[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 38 (Monday, March 6, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S1603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           15OTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I would like to bring attention to an 
important anniversary in the history of the U.S. Senate. Today marks 
the 150th anniversary of the creation of the Senate Committee on 
Appropriations.
  In 1867, the Senate passed a resolution creating a standing committee 
on appropriations. The committee was founded to bring greater 
discipline to government spending by consolidating the control, 
management and oversight of federal expenditures.
  The primary role of the Congress in appropriating taxpayer dollars is 
explicit in our Constitution. It is an important responsibility and 
must not be taken lightly.
  The Appropriations Committee has served the American people by 
working together to make thoughtful decisions in the allocation of 
public funds. It is challenging work. Each year we consider a vast 
amount of input from public hearings, expert sources, our fellow 
Senators, and our constituents. We do our best to weigh competing 
priorities and make responsible recommendations.
  The Appropriations Committee faces great pressures as discretionary 
spending is increasingly crowded out by mandatory spending and 
persistent deficits. It is more important than ever that the 
appropriations bills be brought before the Senate for careful 
consideration. I hope we can find a way to do that in the coming months 
and years.
  As we mark the 150th anniversary of the Senate Committee on 
Appropriations, I look forward to working with my friend and vice 
chairman, the Senator from Vermont. I hope all Senators will work with 
us to enact appropriations bills that provide for a strong national 
defense and support our country's domestic and international 
priorities.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today we celebrate the 150th anniversary of 
the Senate Appropriations Committee. Established on March 6, 1867, its 
powers are rooted in article I, section 9 of our Constitution, which 
states, ``No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence 
of appropriations made by law.'' The founders of our country recognized 
the power of the purse as one of the most important tools Congress has 
to ensure our system of checks and balance and to conduct oversight of 
the Executive and Judicial branch, but it is much more than that. The 
Appropriations Committee is also where we translate the priorities of a 
nation into the realities of the people.
  Our country is not a business, where we allocate resources only 
according to the bottom line. We do not invest in order to make a 
profit, or a one-for-one dollar in return. We invest in those areas 
where it is uniquely right for government to take the lead. We invest 
in the areas that make a difference in the everyday lives of Americans 
and that help build the foundations of our country and our economy--
infrastructure, national security, our environment, education, health 
care. The Appropriations Committee is where we fund nutrition programs 
to ensure that children do not have to sit through class hungry and 
remain healthy so they can develop and grow. It is where we allocate 
the resources to clean our lakes and our streams and make investments 
in growing our communities and promoting jobs. It is where we invest in 
research to cure cancer. It is where we can define who we are as 
country.
  I have been a member of this Committee for almost my entire tenure in 
the Senate, and just a few short months ago, I became vice chair. I am 
proud to serve on this committee, and I feel honored to join in the 
ranks of its leaders. Today I am glad to join you all in celebrating 
150 years of an institution that is at the foundation of the Senate. I 
look forward to working with my friend Chairman Cochran in continuing 
the long and bipartisan history of the Appropriations Committee in the 
months and years ahead.

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