Hal Rogers

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations of Appropriations, the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Granger).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2608.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. What happened to that bill?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the floor the continuing appropriations resolution to keep the Federal Government operating until November 18 of this year. For procedural reasons, this is being done as an amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 2608 to speed passage through the Senate, at their request; but in substance, this is the same as the continuing resolution, H.J. Res. 79, that I introduced on September 14. This CR, Mr. Speaker, will give Congress the time needed to complete fiscal year 2012 appropriations and to adequately fund vital government programs and services by working to put Federal spending on a more sustainable course. Just as significantly, this bill provides desperately needed funding for disaster recovery and relief. I would have preferred to have completed the appropriations process in regular order, and I believe the House made great strides in doing so. The Appropriations Committee moved on 11 of the 12 annual appropriations bills, and six bills have cleared the House; but we still need time to collaborate with our colleagues in the Senate in order to complete this work, and a short-term bill will allow us to do so. As we saw last year and into the spring, the threat of a government shutdown causes dangerous economic instability, and at this precarious time, we need to bolster American public confidence that their representatives in Washington are working for them and are not letting politics come before people. The CR continues government operations at a rate of $1.043 trillion-- the total amount agreed to by the Congress and the White House in the Budget Control Act. It's clean of most policy provisions to ensure swift passage, but we've provided small changes for safety, security, and continuity of essential programs. For instance, we've extended Federal flood insurance availability and the availability of defense survival equipment for our troops abroad. In addition, this CR will help meet the needs of the thousands of families, businesses, and communities burdened by recent natural disasters by providing an immediate $1 billion in emergency 2011 funding now as well as an additional $2.65 billion for the next year. We are helping our citizens get back on their feet. The $776 million in the bill for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund, which is $276 million more than the President or the Senate proposed, is time-sensitive and critical. That fund is now below $250 million and is running out of money fast. Unless we provide additional funding, within a matter of days the Disaster Relief Fund will soon be empty, leaving millions of people in the lurch. The $1 billion in emergency funding for fiscal year 2011 has been offset by a cut to the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing loan program, which has more than $4 billion in unspent idle funds in the pipeline. It has been there for 3 years. Now is the time to use those idle dollars for true and immediate purposes: aiding our fellow citizens in their times of greatest need as they cope with the aftermath of wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes--an unprecedented string of disasters in this country. Now, the notion of offsetting emergency spending has gotten a lot of attention as of late. Let me be very clear that offsetting emergency spending is not a unique practice. In fact, over the last 10 years, the Congress has used offsets in at least 15 of 30 emergency supplemental spending bills--half of them. In total, the Congress has passed over $60 billion in emergency offsets in the last 10 years, most of which had a large amount of support on both sides of the aisle, including the support of former Speaker Pelosi. The loan program used as an offset in this bill has had excess funds for years, and taking the money will not negatively affect that program. All entities in final loan stages will still get the funding they've worked for. Furthermore, this offset is identical to the one already passed by the House in June as part of the Homeland Security appropriations bill. We've already voted for it. In addition, the committee will continue to consider additional disaster funding over the next few weeks as we bring the fiscal year 2012 appropriations process to a close, hopefully by November 18, including reviewing estimates that are still coming in from recent disasters so that families and communities can get the assistance they need while making sure that every dollar is well spent. The Budget Control Act, which both Houses in Congress and the White House agreed to, provides for 2012 disaster funding in that capacity. But with respect to this continuing resolution, at this time we do not have all of the necessary information on the cost of the recent disasters nor the time to work out a final comprehensive agreement with the White House and the Senate. As Members of this body know, back in their home districts, the FEMA administration works to survey the damage and report that to the White House who, in turn, makes the request to Congress for disaster funds. That's the normal procedure in which we are involved now, and I assure the Members that, as we get those estimates from the White House in the next few weeks and months, they will be addressed and monies will be available. Therefore, we must meet the most immediate need and provide additional funding now for FEMA to keep that program going for the next several months. That's what this continuing resolution does and why we, the House and Senate, have to pass this bill immediately. This CR lives up to the guidelines set in the Budget Control Act, as well as our commitment to responsible and reduced levels of spending. We can ride our fiscal ship while still supporting the essential government programs and services and disaster aid. With this in mind, it is my intention that Congress complete the fiscal year 2012 appropriations work without any further delay. The sooner we pass this CR, the sooner we can focus on this long-term appropriations legislation and get it done before November 18. I urge my colleagues in both Chambers to support this bill so we can send it to the President as soon as possible. