Thank you, Chairman Calvert, Ranking Member McCollum, and Chairman Frelinghuysen for your work on this bill.
As I noted in this morning's full Committee markup, our budget and Appropriations process has been far from the 'regular order' that the majority has continually promised. A new bipartisan budget agreement must be negotiated in order to enact Appropriations bills into law.
With all of these procedural roadblocks hindering our path forward, one might think the majority would produce bills that could possibly gain support from Democrats by, for example, funding critical investments to keep our air and water clean. Or they might refrain from adding poison pill riders that would:
* Authorize the withdrawal of the Waters of the United States Rule;
* Prohibit the use of funds to implement the National Ocean Policy; and
* Even loosen the requirements for use of American iron and steel for certain loans and grants.
These riders, coupled with a $528 million cut to the EPA, would be a disaster for our environment and the health of Americans.
I have said it before, and I will say it again. Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, scientists, business leaders, and the vast majority of Americans agree: man-made climate change is real, and it poses a threat to every living being on our planet that must be confronted quickly and seriously.
Unfortunately, the bill before us ignores that reality and instead would expedite the degradation of our environment and contribute to conditions that facilitate climate change. We are at a critical juncture when we should be investing more in preventing climate change and protecting our natural resources, not making draconian cuts that would damage the world around us for generations to come.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
