Bill Shuster

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, but I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is correct. We are going to stand up and say that the Corps of Engineers and the non-Federal sponsor have made it clear that it is not responsible for constructing baseball fields, basketball courts, and soccer fields. Not only has the Corps said to us that it is not included in this--they have confirmed, and they have reconfirmed--but, in fact, an independent board did a cost-benefit analysis on this. An independent board did one. This motion simply stops the forward motion of this bill. When I became chairman, I committed to making sure that, in every Congress, we would pass a WRDA bill and get back to regular order like we used to do, but there was a 7-year gap; so here, today, we have a bill. It is not perfect by any means, but it is a good bill. I look around this Chamber, and there are Members here who have projects in this that are important to their districts and that are important to their States. Most importantly, it is important to the Nation that we move this bill forward. If we delay on this bill, we are going to delay these jobs. This is a critical bill for us. It does some very, very good things. There are good benefits in here. First, it reasserts congressional authority by restoring the 2-year cycle to WRDA. It restores congressional authority. That means we in this House and in the Senate--in Congress--get to tell the administration what they are going to do. We are not going to sit here and have them direct us and say this is what we will do. We don't know who those faceless, nameless bureaucrats are, and I am tired of that. I will not let that happen on my watch. There is a return to regular order. As I said, there are unelected bureaucrats making those decisions for us. Secondly, it is fiscally responsible. We authorize over $9 billion in projects, but we de-authorize. We have taken it, and we have balanced it out so it is fiscally responsible. Finally, it keeps American jobs in America by strengthening our competitiveness--not Republican and Democratic jobs, American jobs. In each Member's district and in each Member's State, this bill is going to help America be competitive so that our goods and products can go out of these ports efficiently to world markets and so they can come in and get on our store shelves efficiently and save Americans money. This is an important economic development bill for this Nation. Let's get this bill done. Let's get into conversations with the Senate, and let's get this on the President's desk. Let's help strengthen America. I urge a ``no'' vote on this. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, this is a good amendment that I support. It authorizes, as my colleague explained, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Mr. Joyce has championed this bill and worked very hard, as has Ms. Kaptur, on this important issue. In fact, the GLRI bill passed through the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and passed the House by a voice vote, so I firmly stand behind Mr. Joyce's amendment. I support it and would urge all my colleagues to support the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, how much time is remaining?

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I will say my piece if I could. It is with a heavy heart that I come to the House floor today. My mother passed away early this morning, Pat Shuster--Patricia Shuster. I want to thank all my colleagues for their condolences and kind words. Some may wonder why am I here today. Well, it is what my mother would have wanted. In fact, she would have insisted that I do my job and finish my work. So I know my mother is smiling down on me today. Mom, my work is almost done. I love you and will miss you forever. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition, but I do not oppose the bill.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I support Mr. Courtney's amendment and urge adoption of it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SHUSTER. I thank the gentleman and recognize that this is an important issue to him and his constituents back home in Michigan. In 2016, no one, no one should be afraid to drink the water that comes out of their tap. That is something I think we all can agree on. It is in that spirit that I have committed to working together as we bridge the differences between the two Chambers that these bills will ensure a mutually agreeable solution. I am committed to getting this vital infrastructure bill to the President's desk. I look forward to working with the gentleman and those on the other side of the aisle to move this forward.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 5303.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 5303, the Water Resources Development Act of 2016. Subcommittee Chairman Gibbs and I worked closely with Ranking Members DeFazio and Napolitano on this vital water infrastructure bill. Thanks to their hard work, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure unanimously approved H.R. 5303 in May. We tailored WRDA 2016 to address specific Federal responsibilities, strengthening our infrastructure through the activities of the Army Corps of Engineers to maintain competitiveness, create jobs, and grow the economy. This legislation follows important reforms Congress put in place in 2014 with the Water Resources Reform and Development Act. Without those reforms, we wouldn't be here today to consider another WRDA bill. The 2014 bill and today's legislation restore regular order and the 2-year cycle of Congress considering these essential bills. This has been one of my highest priorities as chairman, and I am pleased