Issue Position: Senate Appropriations Committee
Issue Position
Issue Position: Senate Appropriations Committee
Domenici Membership
Senator Domenici is proud to serve on one of the oldest and most powerful of Senate committeesthe Senate Appropriations Committee.
In 2002, the Senate Appropriations Committee celebrated its 135th anniversary (1867-2002). As the custodian of Congress' "power of the purse," the Constitution states that "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by law . . ." (Article I, Section 9). Each year Congress must pass 13 appropriations bills to fund the operation of federal programs and agencies. As a member of the Appropriations Committee for 20 years (since 1983), Senator Domenici has been actively involved in writing this legislation.
In the 108th Congress, Senator Domenici serves on six of the 13 Subcommittees. He continues to chair the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee that is so important to New Mexicans. The bill developed by this Subcommittee provides funding for the annual operations of the Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories at Sandia and Los Alamos, and it funds the critical water programs of the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation that are so important to the arid Southwest.
Senator Domenici also serves on the powerful Defense Appropriations Subcommittee that is key to supporting New Mexico military installations at Kirtland, Holloman, Cannon, the White Sands Missile Range, and National Guard armories. This position is particularly important as another round of base closures is authorized for 2005.
As a senior member, Senator Domenici has been appointed to the new Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, which will place its major focus on securing the United States against terrorist attacks. Senator Domenici wants to marshal all the talents of New Mexico's labs, universities and private businesses to tackle homeland security threats. This includes border control, first responder training by New Mexico Tech, and a new training initiative in Playas, NM. This bill also now supports the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Artesia, and includes additional funding ($38.1 million) to continue paying Cerro Grande fire claims.
Senator Domenici is fortuitously the Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and serves on the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee which funds programs of the Department of the Interior, such as the Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, BLM and the BIA; the U.S. Forest Service; Indian Health Service; and DOE fossil energy and energy conservation programs. Through this Subcommittee Senator Domenici shepherded funding to acquire the Baca Ranch, to restore the Palace of the Governors, and support the national parks and national forests in New Mexico, and to rebuild BIA schools. This bill also funds Domenici's hazardous fuels reduction ("Happy Forests") program to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire in our forests and on public lands.
The Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary Subcommittee upon which Domenici serves provides critical funding in support of state and local law enforcement agencies. Senator Domenici has been instrumental in supporting anti-drug efforts in northern New Mexico counties. He has been a strong supporter of the Violence against Women programs and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and other after-school programs for at-risk children and youths.
As a member of the Transportation, Treasury and General Government Subcommittee, Senator Domenici has secured funding for transit projects throughout New Mexico, including Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and many communities. Highway projects and aviation grants for New Mexico are also funded by Domenici in this bill.
Important programs for veterans, to provide affordable housing and community development, to promote clean air and water, and support the nation's scientific endeavors through NASA and the National Science Foundation are funded by the VA-HUD-Independent Agencies Subcommittee upon which Domenici serves. Senator Domenici is a strong supporter of the Veterans Administration programs providing compensation and pension benefits, as well as health care, to approximately ten percent of New Mexico's population which are veterans. He has also supported specific community development grants for New Mexico food banks, day care centers, homeless shelters, rape crisis centers, and community centers, to name a few. Funding to develop new arsenic technologies, to improve respiratory health, and to tackle environmental problems on the US-Mexico border have specifically been funded by Domenici in this appropriations bill. Important astronomy discoveries continue to be made by scientists using the Very Large Array (VLA) and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) near Socorro, which are supported in this bill. Senator Domenici is currently pushing funding to expand and upgrade the VLA.
Twenty years of service on the Senate Appropriations Committee has allowed Senator Domenici to assist New Mexicans with many important initiatives and to make contributions to the nation's forward progress.
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