00:00Thank you, Chair Collins and Vice Chair Murray. I want to echo something that my
00:08colleagues have talked a lot about. Like many members on the Appropriations
00:12Committee, I work with Democrats and Republicans alike and work hard on
00:17bipartisan compromises my entire Senate career. I serve on the Armed Services
00:22Committee, I serve on the Intel Committee, I serve on the Special Committee on
00:26Aging, all deeply bipartisan committees. I asked to be joined to this committee
00:31because it had a history of bipartisanship, of Democrats and
00:36Republicans looking across the country at our constituents and saying of all the
00:40tax dollars you send to Washington, what is most important to you? You just heard
00:45from Senator Ossoff, the CDC is vital to his state. It's vital to all of us because
00:49it protects us from disease. But we ask our members of Congress to listen
00:55to their constituents through town halls, through town meetings, through just
01:00normal interactions about what resources they need spent. But what this rescission
01:07package is, is you are taking away the job of elected representatives to make the
01:14judgments in the Appropriations Committee about where federal dollars should go.
01:19It's literally upending the role that Congress has as the power of the purse. And it's deeply disturbing
01:27because it means the fundamental requests of our constituents can't be implemented. I've seen it in many
01:35things I've worked on, simple things like the Cyber Academy to make sure our best and brightest come work for the federal government in our intelligence services, in the DOD.
01:46And we say to these young people, we will pay for your education if you serve.
01:51Well, these hiring freezes and these cuts in funding mean that none of these kids who have
01:56already gone through the training program can't get hired. We see it in the funding cuts for cyber security.
02:02So when we are concerned about foreign adversaries hacking our elections, and we hire people at Homeland Security, and we hire people at the FBI, and we hire people at the DOD, and they all get fired, it undermines congressional will.
02:20We sit in hearings all day long, learning specifics about national security, about food security, about health and human well-being, and then we make sure when we decide where resources should go, that that's the best judgment.
02:36And we do it on a bipartisan basis, always. We have always done this on a bipartisan basis.
02:41So you can understand why people are so distressed about this rescission package, because it takes away the job that our constituents have asked us, not you, to do.
02:54So with that, I want to turn to some of the specific cuts. I have many, many areas of interest.
02:59Can I respond to that, Senator?
03:00Yes, go ahead.
03:01This bill gives you the vote to pass or not pass the rescissions package.
03:06They're not taking anything away from you.
03:08In the same way the Congressional Budget Act says that appropriations bills should be started and done by a certain period of time,
03:15it outlines the Impelment Control Act that allows you to vote for it or not vote for it.
03:23That's an absurdity.
03:24It's an absolute absurdity, because that's not the way it's supposed to work.
03:28Look, you, as the administration, is not supposed to pick and choose the work that we've already done.
03:34We have the power of the purse.
03:36I will be voting no on this rescissions package.
03:39It's the most obvious no vote that my constituents would like me to make.
03:43And I don't know why more Republicans aren't standing up to President Trump and these very ill-advised decisions he's making,
03:50because it's harming their constituents.
03:53It's harming the people they represent.
03:55So when they choose to vote yes on this rescissions package, woe be to them for their constituents,
04:01because their constituents will be the first in line to tell them how they've been harmed.
04:05So I'm going to ask you for just a few pieces of area where this rescission package is going to be deeply, deeply felt.
04:13Let's look at national security.
04:15The rescissions package rescinds $1.65 billion in funding for the Economic Support Fund,
04:21which provides U.S. economic assistance that promotes cooperation, coexistence, and border regional integration initiatives
04:27that align with the objectives of the Abraham Accords and U.S. strategic interests.
04:32Given U.S. strategic and global interests in this region,
04:35how do you assess the impact of these cuts on the stability of Israel's neighbor
04:40and the broader Abraham Accords framework?
04:42It will have no impact on the Abraham Accords.
04:44It will have no impact on Israel.
04:46It will have an impact on $4 million for sedentary migrants in Colombia,
04:50$300,000 for an NGO to hold a pride parade in Lesotho,
04:54$3 million for Iraqi Sesame Street, on and on,
04:57with that particular rescission that you were referring to.
05:01I don't believe that's true.
05:03In fact, the purpose of the Abraham Accords investment
05:06is to make sure that we do economic growth
05:08with the support of Israel in Arab countries.
05:12And you are undermining that by eliminating $1.65 billion.
05:17And the three things you just mentioned do not add up to $1.65 billion.
05:21Let's look at global assistance and development.
05:23The proposed rescission package will cut economic development assistance
05:29and funding for multiple accounts.
05:31How does gutting these programs enhance American influence,
05:35beat back Chinese influence, the Belt and Road Initiative
05:37that projects their power worldwide
05:40and ensure that Americans win hearts and minds globally?
05:43No, Senator, we just covered economic assistance.
05:45Let's cover development assistance.
05:46$6.2 million to address the needs of Venezuela migrants in Colombia,
05:50$6 million for net zero cities in Mexico,
05:53$4.4 million for low emissions energy in Vietnam.
05:58Again, with every single one of these programs...
06:00So when you're not investing in energy in Vietnam,
06:02do you know who does?
06:03Russia.
06:04Russia has its agents all across Vietnam.
06:07You know who else?
06:07China.
06:08So when they project their power worldwide,
06:11it makes us less safe.
06:13Let's do biosurveillance and global health.
06:15The senator's time has expired.
06:17Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
06:18I will submit these questions for the record.
