'Protecting Predators Like Jeffrey Epstein Instead Of Bald Eagles': Underwood Rips GOP's EPA Budget

Forbes Breaking News

During a House Appropriations Committee hearing in July, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) spoke about the Republican budget proposal for the Environmental Protection Agency and Jeffrey Epstein.

Transcript

00:00Gentlemen, gentlelady from Illinois, Ms. Underwood is recognized for general remarks on the bill.

00:06Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I rise today in strong opposition to this bill.

00:11At a time when families in northern Illinois and across the country are already struggling with high costs,

00:17House Republicans are pushing a bill that would raise utility bills, gut environmental protections,

00:23and cripple the agencies that keep our water clean and our air safe to breathe.

00:28This bill will shift the burden of environmental protection to state and local governments,

00:33forcing them to choose between raising taxes or cutting water inspections.

00:38It will make utility bills more expensive by reducing access to affordable, clean power

00:44in order to line the pockets of fossil fuel executives.

00:48It prioritizes the corporations that pollute our communities over the needs of hardworking families.

00:55House Republicans have written a bill that benefits their corporate donors,

00:59but will make our air and water dirtier, our families sicker, and our wallets lighter.

01:06They're defunding critical environmental protection agency programs and rolling back life-saving regulations

01:13that allow scientific experts to monitor and reduce pollution, control methane emissions,

01:20and enforce landmark public health laws like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

01:26These protections are literally a matter of life and death for children, seniors, and millions of Americans.

01:33And by the way, they were originally enacted with strong bipartisan support in Congress.

01:40In the decades since then, we have made tremendous progress cleaning our air and water,

01:44but this bill would undo much of that work with a stroke of the pen.

01:50In my district, the EPA is now only beginning a long-awaited cleanup of radium-contaminated soil

01:56at the Superfund site in Ottawa, Illinois.

01:59This critical project has been delayed by years of underfunding

02:03that have left my constituents exposed to dangerous radioactive materials for decades.

02:10When Congress underfunds programs like this, that is not fiscal responsibility.

02:17It's passing the buck and leaving our constituents to pay the price.

02:22And it's not just my constituents.

02:24Farmers in California's Central Valley are struggling with a historic drought.

02:29While in Iowa, they are battling severe storms and floods.

02:33In Arizona, many tribal nations lack basic water infrastructure due to chronic underinvestment.

02:40This bill tells these communities that their health and their future don't matter.

02:47This bill also slashes funding for our national parks

02:49and accelerates the exploitation of protected areas for short-term corporate gain.

02:56It even removes key protections under the Endangered Species Act,

03:01another popular and effective law that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

03:07It appears that Donald Trump and House Republicans are only interested in protecting predators like Jeffrey Epstein

03:16instead of bald eagles or grizzly bears.

03:19In addition to trashing our planet, this bill also slashes support for the arts and cultural institutions,

03:28eliminating vital grants that support education and historic preservation in communities across the country.

03:35These programs are economic drivers and job creators in our communities,

03:39and these cuts will have a real impact.

03:42We are witnessing a coordinated effort to dismantle the foundations of environmental stewardship, cultural preservation, and economic fairness.

03:51And for what?

03:53To protect corporate profits.

03:55To give polluters a free pass.

03:57To exploit and endanger communities that have fought for decades for clean water and clean air and basic dignity.

04:05This bill does not save taxpayers money.

04:08It sells them out.

04:10And I urge my colleagues to reject this reckless and dangerous bill.

04:14I yield back.

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