During a House Appropriation Committee markup meeting held before the Congressional recess, Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) spoke about federal funding cuts in the FY26 THUD and Energy Bills.
00:00Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and the gentleman is recognized
00:08for remarks on his amendment.
00:10Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:11Mr. Chairman, instead of focusing on investing in affordable housing and modernizing our
00:17transportation systems, power our economy, this bill includes several harmful, controversial
00:24policy riders that have no place in this bill.
00:28It limits our ability to address the accelerating threat of climate change, despite clear evidence
00:36that the wildfires, smoke, life-threatening heat waves, and extreme weather we face daily
00:44in this country can be remediated by addressing greenhouse gas emissions.
00:51It includes an anti-DEI agenda into an infrastructure bill, blocking implementation of President Biden's
01:02executive orders on environmental justice, DEI in the federal workforce, and protections
01:10for youth in schools and housing.
01:13I don't know why some of my colleagues would stand in the way of efforts to ensure federal
01:22funding reaches the underserved communities in their own districts.
01:28I have said time and time again, Mr. Chairman, that one of the reasons years ago I offered, and this committee
01:39accepted, a funding formula that we called 10-20-30.
01:45That formula simply says that we should direct at least 10% of all the monies being appropriated
01:54in this particular section into those communities where 20% or more of the population has been
02:00stuck with the poverty level for the last 30 years.
02:03The Census Bureau has defined these communities as persistent poverty communities where we should direct funds.
02:09And what that simply means is that we will fund communities that are in need.
02:16And I've said before, and I want to reemphasize here today, that two-thirds of the counties in this country
02:25that fall into that category are represented by Republican members of this body.
02:32Two-thirds.
02:36So this is not anything possible.
02:39This is all about recognizing that we ought to be directing our resources in communities of needs.
02:45I've also talked about the experiences that many of World War II veterans had coming back home
02:53and not being allowed to participate in the GI Bill.
02:59In fact, I cited one statistic here.
03:02In the state of Mississippi, the first 3,600 GI bills for housing granted to soldiers.
03:14Of that, only two, not 2%, only two went to people of color.
03:21And that's what all of these environmental justice issues, the DEI, directed at trying to correct that problem.
03:30We are a great country.
03:32This country is not made great because all of our enlightenment is made great because we've always been able to repay our faults,
03:40barring from Alexis to Tocqueville in making that statement.
03:44So what we want to do here is fund our nation's needs and when we can find ways to do it, repair some of the faults that we've had in our great country.
04:03That's what makes us great, repairing these faults.
04:06So this amendment would strike these harmful restrictions, these controversial riders, and these partisan attacks on critical programs.
04:18And I hope we can all agree that that is not necessary in a T-HUD bill.
04:25So I urge your support for this amendment and yield back the balance of my time.
04:34I thank the gentleman, the gentleman from Arkansas.
04:36Mr. Womack is recognized to respond to the amendment.
04:39I thank the chairman and respectfully, I'll channel my inner Lee Corso not so fast, my friend.
04:46I'm proud of the policy riders that we have in this base bill.
04:56And frankly, they can be broken down into three categories.
05:01First, our bill upholds a rule of law.
05:06This amendment would allow local governments to continue failed sanctuary city policies without any negative repercussions
05:15and even use federal dollars for the housing of illegal immigrants.
05:21This amendment would do that.
05:26Second, our bill scales back federal government overreach and removes unnecessary burdens from the U.S. economy.
05:34Whether it be burdensome policies impinging on privacy, placing speed limiters on large vehicles,
05:40or directions from Washington on how local and state governments handle evictions,
05:44my friends on the other side would rather overregulate than join Republicans in finding what I believe are common sense solutions.
05:56And I think that's what the majority of the electorate decided back in November a year ago.
06:05Third, our bill puts an end to wasteful spending.
06:09Through this amendment, Democrats are proposing to funnel billions of dollars into failed, boondoggle, high-speed,
06:15and inner-city rail projects where costs and timelines are never ending.
06:25So for these reasons, I would urge a no vote respectfully on this amendment, and I yield back my time.
06:34Thanks, gentlemen.
06:35Are there other members wishing to address the amendment?
06:39Seeing none, the gentleman is recognized for one minute to close.
06:46Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
06:48I want to say once again how much I appreciate the good work of the chairman of our subcommittee.
06:57I have a great deal of admiration and respect for him.
07:02I will call his attention to the fact that when we have elections in this country, we don't make those elections without popular vote.
07:15We may participate in the popular way, but there's something called the Electoral College that allows for the election of a president without a majority to vote.
07:29And that's happened very often in this country.
07:33So it all depends on where you get the votes from.
07:36That depends whether or not you get a majority in Electoral College.
07:41And remember, the Electoral College was a compromise based on race.
07:47Are you back?
07:52Thank the gentleman.
07:53Thank the gentleman.
07:54The question is now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from South Carolina.
07:58All those in favor say aye.
08:00Aye.
08:01All those opposed say no.
08:03No.
08:04The opinion of the chair and the no's have it.
08:07And the amendment is not adopted.
08:11The opinion of the questions.
08:12The opinion of the decision.
08:13The election that exists.
08:14It is not adopted.
08:15The change in the draft.
08:16The argument is not adopted.
08:17We have a big error.
08:18Now that everyone has been transferred.
08:19The decision is not adopted.
08:20The decision is not adopted.
08:21This is not adopted.
08:22The ability of the voters who are the people who are the Republican Party members.
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