I serve on two very important committees in the 110th Congress—the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Homeland Security. Within these two committees, I serve in positions of oversight on our nation’s National Parks, National Forests, the environment, defense and national security.
I am the Chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, on which I have served proudly for my entire tenure in the U.S. Congress. In this role, I have worked to increase funding for the Federal land management and conservation agencies within the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction, including our National Parks, Forests, Tribal lands, and the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, the Interior Subcommittee oversees important cultural agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Smithsonian Institution.
In these tight budgetary times, maintaining adequate levels of funding for these critical programs is a difficult task, but it is one I take seriously. I fought last year to increase support for the National Parks and several environmental conservation programs, and secured $20 million for the EPA's program addressing the overall health of the Puget Sound, up from only $1 million appropriated the year before. The clean-up of Puget Sound remains one of my top priorities.
We are lucky in Washington State to live and work surrounded by some of the country’s most spectacular natural beauty, and it is the responsibility of all of us – including the Federal government – to ensure that our children and grandchildren inherit these fragile resources.
I also serve as the Vice-Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, building on 29 years of experience on this subcommittee. Because of its significant responsibility in allocating funds for our nation’s security, our subcommittee has a very active schedule of hearings that are directed at understanding the basis for the funds requested by agencies and at performing oversight of the operations of the Department of Defense and related agencies. These hearings inform the committee’s deliberations in appropriating funds that are used to pay, train and equip our military personnel, to maintain systems such as ships and aircraft, to develop and acquire new capabilities, and to provide health care for men and women in uniform and their families. The hearings also give us the ability to delve into problems such as health care for wounded soldiers and poor performance of defense acquisition programs. I am one of a few subcommittee members who serve on the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel that considers funding levels for classified programs.
At a time when our nation’s military is deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, I am especially aware of the importance of addressing national security issues in a constructive manner that brings these conflicts to a close while sustaining our ability to defend ourselves against a wide range of risks. I will continue to give my work on this subcommittee the energy, study and deliberation that this responsibility warrants.
As you know, Washington is an international nexus, acting as a gateway from the United States to Canada, Asia, and the rest of the world. 30 million passengers traveled through Sea-Tac Airport last year, and millions more cross the border to and from Canada each year. Also, more than 4 million container units passed through the Ports of Tacoma and Seattle last year, destined for Washington and points east.
This traffic is a major part of our state’s economy, but it is not without risk. From my seat on the House Committee on Homeland Security, I work to ensure that screeners with the Transportation Security Administration have the training and ability to ensure that passengers at our airports can travel safely and efficiently. I have helped to bring together the US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection and our local governments and port authorities to develop and implement plans to better secure the ports and our ferry system. I have also fought with the Bush Administration to secure more resources for northern border operations to stop the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants while hastening the flow of legal travel and commerce between the United States and Canada.
Committee on Appropriations
Committee on Homeland Security
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