Further Continuing Appropriations Amendments, 2011
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 44, the fiscal year 2011 Further Continuing Appropriations resolution.
This temporary CR is an extra special effort by the majority Republicans to avoid a government shutdown that could otherwise occur on March 4, when the current funding resolution expires. This temporary CR contains funding to allow all government agencies and programs to continue at the current rate of spending for the next 2 weeks until March 18, 2011, while reducing spending by $4 billion through several spending cuts and program terminations. These cuts reflect this Republican majority's continued commitment to significantly reduce spending, to rein in the Nation's exploding deficits and debt, and to help our economy continue on the road to recovery.
Madam Speaker, a government shutdown would halt critical and necessary services and programs that Americans across the country rely on, and it is not what our constituents expect or demand.
I would have greatly preferred that the Senate act on the hard-fought and thoughtfully crafted funding legislation that the House passed almost 2 weeks ago which saves the taxpayers $100 billion compared to the President's request, but it's clear that the Senate needs more time. So this short-term CR will provide an additional 2 weeks by cutting spending to show our continued resolve to get our Nation's fiscal house in order.
The bill before us terminates eight programs for a savings of about $1.24 billion. These eight programs were all targeted for elimination in the President's budget request and have also been part of proposed cuts in the past in the House and the Senate by Members of both parties. These eight programs include: Election Assistance Grants, the Broadband Direct Loan Subsidy, the Smithsonian Institution Legacy Fund, the Striving Readers program, the LEAP program, Even Start, Smaller Learning Communities, and a one-time highway funding addition.
In addition, the bill also eliminates more than $2.7 billion in funding previously reserved for earmarks, eliminations that the House, the Senate, and the White House have all called for this year. The earmark funding cuts in this legislation come from Energy and Water; Homeland Security; Labor, Health and Human Services; legislative branch; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development program accounts.
This legislation will represent the second of many appropriations bills this year that will significantly reduce spending, continuing a pattern of cuts that will help put our Nation's budget back in balance and stop the dangerous spiral of unsustainable deficits and debt.
It is my hope that this CR can be passed quickly and that the President will sign it before the March 4 deadline. This legislation should garner broad support today, given the short timeframe for action and given the fact that these spending cuts have received previous bipartisan support by Members of the House and Senate as well as the White House.
Madam Speaker, we're now 5 months into the current fiscal year and it's critically important that we complete this budget process so that we can turn our attention quickly to passing funding bills for fiscal year 2012. It is high time we start looking forward instead of constantly looking back to clean up past mistakes and inaction. We must move forward quickly in regular order, passing bills on time in an open and transparent fashion to avoid these budget uncertainties in the future.
Madam Speaker, this is one more step that we have to take to get our fiscal house in order. While this isn't a perfect or an easy process, it is essential that we pass this bill, avoid a government shutdown, and continue to work on a long-term solution to complete this long overdue funding process. Our constituents expect and deserve no less.
I reserve the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield myself 30 seconds.
The gentleman, who is my friend, mentioned the economists and their opinion of H.R. 1, the budget-cutting bill we passed a couple of weeks ago.
The best source that I think of, right off, is Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, who has said H.R. 1 would have no negligible harmful impact on the economy. And if the Chairman of the Federal Reserve says that, I tend to believe him.
Now I yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee on our committee, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield 2 minutes to the chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Appropriations, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).
Mr. KINGSTON. I thank the chairman for the time.
Madam Speaker, I want to make three very important points right off the bat:
Number one, our debt is almost at 95 percent of the GDP. It's the highest debt we have ever had in history. Last year alone the deficit was $1.5 trillion. We are borrowing 40 cents for every $1 that we spend. Now, if you and I were doing that in our households or our business was doing it or anybody else, you would say, okay, we've got to change our spending habits. But somehow there are those in Congress who think that we can continue to defy the laws of gravity. We have got to get our house in order.
Number two, why are we here? We are here because the Democrats last year did not pass a budget, did not pass appropriation bills, and did not complete their work on fiscal year 2011. That's what we're doing. We are trying to clean up the mess that was left to us. And in doing that, we are mindful of our financial situation and trying to reduce some of the spending.
