House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) today delivered the following remarks on the House Floor in support of :
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act, which continues funding for federal programs and services through March 11.
I would have preferred to come before the House to pass a fiscal year 2022 omnibus. But I believe we are very close to an agreement, and I am eager to move this process forward. I have every expectation that we can finalize a framework in short order, and then work together to fill in the details and enact an omnibus.
The American people deserve the certainty that comes with full-year funding bills. The transformative investments an omnibus provides will help create good-paying jobs and grow opportunity for the middle class.
An omnibus will expand access to child care, strengthen our public schools, make college more affordable, bolster job training, and help small businesses access the capital they need to thrive. And it will rebuild our public health care systems after the devastation of the pandemic.
An omnibus bill will confront the climate crisis by supporting environmental protection, land conservation, and clean energy development. And it will protect our national security and restore America’s place in the world.
An omnibus is the only way to unlock the full potential of the transformative funding in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, accelerating the rebuilding of our nation’s crumbling roads, bridges, water systems, and other critical transportation infrastructure.
Of great importance to the people we represent, an omnibus would enact Community Project Funding that both Republicans and Democrats requested for their districts with strong community support. From rebuilding local health and transportation infrastructure, helping veterans to find jobs, supporting small businesses, and expanding educational opportunities, these investments will revitalize our communities and strengthen them for years to come.
Once we have a framework, I am confident that Appropriators will work with great intensity to fill in the details, so that we can enact an agreement that is worthy of the American people.
To provide the time to get that done, the Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act continues government funding at current levels through March 11. This legislation is straightforward and includes minimal anomalies, the most notable of which is $350 million in direly-needed new funding to address water contamination from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii.
No one wins from additional Continuing Resolutions, which is why - after we pass this extension - we will finalize an omnibus that will deliver for our nation.
I urge a yes vote on this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
