Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) expressed support for the bipartisan Senate effort to strip the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) oil drilling provision from the defense spending bill that the House passed early yesterday morning. At the time of passage, Larsen, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed his frustration with Republicans who attached the non-defense-related drilling language in the middle of night. Larsen released the following statement regarding the ANWR provision in the bill.

“With our soldiers in harm’s way across the globe, I was disappointed to see Republicans turn our defense funding bill into a special-interests wagon into which they could pile non-defense, controversial provisions like drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
“That is why I voted to stop Republicans from adding Arctic drilling to the defense spending bill in the dead of night. Unfortunately, the rule passed, and the bill came to the floor with drilling included.
“Ultimately, I could not oppose a bill that funds our national defense and feeds and equips our troops in Iraq, at home, and across the globe. I refused to leave our troops high and dry because the Republicans pulled this political stunt in the middle of the night.
“Unlike the House, the Senate has the procedural tools to strip bad provisions from otherwise good bills. I wholeheartedly support the bipartisan Senate efforts to strip the ANWR drilling provision from the Defense Appropriations bill.
“Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail in the Senate and we can give our troops a defense spending bill to be proud of - not one loaded with completely unrelated Arctic drilling that Republicans could not shove through any other way.”