WASHINGTON, DC—U.S Rep. John Rose (TN-6) spoke on the House Floor Wednesday in opposition to many of the provisions included in the House Democrats’ latest appropriations funding bill.
H.R. 8294, a package of six appropriations bills for fiscal year 2023:
- Increases overall domestic spending by 14%
- Increases the budget for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by 20%
- 17% increase for the Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Increases funding for general government activities by 17%
- $1 billion increase for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- 30% increase for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- 20% increase for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
The full speech, as prepared for delivery, is below:
Madam Speaker, on many different occasions I have come to this chamber to point out exactly how we arrived at this moment where we are experiencing record-breaking inflation. Each time, Congressional Democrats’ desire to recklessly spend trillions of taxpayer dollars continues to be the answer.
Here I am again, as the House passed yet another spending bill costing hundreds of billions of dollars and is filled with socialist wish list items that increases federal spending by double and triple percentage increases in some cases.
I, of course, voted “No.” Not only because it increases the size of our government by increasing spending on non-defense programs by 14%, but because it also fails to include the Hyde Amendment, which is a long-standing bipartisan agreement that protects taxpayer dollars for being used to fund abortions.
Overall, the bill would increase the budget for the Environmental Protection Agency by 20%, increase the budget for general governmental activities by 17%, and include a 10% increase for the Food and Drug Administration—the same department that botched the baby formula shortage.
This funding bill rewards bad behavior by giving funding increases to departments that have failed the American people. It encourages illegal immigration, it discourages increasing our domestic energy output by restricting offshore oil and gas activities, and it fails to fund our national defense construction priorities like the sea-launched cruise missile-nuclear.
It’s been almost two years of complete Democratic control of government, and instead of addressing the root causes of the crises Democrats created, the bill doubles down on their failed socialist agenda. Tennesseans are fed up with the out-of-control spending. Americans all across the country are fed up with it, too.
