DeLauro Statement to Rules Committee on Revised Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act

2021-09-21 15:05

Statement

House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) today delivered the following remarks to the House Rules Committee in support of H.R. 5305:

Thank you, Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole, for the opportunity to appear again before the Rules Committee to present H.R. 5305.

I presented a nearly identical version of this legislation this morning, so I will make very brief remarks.

The earlier version of the legislation included an anomaly to the continuing resolution to provide funding for the government of Israel related to the Iron Dome. The version before you does not contain that anomaly.

Let me explain why: The production of the Iron Dome system component is at full capacity and it can take 12 to 18 months from when funding is appropriated until it is received by Israel.

The Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Israel lays out a co-production agreement for funds in the annual spending bill for Israeli cooperative programs.

The MOU also allows for additional funds to be provided under exceptional circumstances such as an armed conflict through a separate production agreement. That co-production agreement is not in place.

Let me be clear: The United States must fully live up to our commitments to our friend and our ally Israel.

To that end, Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Betty McCollum and I have committed to including additional funding in the final bipartisan and bicameral fiscal year 2022 Defense Appropriations bill.

Let me also remind you that for fiscal year 2021, there is $500 million for Israeli cooperative programs. That continues. The only thing that changes is that we are moving an anomaly.

As I stated this morning, the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act is urgently needed. It supports working families who live paycheck to paycheck. It provides desperately needed relief for survivors of recent disasters and it responds to the humanitarian needs of Afghan evacuees as we end the war in Afghanistan.

We must pass the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act and I respectfully request an appropriate rule for Floor consideration of the legislation.

117th Congress