For Immediate Release

Alexander Finestone

NUNNELEE: HOUSE PASSES CR TO FUND GOVERNMENT AND PROVIDE DISASTER RELIEF

(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Nunnelee made the following statement tonight in support of the Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government operating past the end of the fiscal year on September 30, which passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 219 to 203.  The CR will fund the government until November 18 at an annualized rate of $1.043 trillion, as agreed to in the Budget Control Act – a $7 billion cut from FY 2011 funding.  It also includes $3.65 billion in disaster relief funding to provide assistance to those affected by recent hurricanes, wildfires, floods, tornados and earthquakes.

“The question we are debating tonight is not whether we give aid and assistance to those of our neighbors that have been hit by serious disasters; we all agree that’s the appropriate thing to do.  The question is – do we cut spending elsewhere to pay for that assistance? 

Now, what our friends on the left have told us is ‘look, that’s not the way we have done that in the past; in fact, we’ve always done it by just going ahead and spending without any offset.’  Doing it the way we have always done it has put us $14 trillion in debt.  What we have to do is exactly what the people of Monroe County, Mississippi did.  

On the night of April 26, those families had dreams, hopes and plans.  On April 27, the tornadoes hit and their plans changed.  They redirected their spending plans to take care of the disaster.  Now, if the families of Monroe County, Mississippi have done that, they have every reason to expect their government to do the same thing. 

Now, we’ve been told we need some government program to create jobs.  If we will give the American people the assurance that the government is serious about cutting spending, as this bill does, we will give them the confidence to create jobs.  If we will remove the regulatory burdens, American businesses will create jobs.  And if we will give them the assurance that we are not going to raise their taxes, the American economy will thrive and create jobs.”

The CR will prevent a government shutdown and continue federal operations until all Appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2012 is enacted.  The House Appropriations Committee has moved on 11 of the 12 annual Appropriations bills.  Currently 6 Appropriations bills have been passed in the House including: Legislative Branch, Energy and Water, Department of Defense, Agriculture, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.

 The CR also includes a total of $3.65 billion for disaster relief, of which $1 billion is available immediately as emergency funding and is offset by $1 billion in unspent FY09 funds from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program and the remaining funds in the DOE Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program – which funded the now-bankrupt company Solyndra.  In addition, $2.65 billion funding for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund is provided for continued recovery efforts in fiscal year 2012.

Congressman Alan Nunnelee represents Mississippi’s First Congressional District and serves on the House Appropriations Committee.  This is his first term.

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