Instead of looking to cut inefficiencies, the majority has simply had to cut both effective and ineffective programs alike. These numbers are penny wise, but pound foolish.
Thank you Chairman Crenshaw. We are in our first year working together on this subcommittee, and I know that the Chairman has worked hard to find common ground on a number of issues with our side. Although we do not agree on the final product before us today, I know he has done his best with this allocation.
Before I begin, I want to thank both the majority and minority staff for their work in putting this bill together. We all know how much time they have devoted to writing this legislation, and I think I speak for all the Members here in thanking them for everything that they do.
Unfortunately, I cannot support the bill that has been put before us by the majority today. The Financial Services and General Government bill has been cut by 20 percent from fiscal year 2013, for a total of $4.3 billion. The $16.966 billion in funding for this bill is actually $3.3 billion below the current sequestration level, and almost $7 billion below the President's request.
At these levels, most agencies in this bill are grossly underfunded. Instead of looking to cut inefficiencies, the majority has simply had to cut both effective and ineffective programs alike. These numbers are penny wise, but pound foolish.
For example, the General Services Administration sustains a $2.4 billion cut from the current sequestration level. These cuts will have a significant impact on our economy and on job creation, because many private sector contractors depend upon business from the federal government. Moreover, the levels of funding are so low, that GSA is telling us that they will be forced to break some current leases - leading to additional legal costs and contractual penalties.
The SEC is funded at a level of $1.371 billion, which is more than $300 million below the President's request. The SEC has new mandates and missions as a result of both Dodd-Frank financial reform and the JOBS Act, but this committee's funding levels have not kept pace with these additional responsibilities. We all know what happens on Wall Street without a vigilant regulator, and how much that ends up costing the public. I am concerned that we are just asking for a future crisis at this funding level.
The Election Assistance Commission is eliminated in this bill. Even though Republicans in the Senate continue to deny confirmation votes on nominated EAC commissioners, the EAC still provides vital data and assistance to help states and localities purchase voting equipment and modernize election administration. Instead of cutting the EAC's funding we should be giving this agency the resources it needs to do its job.
I am also concerned by some of the Committee's actions with regard to the District of Columbia. The DC Tuition Assistance Grant program has been cut in half, which will greatly impact the ability of District residents to attend college. Additionally, the report includes language attempting to undermine the District's vote on local budget autonomy.
Lastly, the Internal Revenue Service sustains an extreme 30 percent cut from the President's budget request. We all know about the inappropriate targeting of both liberal and conservative groups at the IRS. I share the majority's outrage over these improper practices, but a multi-billion dollar cut to the agency will do nothing to solve these problems. Rather than attempting to fund training and reform programs, the majority has chosen to lay off thousands of IRS employees - almost all of whom had absolutely nothing to do with this issue. The proposed funding cuts will undoubtedly increase our tax gap through lower enforcement and services. In short, this is a funding level that will make tax cheats everywhere smile.
On top of these wholesale budget reductions, this bill is plagued by unnecessary and harmful riders. Let me name just a few of the more egregious. Within the Department of the Treasury, the bill includes a rider attempting to roll back our nation's 'people-to-people' Cuba travel policy - a clear political ploy sparked by a recent trip by Jay-Z and Beyonce. Within the IRS, there is a rider preventing implementation of the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act - despite the fact that the ACA is the law of the land and its implementation continues to move forward. The bill also includes riders attempting to limit the President's power to issue signing statements and to create executive orders. The bill attempts to undermine the ongoing Dodd-Frank implementation effort by requiring a biased report of the costs of implementation. And the bill includes two controversial abortion riders: one that prohibits plans offered through the Affordable Care Act from offering coverage for abortion services, and one that continues to prevent the District of Columbia from using its own local funds to pay for abortion services. I find both of these riders to be highly objectionable, and I am troubled that we continue to restrict how the District uses its own funds in this regard.
Very few, if any, of these riders are likely to survive in the end. As in past years, they simply serve political ends, and are a huge impediment to reaching reasonable agreement in the appropriations process.
I know the Chairman has been put in a difficult spot by the Ryan budget and the 302(b) allocation levels. Unfortunately, some people seem to believe that we can balance the budget entirely through discretionary spending cuts, and this allocation reflects that wrongheaded view. This bill will harm not just government agencies, but it will hurt private contractors, federal employees, and the American people as well. Until we work out a solution to sequestration that provides this Subcommittee with a fair allocation of funding, I cannot support this legislation.
Thank you.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
