Norm Dicks

Mr. DICKS

Mr. DICKS. Let me remind my colleagues what the underlying CR does to existing programs even before we consider the additional across-the- board cut offered by Mr. Jordan: A cut of $107 million from food safety inspections. This amendment by Mr. Jordan would take an additional $5.6 million. The CR also already cuts $400 million to the Food and Drug Administration, and this amendment would take an additional $22 million. Cuts to State law enforcement assistance of $1.3 billion, 35 percent compared to the current rate; the Jordan amendment would cut an additional $68 million. The original version also completely eliminated the Cops Hiring Program, but an amendment passed by the House this week from our side prevailed, reinstating some of that funding. It cut $661 million below the current rate from the Army Corps of Engineers, leaving hundreds of communities without critical flood control and navigation work. The Jordan amendment would cut an additional $35 million. The CR also completely eliminates weatherization in State energy programs. It cuts $648 million from the Nuclear Nonproliferation program, increasing the likelihood of bomb grade material entering the United States. The Jordan amendment would cut an additional $37 million. The CR cuts safe drinking water and clean water State funds by 56 percent, or $1.7 billion. The Jordan amendment would cut an additional $167.2 million. The CR cuts the maximum Pell Grant amount by $845. These grants help more than 8 million students afford college. The Jordan amendment exacerbates that reduction by taking an additional $962 million from the program. The CR cuts Head Start by more than $1.1 billion, which is $500 million below the 2008 level. The Jordan amendment would cut an additional $338 million, meaning that individual students would lose their right to Head Start, that the teachers would be fired, and that people would be unemployed because of this amendment. Then Transportation and HUD, which already saw a cut of nearly $14 billion, would be cut by an additional $3.7 billion, impacting critical funding for roads and bridges and infrastructure across this country. This is a meat ax approach on top of a meat ax approach--it's a double meat ax approach. It is an amendment that we should defeat and defeat soundly. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers).

Mr. DICKS

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia, the chairman of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady), who has been the chair and ranking member of the House Administration Committee.

Mr. DICKS. I yield to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished former chairman and ranking member of the THUD Subcommittee, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver).

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), a valued member of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bonner), a distinguished member of the committee.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), who is the ranking member on the Labor-HHS subcommittee.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Notre Dame and California (Mr. Lungren), the former Attorney General.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Melbourne, Florida, where my uncle was the former mayor, Mr. Posey.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Chair, how much time do we have on both sides?

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen) who is the chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee and a valued senior member of the Defense Subcommittee.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Idaho, Mike Simpson, who has been the ranking member on Interior and now the chairman of the Interior and Environmental Subcommittee.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Chair, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished lady from Texas, Kay Granger, who is the chairman of the State, Foreign Ops Appropriations Subcommittee.

Mr. DICKS. I yield to the chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, THUD, Mr. Latham from Iowa.

Mr. DICKS. Reclaiming my time, I yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri, the chairman of the Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee.

Mr. DICKS. I have known Jane for 42 years. She was a staff assistant to Senator Tunney when I was a staff assistant to Senator Magnuson. We have worked together as colleagues ever since. We love Sidney. We are so excited that there still is a Woodrow Wilson Center for you to go to. We appreciate your great service to our country and thank you for everything that you have done.

Mr. DICKS. I yield to my friend from California.

Mr. DICKS. I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. DICKS. Today may well be the last day of a very distinguished career of Congresswoman Jane Harman from California. And I want to recognize Jane in the well, and you can say a few words, and then we will have some other people making brief comments. Jane.

Mr. DICKS. I yield to the Democratic leader.

Mr. DICKS. I now yield to the Democratic Whip, the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. DICKS. I yield to the gentleman from California, our former chairman of the Appropriations Committee and Defense Subcommittee, Mr. Lewis, our good friend.