Washington, Jun 29 -  

Today, Congressman Scott Garrett voted in favor of the Science, State, Justice, Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2007. The bill would fund Federal agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF), and address critical problems like border security, methamphetamine and illegal drug trafficking, and U.S. commercial competitiveness.

Garrett offered two amendments to the bill – one was adopted by voice vote and the other was withdrawn due to procedural rules. The adopted amendment limited the number of Federal employees who could attend conferences outside U.S. borders on taxpayer dollars to no more than 50. Congressman Garrett has successfully offered this amendment six times previously. "Since 2000, Federal agencies have spent more than $1.4 billion, sending hundreds of Federal employees to vacation hotspots like Los Cabos, Mexico; Barcelona, Spain; and Vienna, Austria," said Garrett. "All the while, we’re debating whether we can afford to pay for legitimate spending priorities."

Garrett’s other amendment called for a comprehensive accounting of all money the United States spends on the UN. "Taxpayers deserve full disclosure of the money given to the UN and Congress must then seek to ensure that this money is well spent," Garrett continued. Yesterday, the House approved another Garrett amendment transferring $2 million in funding from the U.S. contributions to the UN to the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Grant Program. At least a portion of the U.S. contributions to the UN in this bill support the UN Information Center, which lobbies Congress and promotes the UN to the American public and media. "These funds are better used to keep our communities safe than to pay for UN lobbyists," said Garrett.

Among other things, H.R. 5672, the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2007 will provide the following:

$1.1 billion for a State Department border security program to catch fraudulent visas using advanced technological equipment

$6.0 billion for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to provide for counterterrorism infrastructure needs and combat crimes like gang violence and child exploitation

$1.75 billion for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to fight meth abuse and drug-related violence and strengthen intelligence capabilities

$643 million for the Small Business Administration, including record funding for loans to American Entrepreneurs

The House passed the bill by a vote of 393 to 23.

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