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. And your bill would have provided $1 billion today for disaster relief, and the other body hasn't acted?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. No wonder they're operating on fumes. I'm talking about FEMA. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Now, you passed a bill back in June that provided $1 billion for FEMA for disaster relief; is that right?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. And what happened then?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Nothing has taken place in the Senate since June?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I mean, after it passed the House.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Let me just reiterate. The $1 billion in the fiscal '11 portion of this bill is two times the amount the President requested. We doubled it. The amount that's in the bill for fiscal 2012, $2.65 billion, is more than the initial request that was made to us by the White House. We're here to tell you--and I've repeated this now four times--whatever the amount is needed that we see FEMA coming to us requesting, we're going to provide. Now, we've got until November 18 by this extension, by this CR, and during that period of time we will get the documentation from the White House and from FEMA about additional funds that are requested. I assure the gentleman from New York who spoke, your concerns will be addressed during these next few weeks, and the money will be there that's documented from the White House and from FEMA for disaster relief. We will not let our people hurt.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Thank you for yielding. The previous speaker doesn't understand the bill. The $2.65 billion in the 2012 portion of the bill is not offset, only the portion for fiscal 2011 is required to be offset. And I would remind the gentleman, as well as everyone else, many of whom voted for the Homeland Security bill a few months ago, it included this provision. The disaster relief money, twice what the President requested of us, we doubled his request. That part is offset, the fiscal 2011 moneys, but the bulk of the money in this bill, the $2.65 billion for fiscal 2012, it's not offset. So the gentleman is incorrect.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman for yielding again. I'll be very brief. The gentlewoman who just spoke mentioned Katrina and that we should not offset expenses of emergency disaster spending. In fact, in 2006 that's exactly what we did do. We required offsets for aid for Katrina and other matters, $33.5 billion in offsets in Katrina aid in 2006. And then again in 2007, we offset $939 million in offsets for, among other things, Hurricane Katrina recovery. As I have said before, over the last 10 years, we have offset more than half of the disaster emergency relief bills we have passed here. It's not unusual, and the gentlelady is mistaken that we did not request offsets for Katrina. We did.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman for yielding. As to the point, Mr. Speaker, of whether or not we offset these emergency bills, over the last 10 years, we have used offsets in over half of the emergency spending bills and supplementals, over half, 15 of 30, actually, including war supplementals, emergency supplementals, military construction, defense supplementals, disaster relief and recovery, in 2008, for example, and on and on. Using offsets to pay for disaster relief is the rule here. This is not an exception. And we're only offsetting $1 billion of it. In fact, when the Homeland Security bill passed a few months ago, it included this very offset, and the bill passed by bipartisan support throughout the body. You've already voted for this, and, I might add, successfully. Now, on that green car fund--I'm going to call it that--there's over $4 billion this minute sitting idle in that account, and it's been sitting idle for 3 years. The $1.5 billion rescission in subsidies we propose will not have a significant impact on the program, contrary to what some people say. All applications for those loans in late-term stages and negotiations will not be affected. Talk to the agency downtown, which we have. They will not be affected. The factory in Michigan or Indiana will not be affected. In total, eight pending applications for loan guarantees totaling over $6 billion will not be impacted by this offset. Michigan has the largest stake: four applications totaling $4.7 billion in loan guarantees, which are free and clear. Other States with applications in the queue that are safe from this round of cuts include Indiana and Louisiana. Now, Mr. Speaker, this bill contains $3.65 billion for immediate disaster relief, which our people need and deserve. As this bill works its way through the process until November 18, no doubt FEMA will have by then completed their surveys and investigations of disasters and can tell Congress, through the White House, how much more money is needed; and we'll provide it. It's covered in the debt ceiling bill that passed this body a few weeks ago. I'm telling you the Appropriations Committee will provide whatever relief is required when we get the documentation, which is traditional, as all of the Members of this body know because they helped prepare those investigations. So this is a clean bill. This merely extends the time for us to work with the Senate to perfect a continuing bill for the balance of 2012. It gives us 5 or 6 weeks, but only 3 or 4 of those weeks will be available because both bodies will not be here all that time. This is a clean bill. And it provides disaster relief in the appropriate way. And there's plenty of money there for the immediate needs that we've been told about by FEMA. