Conference Report On H.R. 3288, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan. I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Appropriations Committee and as an honored member serving on the conferee committee, this is a good bill. As you know, in the House of Representatives, we passed all 12 of our appropriations bills. The Senate passed nine of their 12 bills. Unfortunately, they were not able to do them all. Yet we met many hours a night and passed what is considered, I believe, a good bill for all of the reasons that you have mentioned--health care, veterans, education, transportation, helping our military men and women who are on active duty and those who are not. This is a bill that wraps up our 2009 appropriations process, less one bill, and we will take that up next week.

I commend Chairman David Obey as well as our ranking member, Jerry Lewis. I commend John Olver and all of the Chair people who have brought the bills together and who have worked many long hours to see that we get the work of the people done.

Our Appropriations Committee handles over $1 trillion for various programs of the Federal Government. We take our work very strongly. We work long hours. We spend many hours on it. All of the bills before us today have been reviewed. All 12 which have passed the House are pretty much the same bills we had in conference the other evening. I am proud of our work.

As an appropriator and in working with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, but specifically with the Democrats and under the leadership of Chairman Obey, I want the American citizens to rest assured you have a good product before you. We will continue to do what is necessary to fund our children's programs, our health programs, transportation, veterans--you name it. This completes, bar one bill, the 2009 appropriations process.

I am honored to be a part of that, and I look forward to the new year.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source