Date: 2003-02-13
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. today the House passed the Omnibus Appropriations bill. to fund federal government operations for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2003. This Omnibus package combines 11 of 13 separate funding bills that should have been completed months ago. But rather than conduct hearings and encourage thoughtful debate on Americas budget priorities. the Republican leadership in this Congress has cobbled together a 3000 page. $400 billion megaspending bill in mostly back room deals. And now they ask for a simple yes or no vote on this huge package. Mr. Speaker. I am a new Member of Congress and I am extremely disappointed by the process. The American people have been shut out of the process. I wish. Mr. Speaker. that I could use this vote as a lesson for my three children and children throughout my district. to teach them how the great democratic institutions of our land reflect the will of American people. But today. Mr. Speaker. the democratic and deliberative process have been hijacked. The Committee system of this Congress has been bypassed. No hearings. No testimony from impartial experts. No debate. No markup. Nothing. Mr. Speaker. this is no way to begin this new session of Congress. The full House has been given little opportunity to debate. and no opportunity to amend this huge bill. This Is a dreadfully flawed backroom process that has allowed logging and oil interests to attach riders that are harmful to our environment. These riders. which have nothing to do with the appropriations process. allow for clearcutting in national forests. prevent Fore.. Service administration decisions from being challenged in court. and remove a Housepassed provision that would have barred preliminary work on a drilling program in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. But at the same time. this omnibus spending bill does include certain provisions that I strongly support. Among them are the full 4.1 percent costofliving pay raise for federal employees that the Administration had so strongly opposed. and a desperately needed adjustment to the Medicare reimbursement formula for doctors. hospitals and other health care providers that will Improve access to care for thousands of patients. This matter should have been addressed months ago. it should. not have been necessary to include it in this bill. Although I support the federal pay raise and the Medicare formula fix. I am angered that they are being held hostage by the disastrous. shortsighted riders that wreak havoc on our environment. I object to this kind of backroom political extortion. a cynical abuse of the legislative process to advance the interests of a few over the needs of many. That is why I voted in favor of the Motion to Recommit this bill and consider an alternative that better reflects our needs and priorities. But since the motion to recommit did not pass. I was forced to cast a yesorno vote on the final package. Even with the terrible riders. I could not vote to deny our federal employees the pay raise they deserve. or to deny seniors access to Medicare by failing to adjust the reimbursement formula. or to deny funding for schools or homeland security or the many other needs that are funded in this bill. But. Mr. Speaker. those of us who support progressive environmental and conservation policies will persevere. We will keep fighting these shortsighted policies. The American people do not support them and they will not stand. Mr. Speaker. the American people deserve better so we can do better. We can do so much better.