[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4575-4576]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  ENERGY AND WATER APPROPRIATIONS BILL

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, when Republicans took the majority in the 
Senate last January, we were determined to get the Senate working 
again.
  By 2014, the Democratic-controlled Senate had largely ground to a 
halt. Serious legislation had been replaced by political messaging, and 
the Democratic leadership refused to allow votes on amendments. In 
short, despite Democratic control of the Senate, Democrats and 
Republicans alike were shut out of the legislative process. Republicans 
were determined to change that.
  Since we took control of the Senate in 2015, we have focused on 
taking up substantial legislation that addresses the challenges facing 
the country. We have made sure individual appropriations bills get 
written in committees with input from Senators of both parties, and we 
have opened the Senate floor to debate and amendment.
  Why is that important? Because an open legislative process in the 
Senate means all Americans get represented. When legislation is written 
in the open using the committee process and Senators have a chance to 
highlight their constituents' concerns, the final bill is a lot more 
likely to reflect the American people's priorities.
  One of our most basic responsibilities as Members of Congress is to 
pass appropriations bills. Appropriations bills give Senators and 
Congressmen a chance to take a look at where taxpayer dollars are being 
spent and how we can spend this money more efficiently and effectively. 
Unfortunately, too often Congress ends up skipping the appropriations 
process and rolling a number of the appropriations bills into one giant 
spending bill. That means we lose the opportunity to closely examine 
our spending priorities and make sure we are spending money wisely.
  Since we took control of the Senate, Republicans have been determined 
to make sure Congress takes the appropriations process seriously. We 
have made sure individual appropriations bills are developed in 
committee, where Senators of both parties have

[[Page 4576]]

the opportunity to help develop the bill and make sure their 
constituents' concerns are heard.
  This week Congress is taking up the Energy and Water appropriations 
bill. This legislation funds a number of priorities: rural water 
projects, critical infrastructure projects, nuclear deterrence efforts, 
energy research, flood control, and environmental cleanup, to name a 
few. I am particularly pleased that this bill funds important 
projects--like the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System--that will help 
provide communities with access to steady, reliable water sources.
  I am also pleased that this bill invests in next-generation, high-
energy physics research, including the Deep Underground Neutrino 
Experiment, which could revolutionize our understanding of some of the 
most fundamental elements of our universe. This funding demonstrates 
continued U.S. commitment to a project that will help train the next 
generation of scientists and engineers, retain and attract the best 
scientific minds to the United States, and garner additional investment 
from global partners. I am proud that South Dakota's Sanford 
Underground Research Facility will continue to play a leading role in 
this major international scientific effort.
  The Energy and Water appropriations bill passed the Senate 
Appropriations Committee with the unanimous--unanimous--support of 
Democrats and Republicans with a 30-to-0 vote. I am hoping it will 
receive the same strong bipartisan support on the Senate floor. This 
bill will boost our Nation's energy security, making our economy more 
competitive, and promote energy innovation. It will help us produce 
more and pay less for energy.
  This legislation is an important first step in our commitment to 
restore order to the appropriations process, and I look forward to 
consideration of additional appropriations bills on the Senate floor in 
the coming weeks.

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