Further Continuing Appropriations Amendments, 2011

Floor Speech

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Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I rise in support of this continuing resolution. It's a reasonable and a thoughtful path forward to avoid a potential government shutdown.

Madam Speaker, the American people have made two things perfectly clear: First, they want their government to stay up and running; and, secondly, they want us to cut spending. We need to do both.

Like many of us, I would have greatly preferred that the Senate act on H.R. 1, the 7-month continuing resolution that we debated for over 90 hours that included, indeed, the largest spending reductions in the history of any Congress.

Ten days ago, this committee and this House took the President's budget and cut it by over $100 billion, terminating dozens of government programs in the process. And in a city where President Reagan once said ``A government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this Earth,'' that's quite an accomplishment.

Madam Speaker, the resolution we have before us today is a simple stopgap measure to provide more time for negotiations to develop a funding bill for the rest of the current fiscal year. It's temporary and it must pass to keep the government open beyond Friday.

This bill contains $4 billion in savings including just under a billion from programs under the jurisdiction of my committee, Energy and Water Development. These savings are found purely from eliminating earmarks inserted by Congress in the fiscal year 2010 bill.

As with other spending reductions in this temporary bill, the committee has taken great pains to include only savings that both parties and both Chambers support. Both the House and Senate have sworn off earmarks for fiscal year 2011, so these reductions should not be controversial.

My colleagues, we must move this resolution. We need it to provide time to continue negotiations to complete the important work that should have been done by the last Congress--which passed no appropriations bills.

Madam Speaker, I repeat: The American people have made it clear. They want their government to stay open for business. They also want us to cut spending. Let's do it. Let's move ahead. This resolution needs to be passed.

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