Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2354, Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012

Floor Speech

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Mr. WEBSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this rule and the underlying bill.

House Resolution 337 provides for an open rule for consideration for H.R. 2354, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2012. This rule provides for ample debate and opportunities for the Members of the minority and majority to participate in that debate. The rule places no limitations on the number of amendments that may be considered, as long as they comply with the rules of the House.

This continues the Speaker's and the Rules chairman's desire and commitment to have transparency and openness, which was demanded by the American people. It's been a long time since we had this type of process, and it's great to have an open process. I think it helps with the partisanship that we have experienced.

The underlying bill funds the Department of Energy, while also moving forward several ongoing construction and operation and maintenance efforts by the Corps of Engineers. It also provides $1.2 billion in emergency funding for the communities of the Midwest and South ravaged by tornadoes, storms, and floods earlier this year. $477 million is set aside for fossil energy research and development. Nearly three times the amount, $1.3 billion, is appropriated for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs to ensure that we continue to move forward in developing next-generation power sources and fuels. Critical defense environmental cleanup efforts are funded at a total of $4.9 billion.

This bill recognizes the importance of a long term nuclear waste disposal policy for the United States; $3.5 million is provided for nuclear waste disposal for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage site in Nevada. Further, no funds in this bill will be used to shut down Yucca Mountain. Since 1983, taxpayers have spent over $15 billion for the construction of this facility, and this bill reasserts the sense of the body that Yucca Mountain is the future repository for nuclear waste.

Is every program or project funded at the levels that we would like? Probably not. For example, long-awaited Federal funds for the Everglades effort in my home State of Florida are significantly pared back in this bill. I am sure almost every Member of this body could find some program, some project or effort that they would like to see plussed up. This is not a perfect world, however, and at the end of the day the funding levels in this bill represent only a 3.3 percent modest cut from last year.

We have to scale back our spending. Appropriations in the last Congress accrued about $1.65 trillion in deficit spending. That's the largest ever. We borrow about $4.5 billion every day. And we just have to pare back.

Will the cuts made in this bill alone right our Nation's fiscal ship? No, but it's a start. It moves the rudder; maybe a half a degree, but it does move the rudder to turn it around. The bill changes the way Washington has spent taxpayers' money in the past. For example, there are no earmarks in this bill. Also, because this bill is being considered in an open rule, any Member can offer an amendment to increase or decrease funding levels. Again, a 3.3 percent cut to the Department of Energy and Corps of Engineers budget will not solve all of our Nation's fiscal problems, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and the underlying legislation. Given our current budget situation, the Appropriations Committee has worked diligently to provide us with a fiscally responsible bill that allows Congress to begin living within its means, just like American families and businesses are forced to do every day.

I encourage my colleagues to vote "yes'' on the rule and "yes'' on the underlying bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. WEBSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would just like to address a couple of items: number one, the tax policy we've been talking about and how we could raise extra revenues. The tax policy we have today was given to us by the 111th Congress. I assume if they had wanted to change it, they would have when they had the majority. They didn't. They gave us the tax policy. We haven't gotten to that yet, but we will at some point in time.

As far as the money we're using in this budget, it is a small decrease, but we have to do it. We're borrowing 40 cents on the dollar; $4.5 billion a day. We cannot afford it. If we were to increase the allocation in this particular bill, then we would actually be borrowing 100 percent of that allocation increase because we do not have the cash.

So to me, we are here with a good bill. The rule certainly is a good rule. It's an open rule. It's the perfect opportunity for anybody that wants to change this bill to do so. However, the underlying bill is also a good bill. It's done very well.

Just to give you a picture of what the minority said about it in their views that serve on the committee:

"We commend the chairmen, both the sub chair and the full chair, for their efforts to assemble this bill in an inclusive manner. The bill funds critical water resource projects, supports science activities necessary to American competitiveness, and contributes to our national defense through vital weapons, naval reactor research and nonproliferation funding, all priorities that unite rather than divide us.''

There was a disagreement and that is over the allocation, but we simply cannot afford any more of an allocation for this than we have. The budget that was done is an excellent one under the circumstances.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. WEBSTER. Mr. Speaker, as you heard me say earlier, my Republican colleagues and I are committed to providing a more open, accountable, and transparent process. And the underlying bill went through regular order, including eight different subcommittee hearings. Several Democrat amendments were adopted on the committee level. It has provided an open rule to allow Republicans and Democrats alike to offer their ideas in open, honest debate.

This vote is on the rule, which provides for an open, transparent process where the ideas and policies will rise and fall on the basis of their merit, not on their party affiliations. This is what the American people expect of their elected officials. It's an expectation that's being fulfilled by this rule, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage.

I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

The previous question was ordered.

The resolution was agreed to.

A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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