Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016
Floor Speech
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Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chair, before I start, I just want to thank the gentleman from Idaho, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies appropriations for all his exemplary work on this and allowing the open process to actually work. I know that my colleagues that have offered amendments appreciate the time that they have been able to do that, and I want to thank him for that.
Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill. This amendment takes dollars out of the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., and puts it to work for the American people, helping ports and harbors like the Charleston Port in my home State of South Carolina do the important work necessary to begin the deepening of those harbors.
Last month, I had the pleasure of visiting the Panama Canal when I led a House delegation to the Summit of the Americas. The lock and dam system in that canal is being upgraded, and it was very interesting to see the work that they are doing there. Once that work is complete, larger ships will be able to come through the canal and deliver goods to and from Atlantic and Gulf ports along the eastern seaboard. This will be one of the key economic drivers in the 21st century.
If America is going to compete on the global stage, we need to be ready for this transformation. My amendment seeks to speed that readiness, helping to transform critical ports like Charleston's to the depth that will allow these bigger ships to navigate those harbors more often.
This amendment is about this House setting our government's spending priorities, just like every family does at home. We are rapidly approaching a $20 trillion debt, and we have a moral responsibility to use every tax dollar wisely.
I am grateful that my colleagues on the Committee on Appropriations were able to negotiate this amendment to increase funding for vital infrastructure projects like the Port of Charleston and pay for it by forcing bureaucratic agencies to operate more efficiently. I urge the passage of the amendment.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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