Daniel K. Inouye Floor Statement on the Agriculture, CJS, THUD Minibus:
Mr. President, as we continue to debate the three fiscal year 2012 appropriations bills now on the floor, I would like to take a moment to congratulate the managers of these individual measures, and to urge my colleagues to continue in the current bipartisan spirit as we seek to move additional bills in the coming weeks. Building on the progress we have made this week will make it less likely that we will be forced to resort to an omnibus or year-long Continuing Resolution down the road.
The bills we are considering are both bipartisan and fiscally responsible. Senator Kohl and Senator Blunt have worked together to produce an agriculture bill that is $2.2 billion below the President’s request, and $141 million below the fiscal year 2011 enacted level. Senator Mikulski and Senator Hutchison have managed a Commerce/Justice/Science bill that is $5 billion below the President’s request, and $631 million below the fiscal year 2011 enacted level. And Senator Murray and Senator Collins have crafted a Transportation/Housing bill that is $677 million below the President’s request, and $117 million below last year’s level.
As noted by the leadership of the respective subcommittees, all three of these measures were approved by the full Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support. These measures reflect the austere fiscal environment that we face. They are consistent with the framework established by the Budget Control Act, which established a discretionary spending level that is $7 billion below last year’s level.
Mr. President, all three of these bills present difficult choices. These bills are focused on a number of basic priorities: job creation, public safety, nutrition, housing, and transportation. And yet despite the importance of these initiatives to the lives of every American, many worthy programs were either reduced or eliminated to meet our austere limits.
Some have argued that our national debt demands even further cuts to these vital areas. However, every credible non-partisan analysis has concluded that any real solution to our fiscal problems lies with reforming mandatory programs and raising additional revenues, not cutting investments in roads, bridges, and public safety any further. But to date the entire focus on deficit reduction has been on discretionary spending. Those who advocate further cuts must look elsewhere, even if it is more politically painful to do so. It is my firm belief that another round of ill-advised cuts to discretionary spending will, quite simply, put our nation’s security and economic future at risk.
Mr. President, in addition to the managers of these three bills, I also would like to thank the leaders on both sides of the aisle for their support in bringing these bills to the floor this week. As the House has not acted on the Commerce/Justice/Science or Transportation appropriations bills, the package we consider today is a creative bipartisan solution that enables all Senators an opportunity to offer amendments.
As always, the closer we hew to regular order, the better our final legislative product will be. It is important that the Senate has an opportunity to debate these three measures, and to focus on matters that are germane to the bill.
Mr. President, when we complete action on this legislation, there will be seven outstanding committee-reported Senate appropriations bills. It is my hope and my intention to move forward with additional appropriations bills when the Senate returns in November and demonstrate to the American people that Congress is able to complete its work in a responsible manner.
Again, I commend the Chairmen and Ranking Members and their staffs for their fine work on this bill.
