Van Hollen Statement on the THUD Appropriations Bill

Statement

Today Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, issued the following statement after House Republicans announced they would pull the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill from floor consideration:

"With House Republicans unable to pass their THUD appropriations bill, ideology is finally colliding with the real world. Slashing investments in infrastructure, when the construction industry's unemployment rate stands at 9.8 percent, makes no sense. Chairman Rogers has come to the same conclusion that House Democrats have been raising for months: "sequestration -- and its unrealistic and ill-conceived discretionary cuts -- must be brought to an end.'

"The GOP budget more than doubled the sequester cuts to non-defense discretionary programs to protect tax breaks for millionaires -- but Republican appropriators were left with the task of actually making these devastating cuts, which will undermine economic growth and hinder our nation's ability to compete in the global economy. They have consistently been unable to do so.

"House Democrats have tried to offer a sequester replacement seven times this year, and have been denied each time. We should immediately go to budget conference and work on a plan to replace the sequester. Doing so would also boost job growth, saving up to 1.6 million jobs by the end of FY 2014, according to the Congressional Budget Office. American families deserve better than House Republicans' dysfunction. It is time to work together to tackle these issues."

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