Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, today issued the following statement regarding subcommittee allocations for 2014 Appropriations bills:
"It has been clear since the majority determined that FY2014 Appropriations bills would assume continuation of sequestration, that allocations for critical domestic priorities would be impracticable. The majority should have allowed the Appropriations Committee to write bills at the spending level to which Democrats and Republicans agreed in the Budget Control Act of 2011, as was the case in FY2013 and as the Senate will do this year.
"Although we still have not seen 10 of the 12 Appropriations bills, the insufficiency of these allocations is crystal clear. For bills funding domestic services and investments, these allocations would require cuts of up to 20% from 2013 enacted levels. Many domestic priorities would be slashed to levels far below even sequestration levels. Democrats cannot and will not support Appropriations bills that continue to gut services and investments critical to middle-class American families.
"I remain hopeful that the House majority will allow the Appropriations Committee to write bills at a more realistic level, and I look forward to working with Chairman Rogers as the process moves forward."
Lowey also offered an amendment to restore overall FY2014 funding to $1.058 trillion, the level to which Democrats and Republicans agreed in the Budget Control Act of 2011, and the level of President Obama's budget request and Senate Appropriations bills.
The amendment largely reflects the President's budget request, including his efforts to reform international food aid. The amendment rejects the President's underfunding of project-based Section 8 housing and his request to move Amtrak from the discretionary to the mandatory side of the budget. It freezes the Legislative Branch bill at last year's enacted level, and reduces Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding.
"I do not need to be reminded that sequestration is still in effect. But I remain optimistic that, now that the effects of sequestration on economic growth and critical priorities are coming into focus, Congress can reach an agreement to replace this mindless policy with a sensible and balanced approach that reins in long-term deficits while protecting critical services and investments.
"By adopting a more realistic topline funding level and subcommittee allocations, we would increase our chances to enact Appropriations bills and prevent a high-stakes showdown that puts our entire economy at risk."
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
