Statement of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur on the defeat of the FY 2017 Energy & Water Appropriations measure
The House of Representatives today failed to pass the annual funding measure for federal energy- and water-related programs, in a 112-306 vote, an annual spending measure which typically passes by overwhelming margins.
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, the ranking member on the House Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement:
“From this vote, it’s clear that the House Republicans cannot govern, as they are held hostage to a number of special interest groups that have nothing to do with our national energy and water needs. They could not even secure half of the votes of their Members necessary for final passage, far from the majority needed for passage, bringing down one of the most important job-creating proposals to come before this Congress.”
The House Republicans have once again failed to lead -- putting an iron rod in the wheels of progress. This puts billions of dollars of federal contracts in limbo for 2017 and beyond -- for dredging and port operations in America’s cities, for navigation, for energy innovation and breakthrough technologies, for responsible management and modernization of our nuclear weapons, and long delayed nuclear clean-up, for solutions for the drought-stricken West, for recovery from Houston's flooding.
Once again, House Republicans are impeding America’s potential because of their internal, partisan divisions. It reminds me of the old movie, 'The Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight.' Their fractured majority circles their wagons and shoots their own. Ready. Fire. Aim. It is a destructive path for the significant job-creating programs this Congress must fund responsibly and on time to assure confidence in both the private and public sectors.”
###
