Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. GOSAR. Madam Chairwoman, I rise today to speak in favor of my simple and straightforward amendment. My amendment would reduce funding to the United States Botanic Garden to the levels appropriated in fiscal year 2014. That money would then be transferred to the Spending Reduction Account so that we could take one more step towards reining in Federal spending.

I would be the first to say that I appreciate the Botanic Garden and its beauty. I believe it is a good program, and I am personally interested in botany. But Members of Congress are often faced with difficult choices, especially given our current fiscal crisis. There are programs that are constitutionally mandated, and other programs that are nice but are not constitutionally mandated. This is one program that is nice but cannot be immune from the fiscal pressures facing our government.

While the Botanic Garden is a wonderful attraction, Congress must seek to limit excessive spending in the name of getting our fiscal house in order. No line item can be overlooked in making these assessments and decisions, including our own office budgets, as we have demonstrated.

Madam Chairwoman, so many families are tightening their belts during these trying economic times. Congress must do the same and make cuts where it can.

I am concerned that the Architect of the Capitol has proposed over $5.1 million in new capital projects at the Botanic Garden this year. Rather than making minor repairs to a few small leaks in the roof, the Architect of the Capitol is proposing to tear down the entire roof and replace it with something called a new vegetative roofing system. At a time of soaring deficits and with the Federal debt in excess of $17 trillion, such expenditures are especially wasteful, and we shouldn't be wasting precious taxpayer money on a new, state-of-the-art vegetative roofing system.

My proposed amendment is a fair cut. It does not gut the program but merely rolls back the appropriations back to 2014 levels. My amendment still allows for almost $2 million in new capital projects and repairs to take place in fiscal year 2015.

A note about vegetative roofs. They are usually at least twice the cost to install and require a much higher maintenance cost, and in some cases have unintended consequences by attracting wildlife into urban areas, as an example, geese. I ask each Member to vote in favor of the Gosar amendment.

Madam Chairwoman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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