Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008

Floor Speech

AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008--Continued -- (House of Representatives - July 31, 2007)

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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chairman, I appreciate very much the recognition.

Madam Chairman, I think that the American people are probably getting a pretty good lesson on the effectiveness, or lack of effectiveness, of this Congress right now. Unfortunately for the institution, the lesson is driving home the poll numbers that show how little regard the American people have for the majority party right now. It is important that we have the opportunity to debate every one of these bills and that we have the opportunity to debate the amendments that are here.

I rise in support of the amendment that my colleague from North Carolina has offered. I think, again, that it is important that we do that. It is also important that we have the ability to tie the amendments that are being offered to this agriculture bill to other issues. The majority party may not want to do that. However, it is very important that we do that, because these appropriations bills are all tied together.

Last year, there was a great hue and cry from the majority party about how much money was being spent by the Republicans, what profligate spenders we were. Now that the Democrats are proposing spending all this money, it is negligible. $10 million is negligible. $5 million is negligible. It is insignificant. All kinds of words like that are being used.

When we try to point out the connection between what is happening in this bill and with the amendments that we are offering to things like the SCHIP bill, then the majority party doesn't want us to do that.

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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chairman, I thank my colleague for seeking the clarification of this. I have been very confused about the majority party not wanting us to talk about the entire budget. This is one piece of an entire budget that this House is going to pass. I don't see how you can possibly say there is no nexus.

Every spending bill in this Chamber is connected to every other spending bill, so how can you possibly say that they are not the same? You passed this huge budget with the largest tax increase in the history of this country. The budget sets the spending. I cannot understand why we can't talk about the budget and every other spending bill that we are going to deal with in conjunction with this spending bill, because they are all tied together.

I would also like to point out to you that I guess while you are trying to speed us along you are raising all these points of order, which is simply slowing down the process. I find that somewhat amusing, too, as we are trying to move the process along.

But it is important that we talk about our rural districts and what the SCHIP program would do to seniors. I have seniors who are going be hurt by this.

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Ms. FOXX. Well, I will say again that we passed one budget in this House that includes the money for all the spending bills. If there is one budget, then it would seem to me that all of the spending bills are tied to each other. Therefore, any spending bill has a connection to every other spending bill. So there is a nexus there, and talking about what is going to happen or what is being proposed in one spending bill is relevant to every other spending bill. I simply don't see how you can separate them.

It is going to be especially clear to the American people that that is the case when an omnibus spending bill is brought here this fall and we are asked to vote for, again, the largest tax increase in the history of this country within the confines of a very, very large spending bill.

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