Press Releases

Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, today issued the following statement on President Obama’s request for emergency supplemental appropriations:

“The influx of unaccompanied minors across the southern border is a complex humanitarian crisis that requires thoughtful and bipartisan solutions – not the political posturing and blame games that have done nothing to prevent and respond to these serious challenges.

“I look forward to evaluating how this request for supplemental appropriations would stem the flow of migrants, protect children, expedite judicial proceedings, and help reduce the violence in Central American countries that is the root cause for much of this migration.

I'd like to thank Chairman Crenshaw and Ranking Member Serrano for their work on this bill, and the bipartisan spirit in which they work.

Unfortunately, however, low allocations and policy riders in this bill fail to prioritize the middle class, create jobs, and provide opportunity for every citizen to succeed. Meanwhile this bill cuts already-reduced funding levels for regulatory agencies that protect the public and crack down on special interests who abuse the system.

Thank you, Chairman Rogers.

Let me begin by thanking Chairman Crenshaw for his efforts to conduct this subcommittee in a fair and bipartisan manner. We do not always agree on everything, but you are always willing to listen to our side, and you have made efforts to accommodate our side's priorities.

Unfortunately, I think Chairman Crenshaw has been dealt a difficult hand with this bill. This subcommittee received a totally inadequate 302(b) allocation compared to our funding level in fiscal year 2014 onmibus. The bill is $566 million below the level agreed to in the fiscal year 2014 omnibus. This cut is equal to 2.6 percent of the bill, a level that no other subcommittee has been forced to take. The result it is that there are several agencies in this bill that are inadequately funded.

Thank you, Chairwoman Granger and Chairman Rogers. It has been a pleasure to work with you on this bill, and I greatly appreciate your continued commitment to our development and diplomacy efforts worldwide.

The agencies and programs funded by this bill are a vital part of our national security and foreign policy. They also directly impact our ability to focus on domestic priorities like rebuilding the middle class and restoring our economy by providing stability and preventing costly security threats abroad.

Mr. Chairman, I want to congratulate you on the bipartisan and transparent manner in which you crafted the Fiscal Year 2015 Energy and Water bill. I also want to express my gratitude to Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Lowey, and the other members of the Subcommittee for their efforts. Finally, I would like to thank the majority Subcommittee staff and your personal staff for their great work, as well as Taunja Berquam, on our side, for her exceptional diligence and expertise and Ryan Steyer.

Before I get to my remarks on the bill itself, I first want to mention that our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Nunnelee as he recuperates, we hope to see him join us again soon.

Thank you, Chairwoman Granger, not only for your continued bipartisan approach to this bill but also for your friendship. It is a pleasure to work with you. Thank you, also, to the full committee chairman, Mr. Rogers, for the bill allocation's recognition of the importance of foreign assistance and diplomacy.

I also want to express my appreciation for the hard work of our staffs: Anne Marie Chotvacs, Craig Higgins, Alice Hogans, Susan Adams, Clelia Alvarado, Jamie Guinn, David Bortnick, and Johnnie Kaberle; as well as my staff: Steve Marchese, Erin Kolodjeski, Siobhan Hulihan, Sonali Korde, and Marin Stein.

I rise having cosponsored this bill as the ranking member on the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. I have to say that I think we have worked very well together. We have worked together as chair and ranking member over a period of time. It is an interesting perspective. I think we have crossed the cultural divide when a Californian can understand the language of an Alabaman, and we have become friends.

I have to say that probably 90 percent of this bill is something we all agree on. Ten percent is what we don't agree on, and it is a horrible 10 percent--a big 10 percent. The bill allocates $20.8 billion, which is the same as what we came up with last year in the conference level.

Mr. Chairman, I want to congratulate you on beginning the markup process for the Energy and Water bill. I would also like to thank the majority Subcommittee staff and your personal staff for their great work.

As you have already pointed out, the allocation for Energy and Water is essentially flat when compared to 2014. I know you were faced with very difficult decisions with this allocation, particularly on the Defense allocation.

Let me first express my appreciation for the bipartisan approach you and your staff took in developing this product. I do believe it is a reflection of interests on both sides of the aisle.

I appreciate the robust funding for the Corps of Engineers, the balanced approach you took to the energy accounts and the levels of funding for science and ARPA-E.