Unfortunately, the overall allocation is simply too small to adequately address the needs of our nation. I am afraid that the severe cuts to key programs will stifle American competitiveness.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate your leadership and engagement with all members of the Committee in drafting the bill before us. Thank you also to Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey.
As we review the bill before us, let us briefly compare where our national energy and water priorities stand in 2013 and where this bill steps back from meeting national challenges.
Last year, funding for Energy and Water totaled $33.2 billion. This bill would fund reduce operations by $2.8 billion to $30.4 billion.
Last year, the Corps of Engineers was funded at $4.9 billion. This year, it is $4.7 billion.
Last year we spent $27 billion on the Department of Energy. This year it is $24.6 billion.
Last year we spent $1.8 billion on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. This year it is $736 million.
Members of the Committee; our nation's chief strategic vulnerability is its dependence on foreign energy imports and our lack of energy independence. The amount of money spent importing foreign petroleum since 2003 totals $2.3 trillion.
Let us consider for a moment that number - $2.3 trillion is an enormous figure, representing thousands of dollars out of the pockets of every hard-working American. Those are dollars spent, not in much-needed American job creation, but overseas, helping our competitors develop their economies and their energy futures.
How will our republic fare in the 21st Century and beyond if we further cut back investing in ourselves and cede the energy future to China, Germany, Brazil, and others?
Foreign competition in energy poses a real threat. China has dumped millions of solar panels on the U.S. market to drive out free-market competition. It is also no secret they continue to buy up and steal from America's homegrown innovators, poaching taxpayer-funded technological advancements and intellectual property.
We must develop a more sustainable energy future.
It is no easy task to work with an inadequate allocation - $2.8 billion below last year and $553 million below even sequestration levels (adjusted for Sandy recovery) - but this bill includes resources for many federal priorities, including the Corps of Engineers, the Advanced Manufacturing Office, nuclear safety and cleanup.
I also appreciate the Chairman's willingness to work with me on a provision requiring comprehensive reporting on all Life Extension Programs. With a potential savings of more than $7 billion on the B61 alone, informed dialogue is an absolute necessity.
Unfortunately, the overall allocation is simply too small to adequately address the needs of our nation. I am afraid that the severe cuts to key programs will stifle American competitiveness.
This bill would slash funding for applied energy research and development by more than half, even as foreign competitors double down to develop 21st Century technology and undermine our markets through illegal dumping and intellectual property poaching.
We are beginning to see the initial payoff from the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), which advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. This bill would effectively end the program.
In the defense accounts, we are failing to meet our most basic priorities. This year, we received confirmation of additional tanks leaking radioactive waste at the Hanford site, yet this bill would provide $273 million less than last year for defense-related environmental cleanup.
Nonproliferation programs are our first line of defense and the most cost-effective way to achieve the urgent goal of securing and reducing the amount of vulnerable bomb-grade material. This bill cuts these critical efforts by $599 million when compared to 2013 for the same activities.
Even the bipartisan priority for Corps of Engineers funding cannot be met, given cuts beyond even sequestration levels. This bill funds the Corps $50 million below the request. This will only exacerbate our $60 billion backlog necessary to protect our nation against future natural disasters and keep our ports open for business.
Republicans on the Budget Committee continue to push the outrageous notion that we can balance our budget through cuts to non-defense discretionary spending, which account for only 17% of federal spending. All this will do is harm our nation.
I commend the Chairman's work, however, the allocation for this bill is insufficient and irresponsible, and I cannot in good conscience support it.
I look forward to the day we return allocations to acceptable levels and working with the Chairman and the members of this subcommittee to draft a bill worthy of support.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
