs and rescinds unobligated balances in order to transfer $10 billion in savings that are used to address critical investments such as our veterans' health care and health accounts of the Department of Defense to care for our returning wounded veterans. It will keep our Social Security offices open rather than shutting them down. Community policing is increased by $70 million. And it provides important help for students, Pell grants, about $260 more per year for each of them. It covers additional children with disabilities. It provides $103.7 million for Head Start. It provides funding to expand some of our community health centers to take care of people who don't have any health insurance. It keeps our Public Housing authorities utility costs at least paid for the moment. It provides $125 million for 38,000 additional students below grade level. And we provide an additional $197.1 million for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund. Federal Highway funds are provided at levels guaranted in SAFETEA and Amtrak funding is maintained at 2006 levels. We know that is still $266 million below 2004 levels. We just don't have the funds to do everything we want to do. But at least we want to move forward.
Our Nation has many needs, Mr. Speaker, and we need to understand and meet those responsibilities for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. But surely we have responsibilities here at home, and we have a responsibility to meet the need for a defensible budget policy that imposes tough decisions in tough time.
I want to congratulate Mr. Obey as our new chairman of the Appropriations Committee, somebody who is not only well suited to this position, but probably the finest chairman of Appropriations I have ever had the opportunity to serve with.
Thank you for doing what you had to do for the Nation. Congratulations.
Please, I ask all my colleagues to vote for this continuing resolution on behalf of all the citizens of our country.
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