today that in this Congress, as in last Congress, we have a WRDA bill on the floor. WRDA 2016 maintains Congress' constitutional authority and oversight in ensuring that we have a safe, effective infrastructure system. Following our authorization process reforms, every Corps activity in this bill is locally driven; reviewed by the Corps according to strict, congressionally established criteria; and presented to Congress for consideration in the form of chief's reports and the Corps' new annual report. Only proposals that followed this process were eligible for inclusion in this bill. If the manager's amendment is adopted, WRDA will authorize 31 chief's reports and 29 feasibility studies. Each chief's report was reviewed by the committee in a public hearing. These are critical regional priorities that provide significant national economic and environmental benefits. For example, WRDA authorizes the long-delayed upgrades to the Upper Ohio River's Emsworth, Dashields, and Montgomery, the EDM, locks and dams. The EDM facilities provide critical access to the Port of Pittsburgh, one of the Nation's busiest inland ports. This will provide enormous benefits to the region and make our entire Nation more competitive. The same can be said for authorizations for the Port of Charleston, Port Everglades, which has been under review by the Corps for 18 years--and it is finally going to be approved--and the Everglades ecosystem, flood control along the Missouri River and around Sacramento, and more. The bill also increases flexibility and removes barriers for State, local, and non-Federal interests to invest in their infrastructure. Factoring in the manager's amendment, WRDA will authorize over $9 billion to cover the Federal share of these improvements to our ports, channels, locks, dams, and other infrastructure. These investments are fully offset--I repeat they are fully offset--with deauthorizations, and the bill sunsets new authorizations to help prevent future project backlogs. WRDA has no earmarks and abides by all House rules. However, in order to comply with House rules and call up this bill today, one section of the bill, as reported by the committee, was removed. I want to say that I agree with Ranking Member DeFazio that the user fees paid into the harbor maintenance trust fund should be used to improve our transportation system. It should be fundamental: When you pay a user fee into a system, it should go to its intended purposes. However, we found ourselves in a position where section 108 conflicted with House rules. We worked to find another resolution to this one issue but were unable to do so within the rules of the House. I appreciate the ranking member's passion for this provision and thank him for his tireless efforts in support of infrastructure investment. I want to continue working with him and others to find a solution as we work with the Senate. However, we cannot lose sight of the larger, more important issue. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This bill is not perfect, but it is a good bill. Only three WRDA bills were enacted between 2000 and 2014, and that record is really unacceptable. Each delay placed America another step behind our competitors. We simply cannot afford more delays. We must pass this jobs and infrastructure bill and return to the regular 2-year WRDA cycle to keep the Army Corps focused on these much-needed investments. We cannot sacrifice these critical infrastructure improvements because of one issue. We have a wide range of stakeholder interests in this bill, and 75 letters of support for WRDA 2016, including: National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Retail Federation, National Conference of State Legislatures, and many other local and regional groups. WRDA 2016 is good public policy. This bill advances critical water resources infrastructure improvements, restores regular order, and gets Congress back on that 2-year WRDA cycle. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC, September 22, 2016. Hon. Bill Shuster, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: I write regarding H.R. 5303, the Water Resources Development Act of 2016. This bill contains provisions under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Natural Resources. I recognize and appreciate your desire to bring this bill before the House of Representatives in an expeditious manner, and accordingly, I will agree that the Committee on Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of the bill. I do so with the understanding that this action does not affect the jurisdiction of the Committee on Natural Resources, and that the Committee expressly reserves its authority to seek conferees on any provision within its jurisdiction during any House-Senate conference that may be convened on this, or any similar legislation. I ask that you support any such request. I also ask that a copy of this letter and your response be included in the Congressional Record during consideration of H.R. 5303 bill on the House floor. Thank you for your work on this Important issue, and I look forward to its enactment soon. Sincerely, Rob Bishop, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 10 seconds to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gibbs).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), the vice chairman of the full committee.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), the former chairman of the full committee. (Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), a member of the committee.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), one of the hardest working members on the committee.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time both sides have left in debate.