Heck Opposes Omnibus Spending Bill

Statement

Congressman Joe Heck (NV-03) today released the following statement after voting against the omnibus appropriations bill for 2016.

"During my time in the House the three items at the top of my priority list have been keeping America safe, reducing government spending, and getting Nevadans back to work. This bill falls short on all three. It raises discretionary spending above last year's level, marking the first time since 2011 we have failed to reduce spending, while continuing to under-fund our national defense. And although Nevada's economy has improved over recent years, I worry that tripling the number of H-2B visas for foreign workers will put Nevadans at a disadvantage."

"This bill contains sweeteners designed to give policy wins to just about everyone, but it completely ignores Executive branch attacks on our Western way of life. My colleagues and I on the Western Caucus pushed to include language to prevent the EPA from changing the definition of navigable waters and to block Department of the Interior's land use management plan for sage grouse habitat, both of which will have a profound effect on Nevada's economy. Those provisions were left out of the bill."

"Finally, recent events have eroded the trust between the American people and the federal government, especially where intelligence activities are concerned. Including the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act in this 'must pass' bill without public debate on the House floor only propagates this distrust."

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