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I rise today to commend this bill to our colleagues and urge that it be passed. It includes $27.5 billion in Federal spending. That's a reduction of $2.1 billion below last year, $3.8 billion below the President's request. Some have complained that these cuts are too much, too fast. But it's important to remember that these agencies and programs have seen unprecedented massive increases in spending in recent years. This sort of excess has contributed to our astronomical debt and is threatening our recovery. We simply can't fund unnecessary and ineffective programs when we are borrowing 42 cents on every dollar we spend. We just simply can't afford it. This legislation makes smart, significant cuts across each and every agency funded by this bill. The bill still adequately funds the agencies that are important to the health of our citizens, the stability of our economy, and the preservation of our environment, but we've made some priority adjustments in areas that can and should withstand lower budgets. Some areas that will see bigger reductions include climate change programs, which are trimmed 22 percent from last year, and land acquisition funding, which is at a level nearly 79 percent lower than last year. Frankly, many of the cuts in this bill are just plain common sense, particularly when it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency. The reductions and provisions in this bill were made with very good reason--to rein in unparalleled, out-of-control spending and job- killing overregulation by the EPA. Though we all appreciate the core mission of the EPA, this agency has lost grips with economic reality and has become the epitome of the continued and damaging regulatory overreach of this administration. We can't allow an agency to circumvent the authority of Congress, especially when it has such destructive effects on our Nation's economic recovery. I'd like to say that we've heard from Americans all across the country and across every sector of the economy who attribute harsh regulatory burdens to their economic uncertainty, uncertainty that's crushing job growth. It's my hope that this legislation sends the message loud and clear: Legislation by regulation must stop. We've restricted funding for EPA personnel, as well as addressed EPA's flawed greenhouse gas regulations and de facto moratorium on mining permits in Appalachia. It's my hope that provisions like these will return the EPA to a better working order, facilitating a more effective government, sending money where it really needs to go, and removing burdensome barriers to job creation to clear the way for economic recovery. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Simpson and Ranking Member Moran, the subcommittee, and all of the staff for all their hard work on this very tough bill. Chairman Simpson has led the way on an excellent bill, I think, that makes good on our promise to reduce government spending with real significant spending reforms. His subcommittee, Mr. Chairman, held 22 oversight hearings, more than any other of the 12 subcommittees on Appropriations. I'm confident that they've gone above and beyond their duty to ensure that these cuts come from wasteful and redundant programs. I know these decisions were not made lightly, were not made easy, but they are responsible, and will help us move in the right direction. Although it's been difficult at times, the House should be proud to be moving this year's appropriations process in regular order, the first time in years. With this bill we will have finished more than half of the fiscal 12 appropriation bills before the recess. And nearly all of the bills have been moved through subcommittee or full committee, and therefore are on cue to come to the full body. This return to regular order has contributed to thoughtful, collaborative appropriations bills that reflect the will of the American people and will help get our Nation's finances in order. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the chairman for yielding the time. I rise today to commend H.R. 2551, the fiscal year 2012 appropriations act for the legislative branch. Mr. Chairman, this is the sixth appropriations bill that we will have passed through the House out of 12 bills that will be considered. Three more of the 12 bills are waiting, queued up to come before the House. But this is the sixth. This will make us halfway through the appropriations bills for 2012. I want to commend Chairman Crenshaw and Mr. Honda for their hard work and the blood-curdling decisions they've had to make, because this bill deals with our colleagues and us and the operation of this body that we all love. This bill will help stop government overspending starting in our own backyards. If we're trying to get back on a more sustainable course, we've got to cut spending wherever we can, and we've got to make due with less. Our constituents asked us to get our own fiscal house in order, and we're leading by example with this legislation. This legislation prioritizes the safety of the thousands of people who work in and visit the Capitol Complex every day, providing essential funding for the Capitol Police, services for our visitors, and necessary maintenance. But we are keeping to our commitment to reduce spending, and so we've cut back in other areas. We've trimmed the House leadership, Member, and committee budgets by over 6 percent. This legislation provides smaller budgets for our own offices and continues our goal of reducing spending across the entire Federal Government. To demonstrate my commitment to savings and to prove the feasibility of reduced budgets, earlier this year, we directed that my very own committee, the Appropriations Committee, cut its budget not by the 5 percent that all other committees cut. We said, We'll see your 5 percent and ask for 4 more; and we cut our budget by 9 percent. And this bill continues that