FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 29, 2011
CONTACT: Apryl Marie Fogel 202-225-2315
Weekly Column from Congressman Gosar
“Federal Appropriations Bill Provides Local Relief and Resources”
By, Congressman Paul Gosar (AZ-01)
Recently, Congress passed legislation that will have profound impacts on Arizona’s First Congressional District. The bill, H.R. 2112, funds the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development through fiscal year 2012. The legislation represents three of the twelve appropriations bills required to fund the federal government each year.
While this legislation does not make the deep cuts I would like to have seen, it is a good first step. The funding levels were a 27 percent decrease from the Senate version. In total, over $750 million was cut from the respective federal agencies, including the complete elimination of twenty wasteful government programs.
Beyond the spending cuts, this legislation has policy and program implications that directly benefit the First Congressional District.
For example, the Rural Utilities Service's Broadband Program encourages private investment in broadband infrastructure in rural underserved areas. In addition, the Navajo Nation will continue to be eligible for Native American Housing Block Grants, despite language in a previous version of this legislation that would have unfairly disqualified the Nation.
A primary concern has been the Schultz Pass Fire and Flood recovery. Earlier this year, I hosted United States Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell in Flagstaff and pressed the agency to focus on disaster relief. I have since worked with the city, Coconino County, and all the relevant federal agencies to expedite relief and flood mitigation. Back in April, Coconino County applied for emergency watershed protection funds for the Schultz Fire Flood Recovery – an application I strongly supported. H.R. 2112 allotted $215 million to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Coconino County is widely expected to receive around $5 million of those funds, specifically for the Schultz Fire Flood area.
In addition, a wide variety of public safety programs were supported by this legislation. Specifically, the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) Program and the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program were sufficiently funded. The COPS program has funded 2,796 additional state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials to engage in community policing activities in Arizona. Byrne JAG resources are leveraged by local law enforcement agencies for operations, information sharing, DNA analysis and cold case units, school violence prevention programs, and many other purposes. Nearly every county in Arizona’s First Congressional District benefitted from this program last year. It is important we support local law enforcement - our men and women in uniform are under great strain as the federal government fails to adequately protect our borders.
Finally, this legislation contains protections of our Second Amendment rights, prohibiting the federal government from imposing inventory requirements for current federal firearm licensees. The federal government is now permanently prohibited from creating a national firearms database, electronically gathering personal information gathered by gun dealers, or permanently retaining information gathered in a background check. These provisions go a long way towards protecting the privacy of law-abiding gun owners.
As the lone member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee from Arizona, I have led the charge for accountability for any and all government officials involved in the senseless scandal at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms known as “Fast and Furious.” This legislations pulls all funding for this failed program.
I have called for the resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder and believe he and others involved must be held accountable. As I work to press for the full truth about this fiasco, it is important that no taxpayer dollars should go to such a reckless program. H.R. 2112 does just this by explicitly defunding senseless “gunwalking” programs.
These are just a few programs and provisions within H.R. 2112 that will benefit Arizonans. I was pleased to join a strong bipartisan group including my Arizona colleagues Senator Jon Kyl and Congressman Ed Pastor in support of this legislation. I will continue to advocate on behalf of economic development, transportation infrastructure, and public safety. I know that addressing our nation's fiscal crisis while supporting the development of strong, sustainable rural communities is essential to ensuring prosperity for future generations of Arizonans.
