Udall secured critical funding to support public health & environment, public lands, Indian Country, wildfire suppression, LWCF, fight against opioids & more
The bill is the first bipartisan Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill in years, and it was approved unanimously by the
"It is
The bill also rejects cuts to important land management agencies in
VIDEO LINK: https://www.facebook.com/senatortomudall/videos/10156312022397870/
The full text of Udall's remarks is available below.
Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Interior Appropriations Bill, which the
I begin by thanking my Chairman,
I also want to recognize Chairman Shelby and Vice-Chairman Leahy for clearing the path for us to bring this bill to the floor. Their shared commitment to re-establishing regular order for the Appropriations Committee is why the Interior bill is on the floor of the
I'm pleased that the Senate Interior bill is - on balance - a very good appropriations bill.
First, it includes critical funding for the
The bill funds the
This bill includes strong levels of funding for conservation programs that preserve and protect our nation's most special places, including our public lands.
And it fully funds wildfire suppression needs--providing more than
The Interior bill supports our nation's arts and culture programs--from national institutions here in
Over the last week, we have seen the Administration claim that the legislation sent over by the House has too much funding for these and other priorities. I strongly disagree. It is
This
We reject the shameful and inexcusable cuts proposed by the
In addition to rejecting these cuts,
We also followed the Chairman and Vice Chairman's direction to keep out extraneous authorizing matters and any item considered a poison pill. We all know that one senator's poison pill is another senator's antidote. We couldn't please everyone -- because the tough issues that have impeded this bill from floor consideration over the last decade have not gone away. But we did the best we could.
Now, this bill is not perfect. It includes several troubling provisions rolled over from prior years -- including provisions related to the listing status of the sage grouse, the lead content of ammunition, biomass energy policy, and certain Clean Air Act exemptions. While I cannot endorse these provisions individually, they are ones we have carried previously to move this bill across the finish line.
But what the Appropriations Committee has brought to the full
I'm proud of what we propose for fiscal year 2019. In addition to the programs I've already highlighted, let me tell you about a few more accomplishments in this bill.
This bill rejects the Administration's elimination of the
These funds will improve recreational access to our federal lands, protect iconic landscapes, deliver grants to states and local governments to create and protect urban parks and open spaces, preserve the battlefields of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and give farmers and ranchers easements so they can steward their private lands in the face of development pressures.
Rather than following the Administration's misguided proposal to eliminate funding for the National Endowments of the Arts and the Humanities, this bill actually provides an increase of
The bill includes a 4 percent increase for the
This bill fully funds the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program -- to assist local governments to improve their schools and roads and pay for public safety and law enforcement.
This bill maintains funding for the
Now, I feel strongly that keeping
I recognize there is always room for improvement. And I welcome all colleagues to speak with me and
But as I conclude, I want to emphasize how tremendous it has been to work with
I look forward to working with colleagues on this bill over this week so that we can pass an Interior Appropriations Bill that the American people can be proud of.
Read this original document at: https://www.tomudall.senate.gov/news/press-releases/video-bipartisan-interior-environment-appropriations-bill-reaches-senate-floor
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