reduction, trimming another 6.4 percent. So since January of this year, the Appropriations Committee, when this bill is finished, will have cut its own budget by some 15.4 percent. Just as American families are forced to live within their means, their Representatives in Washington should do the same. I understand that many of my colleagues are concerned about what these cuts might mean for their own offices. I know making these hard decisions will not be easy for them, just as they were not easy for us to make in the first place. But these cuts are necessary. We can't ask everyone else to make cuts to their budgets and not do the same to ourselves. We all have to share in the sacrifice during this financial crisis, and I'm proud that we're doing our part to help our Nation dig itself out of dangerous job-killing debt so that we can get our economy back on track. Again, I want to commend Chairman Crenshaw and Ranking Member Honda and their staffs on a strong bill that makes these responsible reductions, and I urge our colleagues to support the legislation.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Will the gentleman continue to yield?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank Chairman Frelinghuysen and Mr. Visclosky for the hard, super effort. This has not been an easy bill, to say the least. And you've stayed with it, you have written a good bill, and you have, I think, defended a good bill. There have been amendments that have passed at least on voice vote that I think helped the bill. I want to remind Members that this bill normally in past years has been one of the homes of earmarks. This bill was practically all earmarks in years past. And to the great credit of this subcommittee, you have not allowed any earmarks--not one--which is a remarkable achievement and merits the support, I think, of every single Member of this body. Number two, we gave you a real tough 302(b) number to deal with. That I admit from the very beginning. We were trying to implement the budget that passed this House. And the allocation you received was very stingy. But you have, I think, done great credit to yourselves and to the rest of us by using that limited allocation and stretched it out as far as you could stretch it. And I think you've got a good bill. In fact, the numbers in this bill are going back to 2006 levels.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. You've gone back to the 2006 levels, which is a huge cut in spending. So you've done your share of helping us get the Nation's fiscal house back in order. And I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Dicks, who at the very outset of this year agreed with me in toto that we would get this committee back into regular order, and he is living up to that every day since that time. So thank you, Mr. Dicks, for doing a great job. And I want to thank these two, the chairman and ranking member of this subcommittee. They have been a model of civility and working together for a common cause. Thanks for a great job.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, this is a great bill. It's a model of fiscal restraint. I can attest to the fact that the committee has taken a long, hard look at each and every line in this bill to make sure that we are getting the greatest value from each and every taxpayer dollar spent, cutting back funding for programs that are not operating up to par. This bill is also proof that we can make these commonsense spending reductions without damaging or impairing the programs that help keep our country safe and our citizens at work. This legislation rightly appropriates taxpayer dollars where they should be, in programs that provide the greatest benefits to the American people and that get the economy moving again. This includes $30.6 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Energy and a host of independent agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Now, that is $5.9 billion below the President's request; it's a billion dollars below current spending levels. The Energy and Water appropriations bill funds important work that affects every community in every single one of our colleagues' districts. These are the quality-of-life programs that preserve our public safety and our economic competitiveness, including energy independence programs and national defense programs within the Department of Energy. This bill supports Army Corps construction projects, projects which are vital to national security and which are of a tangible impact on job creation. But this year's bill is unlike any Energy and Water appropriations bill in recent memory, or perhaps even in history, in one major way. Some of our colleagues and critics were no doubt wondering how we could write this bill under the earmark moratorium, but I am proud that we have been able to craft a responsible bill that funds projects across the Nation without one single earmark. By doing so, we have made the process much more transparent, requiring that organizations like the Corps provide an outline of how, when, and why they are spending precious Federal dollars while maintaining the constitutionally mandated congressional authority over budget decisions. We have retained the power of the purse and strict oversight of these agencies. On the subject of oversight, I would like particularly to note that $35 million is included to continue the Yucca Mountain review process. The committee has supported these efforts for years, and I am relieved to see that the rest of Congress is finally beginning to see the light and support this program and to realize the extent to which the administration's position ignores good science and wastes billions of taxpayer dollars. While providing the vital funding for our Nation's energy and water programs, the bill abides by the committee's promise, and my promise as chairman, that we would cut spending wherever and whenever we can. I must commend Chairman Frelinghuysen and the subcommittee members and staff and the ranking member who have worked so closely together on this bill. They have found the significant spending reductions in areas that seem excessive and unnecessary increases, and in these accounts with large unspent balances. This is the responsible and serious way to get our budgets back into balance and to help keep us on track toward economic recovery. Again, I want to thank Mr. Visclosky and Chairman Frelinghuysen for doing a great job in bringing a bill to the floor under difficult circumstances. They work collegially and they work intelligently together, and I want to particularly thank the subcommittee staff on both sides of the aisle for their tireless effort putting together this legislation. Mr. Chairman, this is a good bill that all of us can support, and I urge that we do just that.