House to consider energy and water appropriations bill

H.R. 2609 provides annual funding for national defense nuclear weapons activities, the Army Corps of Engineers and various programs under the Department of Energy for fiscal 2014. 

{mosads}The $30.4 billion bill cuts $2.9 billion from the previous year — $4.1 billion below President Obama’s budget request and $700 million below the sequestration level.

“This bill reflects the difficult but crucial balance between fiscal responsibility, and essential infrastructure and security programs,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.). “This bill gets back to the basics — protecting our national defense, and investing in the infrastructure that is the foundation of a thriving American economy and critical to the safety of our people.” 

Energy and Water subcommittee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) introduced the bill, which the House Appropriations Committee cleared last month on a 28-21 vote.

“This is a fiscally conservative bill that funds critical national security, jobs, and infrastructure programs,” Frelinghuysen said. “In a challenging fiscal environment, we have to prioritize funding, and the subcommittee chose to address the readiness and safety of the nation’s nuclear stockpile and to invest in critical infrastructure projects to protect lives and property and support economic growth.”

In committee, an amendment from Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.), which would prohibit funding for the Army Corps of Engineers to enforce a ban on firearms on Corps land, was adopted on a vote of 32-17.