House-Passed Spending Bill Important to Tennessee

Press Release

July 19, 2018 -- Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08) today released the following statement on H.R. 6147, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2019. This legislation passed the House by a vote of 217 to 199.

Congressman Kustoff said: "Funding the government is one of Congress' most important responsibilities. This bill includes many important provisions on the national level to reduce regulatory red tape of the Environmental Protection Agency, protect our nation's valuable natural resources, and improve our communities by making critical investments in our national infrastructure.

"Also of note, I am pleased this legislation contains provisions that will benefit communities on the local and state levels. Specifically, this bill takes steps to cut down on drug trafficking and eradicates the Obama Administration's Waters of the United States rule, which will restore the states' power of regulation of their waterways."

Included in H.R. 6147 is an amendment championed by Congressman Kustoff, which increases funding to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program by $5 million and reduces the General Services Administration's rental of space allocation by $5 million. This amendment was accepted by voice vote and included in the final passage of H.R. 6147.

Congressman Kustoff spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives urging support for this amendment. The full text of Congressman Kustoff's floor speech on his amendment can be found below.

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