[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 147 (Thursday, December 4, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1745-E1746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    H.R. 3572, H.R. 5769, H.R. 5771-

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 4, 2014

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following:
  H.R. 3572--To revise the boundaries of certain John H. Chafee Coastal 
Barrier Resources System units in North Carolina, as amended: On 
December 2, 2014, a conflict kept me from voting on H.R. 3572 under 
suspension of the rules. This bill revises the boundaries of certain 
John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units in North 
Carolina. If I had been present, I would have voted for this 
legislation.
  H.R. 5769--Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act 
of 2014: Today I voted for H.R. 5769, in part as a tribute our retiring 
colleague Howard Coble. While the legislation contained many good 
provisions, it also had some disturbing ones. Key among them were those 
could make it harder for the U.S. to deliver food aid in a more timely, 
cost effective and impactful way. Any provision that

[[Page E1746]]

could lead to increased tonnage requirements for our food aid merits 
significant scrutiny because added delay directly threatens lives 
already at risk. The House, federal agencies, and NGO stakeholders 
were, unfortunately, given no such opportunity for oversight before the 
final bill was brought to the floor. Should this bill be enacted in its 
present form, I look forward to working with Secretary Fox to ensure 
this provision is implemented fairly.
  H.R. 5771--Tax Increase Prevention Act: During the debate on the 
House floor over H.R. 5771, the Tax Increase Prevention Act, it was 
clear I was torn. The reason I ultimately voted against this 
legislation is because it should have been the first order of business 
taken up by Congress, and not the last. This tax extenders package 
represents another failure to treat people right and fairly, and one 
more missed opportunity for reform. In addition, H.R. 5771 continues 
the harmful trend of adding the deficit while ignoring the low hanging 
fruit, where consensus is within reach and provisions are ripe for 
reform.

                          ____________________