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a world class hospital and the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers' 2010-2011 ``Hospital of the Year,'' Pikeville Medical Center. Each year, the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers selects a recipient of its hospital of the year award. This year, Pikeville Medical Center became the Nation's only repeat winner over hundreds of applicants from across the country. I am proud to report that this top notch institution in the heart of Eastern Kentucky was judged to be the nation's most patient friendly hospital. This distinguished honor truly reflects an unwavering commitment to world class treatment by every one of Pikeville Medical Center's over 2,000 employees and 250 physicians. The honor of being named ``Hospital of the Year'' for the second consecutive year is simply the latest example of the Pikeville Medical Center's stellar reputation among its peers and fellow medical professionals; in fact, the hospital has been named the #1 hospital to work for in Kentucky in Best Places To Work for three straight years, and has been nationally recognized for best practices and outstanding doctors by numerous organizations. Needless to say, the Pikeville Medical Center is clearly committed to their noble mission of being a ``quality, regional health care in a Christian environment.'' For 86 years, Pikeville Medical Center has served as a beacon of healing for the people of Pike County, Kentucky and the surrounding regions. Since its humble beginnings in 1924, the hospital has expanded numerous times to meet regional needs. Today, the Medical Center complex boasts many specialties and services such as its award winning cancer center, state-of-the-art Diagnostic Equipment, 4-D Echocardiograms, a cardiac rehabilitation center, a sleep studies laboratory, and a neonatal intensive care unit. The Pikeville Medical Center has also fashioned a teaching program that is second to none and will ensure that our talented young medical professionals will not have to leave Eastern Kentucky to learn and develop their skills. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a fine example of patient care and community wellness, the Pikeville Medical Center. I congratulate the Center on this latest achievement and wish the employees and hospital leadership many more years of success.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank Chairman Young for yielding me this time. And thank you and your other partner, this dynamic duo that we have here between Chairman Young and Chairman Dicks. Thank you for your good work. The nearly $649 billion in total funding within this bill will provide our Armed Forces with the resources they need for the Nation's missions abroad and the protection of our people here at home. This bill sustains our military readiness, facilitating the continued modernization of our national defense systems and preserving the American Armed Forces as the greatest military in the world. As our soldiers and marines continue to put their lives on the line to eliminate terrorism and protect freedom around the globe, Congress must provide the necessary support and funding to keep them safe and well equipped, and we must do so in a timely manner. These efforts include adequate funding for equipment procurement, base operations, and military pay. To improve our defense capabilities and prepare for future challenges, we've provided funding for research and development into new technology. This legislation also provides essential funding for health and quality-of-life programs for the men and women of the armed services and their families. But, as in all of our appropriations bills, this year especially, this legislation reflects hard decisions to cut lower-priority programs, reduce spending in programs that can be scaled back, and target funds where they're needed most so that our Nation can continue on the path to fiscal recovery. No bill, no Department, including the Pentagon, should be immune from scrutiny during these precarious financial times. This legislation identifies fiscally responsible savings, savings that will in no way impair the safety or effectiveness of our troops, the success of our military operations, or our military readiness. The bill also increases oversight of Defense programs and funds to ensure that tax dollars are being spent wisely and efficiently. We've taken a critical eye and increased scrutiny on some programs to ensure American taxpayers are receiving the proper benefits for their defense investments. I want to thank, again, Chairman Young and Ranking Member Dicks for their tireless work. In fact, it's a very bipartisan spirit and commitment, and that's the rule of this subcommittee over the decades of time, and their commitment to crafting a very responsible Defense bill. And of course the staff has worked tirelessly to make this day possible. Mr. Chairman, I urge all of our colleagues to support this bill. It's a good one.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I welcome my colleague's comments. However, I think the gentleman has a misunderstanding about the content of that provision. The provision in the manager's bill states that no moneys can be diverted from the fee collections. All of the fees have to stay with the Patent Office. It has to be reprogrammed.