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I am concerned today as I come here because it is very difficult, despite my faith, to rejoice in this markup because today this bill turns its back on rural America. It is a retreat from our most vulnerable communities. This bill really makes it more difficult to implement the purpose and to have a level playing field for all Americans.
The bill also misses opportunities to make smart investments to address urgent issues facing our country – such as providing more resources to counter the trafficking of illicit narcotics into our country, such as fentanyl and opioids; expanding our capacities at our ports of entry and interior checkpoints; intel specialists, inspection and detection technology, and infrastructure upgrades to keep pace with increasing volumes of trade and travel to the U.S. as global supply chains and international travel rebound to pre-pandemic levels; and requiring an updated Border Security Improvement Plan – which is now completely outdated.
Aside from being built on a house of cards, the bill before us today makes irresponsible investments that weaken our national security and harm the Homeland Security workforce. It will not get control at the border. My Republican colleagues are once again proposing to waste billions of dollars on a useless and ineffective border wall – rather than focusing resources where we need them most, like combatting fentanyl entering through our ports of entry, supporting the Homeland Security workforce, discouraging the flow of migrants from Central America, helping our border communities, advancing our cybersecurity posture, and protecting our communities from violent extremism and foreign adversaries.
After removing rescissions, the Agriculture bill provides a total funding level so insufficient that it was last seen in 2006. It is a sham proposal built on $8 billion in alleged savings that will likely not be available next year. The cuts in the bill are harmful, including slashing the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program by $500 million, cutting the Renewable Energy for America Program by $500 million, gutting investments in rural electric co-ops for clean energy and energy efficiency by $3.25 billion, eliminating loans that serve as a financial lifeline that has already helped more than 20,000 distressed farmers from keeping hardworking farmers from going into foreclosure, it’s an issue that is relevant to rural farmers, and taking food out of the mouths of veterans, children, seniors, and people with disabilities who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Let me emphasize: the House Republicans have pledged to cut critical programs by $142 billion. And by the majority’s estimate, the bill before us today cuts more than $250 million from the Legislative Branch. Because we have not been given information about the cuts being proposed by Republicans, that means the other appropriations bills still must bear – $142 billion in cuts; this is simple math, Mr. Chairman. And it means that the across-the-board cuts of at least 22 percent to nondefense programs that would be required to meet their target and that would mean it would be will actually be much steeper for the bills that they are still holding back. Simply put, the Republicans’ plan is a house of cards.