Statement by Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono on Passage of H.R. 5326
Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations for FY 2013
Washington,
May 10 -
Mr. Speaker,
I rise in reluctant opposition to H.R. 5326, the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill for FY2013.
This spending bill provides funding for essential agencies, including the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Census Bureau, Economic Development Administration, FBI, Drug Enforcement agency, U.S. Attorneys and Marshalls, NASA, and the National Science Foundation.
I recognize that Chairman Wolf had a difficult task because of the sharply reduced allocations included in the Ryan Budget, which I opposed. The bipartisan agreement represented by the Budget Control Act of 2011 already made sharp cuts to spending levels. The decision by this Republican-led Congress to break that agreement to make even deeper cuts on the programs Americans rely on will make it very difficult to come up with a final spending agreement with the Senate. The Obama Administration has issued a Statement of Administration Policy expressing strong opposition to H.R. 5326.
This bill underfunds programs that are critical to Hawaii, including programs that support fisheries and ocean stewardship programs. It includes a $20 million cut to the Legal Services Corporation, denying legal aid to tens of thousands in underserved communities, as well as many military families. Funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program in the bill is well below the administration’s request. Fortunately, we were successful in passing an amendment to increase funding for COPS by $126 million (equivalent to the FY 2012 level), but many other amendments to this bill have made it even worse. For instance, amendments were adopted that would:
· Prevent use of Department of Justice funds in the legal defense of the Affordable Care Act
· Prohibit funding to implement the National Ocean Policy
· Eliminate funding for science-based climate change education efforts that will help prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
· Prohibit funding of Census Bureau collection of detailed housing, economic, and demographic statistics
I expect this bill will pass today. I only hope that it can be improved in conference with the Senate so I can vote for the final spending agreement.
