Good morning, i call the meeting of the committee on appropriations to order. Before we begin now house rules require me to remind you that we have set up an email address to which members can send anything they wish to submit in writing at any of our hearings or markups. That email address has been provided to your staff. Our first order of Business Today is consideration of the interior and environment and appropriations bill for fiscal year 2021. I will now recognize miss mccullum to present the bill. Good morning, and thank you, madam chair. I want to thank Ranking Member joyce for his strong collaboration and partnership throughout this entire process. Hes been a great partner from the great lakes and a little geography, being a social studies teacher he borers with the great state of ohio on lake erie and in minnesota we border on lake superior. Id like to thank the subcommittee for all contributions and especially the way in which weve continued our tradition of nonpartisan work
Lord, were grateful that though wrong seems strong, you continue to rule. Fill our lawmakers with reverence and trust in your prevailing providence. May that reverential awe keep them on the path of courage, integrity, and wisdom. Lord, remind them that you have invited them to seek and discover your might. You declared in psalm 50 15 call me in the day of trouble, and i will deliver you. We praise your holy name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Grassley madam president. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley one minute for morning business. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley the house of representatives has passed a bill thats kind of like a onesizefitsall for elections. That everything ought to be run out o
Yet to be spent and frankly much of which we dont know what the actual need is out there until we have a better sense for what the revenue loss is to a lot of our state and local governments. They are sounding the alarm and justifiably worried about what happens if the downturn in the economy continues and what that might mean to their revenues. They are looking to washington, d. C. For assistance, and i think that as i said earlier in the cares package, there was 150 billion dollars that went out to state and local governments and there have been concerns about how those funds can be used. They were stipulated they had to be used for covidrelated expenses, and many state and local leaders were concerned that that did not give them the flexibility they needed to meet other types of needs. Well, the Treasury Department has in the past few days, madame president , come out with an interpretation that would allow those dollars, the 150 billion dollars already appropriated to be used to pa
Heavens that bring blessings to our earthly pilgrimage. Today, guide our lawmakers with your glorious wisdom. In the greatness of your majesty, fulfill your purposes for their lives as you order their steps. Show them such unfailing love that they will walk before you in wholehearted devotion. Lord, place your Healing Hands upon our nation and world, delivering us from this Global Health crisis. We pray in your powerful name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance i pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Grassley madam president. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley permission to speak in morning business for 90 seconds. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley my iowa offices are located in cedar rapids, council bluffs, davenport, doims, sioux city and waterloo. My state
Relief measures congressre has passed there was 150 billion sent to the state and local governments, much of which have yet to be spent and frankly we dont know what the actual need is until we have a better sense of what the revenue loss is to the state and local governments. They are sounding the alarm and justifiably worried about what happens if the downturn in the economy continues and what that dght mean for their revenues. So, they are looking to washington, d. C. For assistance, and i think that as i said earlier, there was 150 billion that went out to state and local governments and thereve been concerns about how they could be used. They were stipulated that they had to be used for these expenses and many state and local leaders were concerned that that didnt give them the flexibility thatee they needed o meet other types of needs. The Treasury Department has come out with an interpretation that would t allow the 150 billion already appropriated to be used to pay firefighters