During a House Appropriations Committee markup meeting before the Congressional recess, Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) spoke about cuts in the Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill.
00:00But I guess the first question I'd have to ask of the appropriators on this committee is, why are we actually here today?
00:07What is our role now as appropriators?
00:10In the last six months, we've seen President Trump propose a dramatic diminishment in the power of this committee and of the Congress.
00:22Now, we as the Democrats are in the minority.
00:24We don't expect to have a lot of power.
00:26But for all of us on this appropriations committee, why are we here?
00:30And what is our role now as appropriators?
00:33You know, everyone is so fond of saying there are Republicans and Democrats and appropriators.
00:37But really, are there appropriators anymore?
00:40Do we actually have a role in this Congress?
00:42And do we have any more power?
00:45Last week, the majority passed the rescissions package through the House, the Senate, back to the House again.
00:50And that bill eliminated spending that we had negotiated over the prior years.
00:56The hard work that we do every day in this committee, the hard work you're doing right now, the snacks that you eat, the candy that's going into your mouth, the amount of time that we take, that is all gone when we pass a rescissions bill.
01:07And how will it be any different once we pass this bill or the other bills we intend to pass this week?
01:13I truly appreciate Chairman Kohl's efforts to have this committee work through these bills and pass these bills.
01:20But the question is, what are we doing?
01:22And do we have any power left anymore?
01:25Now, this bill, like so many others, will continue the damage and the cuts that this president has done over the first six months of his presidency.
01:33I believe what he has done is illegal, these funding freeze and rescissions, and the compound damage he has done to our agencies and our states and communities is something we will be dealing with for years.
01:44This bill, this bill in particular, at the EPA, cuts the funding to the states for water infrastructure by 62%, cuts grant programs that fund our state environmental programs, and slashes the EPA by 23%.
02:00Nobody benefits when we make those levels of cuts.
02:04Our states still have to do the work of water infrastructure, of permitting.
02:09And the cuts in this bill, coupled with the rescissions in the big ugly bill, will debilitate America's ability to address the climate crisis, or to address our infrastructure needs, or to make sure our vital needs in our states of permitting will be enacted.
02:26This presidency, this administration, is no longer just in denial.
02:30It is actively dismissing the government's climate work and our vital environmental work.
02:36And this is work that needs to be done if we want to make sure we have a planet to hand over to our children and grandchildren.
02:44Now, at the National Park Service, this bill cuts $213 million.
02:49And this is in addition to what happened in the big ugly bill, where nearly a half a billion dollars was rescinded from our national parks and our public lands.
02:59This is money that's meant to go to conservation products, and habitat restoration, and critical staffing at our national parks.
03:09This is our vital season for national parks, and Americans want to be there.
03:13And it is all compounded because we have not reauthorized the Great American Outdoors Act, which is another $1.3 billion that should be going for the maintenance backlog.
03:23This bill also funds the arts, but what a mess this administration has made of that.
03:28It was appalling to watch this administration illegally terminate thousands of grants at the NEA and the NEH.
03:37They fired nearly 80% of the NEH staff, and they revoked funding for our State Humanities Council.
03:42This is money that's meant to go to our communities, to our artists and workers, to kids in rural schools, to local economies that rely on cultural institutions and don't have a lot of other sources for funding.
03:56They've cut the Smithsonian by 12%, the National Gallery by 11%.
03:59Cutting these fines, by cutting these funds, and sidelining anything that they deem artistically and culturally offensive, they are gutting our arts and cultural institutions.
04:13I am relieved, and I am grateful to the chair of the subcommittee and the full committee, that funding for tribal programs didn't suffer the same cuts.
04:22And I appreciate that bipartisan cooperation and understanding of our treaty and trust obligation.
04:26This bill also has 72 poison pill riders, going after environmental protection, undermining our climate policies, and adding to our deficit.
04:37And overall, these cuts will only contribute to our struggling agencies at the same time while this administration is redirecting funds to tax cuts and increasing our deficit by $3.4 trillion.
04:52So I just want to go back to ending as I started this opening.
04:55On the last time, OMB Director Vogt has promised to send us more rescission packages.
05:02Each time we pass a rescission package, we undo, we wipe out all the hard work we do negotiating in this committee.
05:09He said he's looking to change the paradigm in appropriations, and that appropriations has to be less bipartisan.
05:17When's the last time one of your constituents came up to you and said, you people should be less bipartisan, you people should fight more, bicker more, and do less of what we ask you to do?
05:29How often do you hear that?
05:31Now, we're appropriators, and we're all proud to get to this moment when we actually get to serve on this committee.
05:36So let's do our job.
05:38Let's be appropriators, and let's fight back for the power that goes to this committee and to our Congress.
05:43I encourage you to oppose this bill, unfortunately, and I yield back my time.
