As a registered federal lobbyist I’m often asked to describe my job. Some days I describe it as an advocate; other days as an educator. I’ve also been known to liken it to being a translator or cruise director, but this past month it has felt a lot like being a host of Talk Soup. You see, I attend countless Congressional hearings and markups and spend endless hours watching House and Senate floor debate on C-SPAN. To borrow a phrase from Greg Kinnear, I watch it so you don’t have to. In that spirit, and because I am long over due on providing a blog post to TheLeveeWasDry.Com, here are the highlights from the House debate on the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Energy & Water Appropriations bill.
In mid-June, the U.S. House of Representatives cleared the first Minibus appropriations package, HR 2740. The four-bill package included the FY20 Energy & Water Appropriations bill which funds the civil works program for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The House Appropriations Committee, under a new democratic majority, continues the longstanding bi-partisan support for the Corps and its mission by proposing a record level of funding for the Corps. In total the House proposes to fund the Corps at $7.36B, which is an increase of $357M over the FY19 enacted level and an increase of $2.53B over the President’s FY20 budget proposal. Continue Reading