Executive Session - THUD Appropriations Bill

Floor Speech

Ms. COLLINS. Thank you, Madam President.

Colleagues, as the chairman of our subcommittee, Senator Murray, has pointed out, we are continuing to work through the amendments that have been filed on this bill.

I do not think I need to remind any of our colleagues on either side of the aisle that the August recess is fast approaching and the Senate will have to wrap up its work on this bill before we adjourn.

So I would say to my colleagues, if you have good ideas or even not so good ideas about this bill, we urge you to come to the floor and file your amendment and do so as soon as possible.

As Chairman Murray has pointed out, there has been an open amendment process. We have disposed of some amendments; a couple through rollcall votes, a few others through unanimous consent. But we could have done a lot more last week had people been willing to come to the floor and allow us to proceed to amendments that were filed.

I also want to highlight a letter the Appropriations Committee has received from more than 2,420 national, State, and local organizations, and State and local government officials in support of the funding that is in the programs that are included in this important bill. This is an important bill. It is a bill that will help us rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. It is a bill that helps us meet the housing needs of homeless veterans, of disabled senior citizens, of very low-income families. It is a bill that will help the private sector create thousands of new jobs at a time when our economy needs them--in fact, hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

It is not surprising to me that so many organizations are lending their voices in support of this bill. I want to read one quote from the letter from these organizations. The letter notes that:

Through these investments, Congress supports small business job creation, expands our nation's infrastructure capacity, supports economic recovery and growth, reduces homelessness and housing hardships, and promotes lasting community and family economic success.

I think that is a very good description of the purpose and the programs in this bill.

One of the programs in this bill that is extremely popular and has been used very well to promote economic development and community reinvestment in my State is the funding for the Community Development Block Grant Program. That is an area where our bill differs greatly from the House bill.

I want to point out that tomorrow the House of Representatives is expected to consider its version of the fiscal year 2014 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. Think about this. If we pass our bill, they pass their bill, we could actually proceed to a conference committee and work out the differences between our respective bills. The differences are marked. I do not minimize the differences in terms of priorities and funding, but that is what Congress is all about.

If we do pass our bill and the House proceeds to pass its version of the T-HUD appropriations bill, we will be the first but I hope not the only fiscal year 2014 spending bill that is ready for conference, goes to conference, and I hope becomes law.

Finally, let me say, I recognize the Senate bill is not perfect, despite the heroic efforts Senator Murray and I made in committee and the input and insight from our colleagues that are incorporated into this bill. But it is a good-faith bipartisan effort that attempts to strike the right balance between fiscal responsibility and our Nation's infrastructure and housing needs.

I am confident the bill that would come back from conference would be, frankly, at a lower spending level, which I and many on my side of the aisle want to see. But I was encouraged by the Senate's vote last week of 73 to 26 to allow the Senate to proceed to this bill. I know we can make improvements. That is what the amendment process is all about.

Again, I want to second what our chairman has said and encourage our colleagues to get their amendments filed and to work with both of us so we can proceed to wrap up this work session on a high note of passing, on time, an individual appropriations bill. I am willing to work hard over the recess to conference the two bills, to get going on that. I know the chairman is as well.

I want to thank the chairman and my staff and her staff also for working so hard.

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