Number three, let me say this. This bill was passed with an open rule. Indeed, I believe we had 127 votes on different amendments. Democrats and Republicans offered a myriad of amendments. Now, for those who are complaining on the floor today that they don't like these cuts, why didn't they offer their amendments on the floor a couple of weeks ago? That would have been the way to do this. Now, the chairman and the Speaker have committed to have open rules throughout this process this year, and so there will be a lot of opportunities to go after some of these programs. And some of the ones that are mentioned, I think I will support those cuts. But I just want to emphasize that everyone has had a bite of this apple.
Finally, let me just say this, Madam Speaker. The Zandi report comes from an economist, a political economist we might say, who was the same person who told us the stimulus bill would work, the stimulus bill would keep us from going to 8 percent unemployment. We reached 10 percent. I don't think we need to listen to any more of his advice.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
Mr. KINGSTON. I thank the chairman.
I just want to say that I don't think that Mr. Zandi has any more credibility. We have already spent $800 billion on his advice that the stimulus program would work, and it did not work.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. KINGSTON. I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Is the gentleman aware that Ben Bernanke, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, now says that H.R. 1 would have no harmful effect on the economy?
Mr. KINGSTON. I have heard that. And I understand there is something like 150 other economists who have signed a letter to that effect that was led by John Taylor, who is an economist as well.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. And that cutting spending and reducing the deficit will give confidence to the business community to hire people and put people to work.
Mr. KINGSTON. I thank the chairman.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute to point out to the body that over the last 2 years, the Congress went on a spending spree and increased spending by 84 percent in just 2 years. You ran the deficit up; the annual deficit, now two in a row, trillion-dollar-plus deficits per year, record breaking. We have never had that before. You ran the debt up to where now we are bouncing against the ceiling and the Congress will be called upon to increase the debt ceiling.
There were no appropriations bills passed last year at all. Thus that's why we are here today. So let's talk about the spending spree that we're trying to slow down and stop, Madam Speaker, with this bill.
I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Graves), a member of our committee.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. May I inquire as to how much time is remaining.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Kentucky has 3 minutes remaining.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Let's be clear what it is we're voting on here today. This is a short-term, 2-week CR. It cuts $4 billion, a little over $4 billion in spending that both parties have agreed to in the past, both bodies in the House and Senate have agreed to in the past, and agreed to by the White House.
So what are we talking about here? This is a 2-week extension. It's about as clean as you can make it. And, oh, by the way, speaking about that bill we passed 2 weeks ago, H.R. 1, that cuts $61 billion off of current spending, Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, said as late as today that that bill will have no harmful effect on the economy. I don't know that there's a bigger, better source on the economy than the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, and he says no problem.
Now, what the Democrats want to do, Madam Speaker--this is pretty simple--they want to freeze spending. They want to freeze spending at the biggest bloated level we've ever had.
They increased spending 84 percent over the last 2 years. Now they want to freeze and they'll go no higher. Well, it's bloated. We want to take it back down to where it's reasonable, where we can live with it. So we don't want another $1.7 trillion-a-year deficit like they've had the last year and, before that, something approaching that.
So I ask Members to vote for this short-term CR, to give us time to work with the other body on H.R. 1 to find out what their position is, about which we have no idea at this moment. They haven't acted. And so to avert a closedown of the government, which is what we're after here, we want to give the Senate time to look at H.R. 1 and tell us what their position is so we can have a conversation about it. And, frankly, 2 weeks is plenty of time, plenty of time in the House. I know the Senate works a bit more slowly, but 2 weeks should be plenty.
So, Madam Speaker, I urge Members to vote for this reasonable, fair, budget-cutting extension of the time to shut down the government. Vote "yes" and keep the government operating.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's motion to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. If I understand the gentleman's motion correctly, it would, for a 2-week period, attempt to change the Tax Code to single out resource companies and increase their costs of doing business. This misguided policy can only lead to higher energy prices, continued reliance on foreign oil, and economic hardship that hampers job creation.
At a time when gasoline is currently approaching $4 a gallon around the country and when our resources are being threatened by the instability in the Middle East, we should be encouraging domestic energy production--not cutting it down.
We're talking about a 2-week continuing resolution to keep the government running past Friday, reduce spending, and avoid a government shutdown. This is neither the time nor the place to inject an unrelated job-crushing, controversial rider to the CR that will absolutely hinder its chance of passing in the Senate before this Friday when the current CR expires.
I urge defeat of this ill-advised motion.
I now yield to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), chairman of the Interior Subcommittee Appropriations.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source