Press Releases

Thank you Mr. Chairman. The Legislative Branch Appropriations bill is $72 million above the fiscal year 2016 enacted bill.

After many years, I think it is appropriate to begin to provide relief to legislative branch agencies. I want to thank the full Committee Chairman, Mr. Rogers for understanding the challenges posed by years of cuts and providing an allocation to begin rebuilding the capacity of Congress to do the people’s work.

I began on this Committee and subcommittee in January of 2007. Liz Dawson, the majority clerk, was the minority clerk at the time and I like to joke that we started off rocky but I have come to rely on her counsel.

Mr. Chairman, I think that relationship is important to explain the bipartisan nature of this bill.

Thank you, Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz, and Chairman Rogers for your work on this bill.

Today we consider funding for the operations of our nation’s legislative branch. This is our fourth bill to reach subcommittee markup, yet the House has not passed a budget, and it’s almost certain we never will.

We know why. The right-wing is threatening to renege on the bipartisan budget agreement, and rejects as insufficiently radical, a Republican budget resolution that would devastate good-paying jobs, end the Medicare guarantee, and increase poverty. The majority’s continued dysfunction jeopardizes this Committee’s ability to meet the challenges we face.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

This committee gives us all not only an intimate look into the operations of government, but in doing so it develops friendships among the committee members.

I first met Chairman Aderholt on a Mil Con codel to Bosnia and I like to think we bonded over that trip. His wife was pregnant at the time and now their daughter is a young woman.

I think all of us have had such bonding moments. That Mil Con codel was headed up by Dave Hobson. He and I remain good friends.

Being together in the trenches, whether it is on a codel or banging out legislative language for a bill, helps to build bridges across party lines and create respect for the office we hold and the institution we serve.

I thank Chairman Aderholt, Ranking Member Farr, and Chairman Rogers for their work on this bill.

Today, the Committee will mark up its second and third bill of the year. Meanwhile, after Republican Leadership maintained that the budget and appropriations process would return to regular order and adhere to last year’s bipartisan agreement, the House has not passed a budget, and it’s almost certain we never will.

We know why. The right-wing is threatening to renege on the bipartisan budget agreement, and rejects as insufficiently radical, a Republican budget resolution that would devastate good-paying jobs, end the Medicare guarantee, and increase poverty. The majority’s continued dysfunction jeopardizes this Committee’s ability to meet the challenges we face.

2017 mark: $21.3 billion

2017 request: $21.6 billion

2016 enacted: $21.75 billion

The Chairman’s mark provides:

2017 mark: $37.444 billion
2017 budget request: $37.185 billion
2016 enacted: $37.276 billion

The Chairman’s mark provides:

Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) today urged Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) to hold a special meeting on the Administration’s request for emergency supplemental funding to respond to the Zika virus.

WASHINGTON - 394 Members of Congress signed a bipartisan letter urging President Obama to veto possible upcoming one-sided initiatives in the United Nations concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.