News release from Congressman Bill Flores of Bryan:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Bill Flores (R-Texas) issued the following statement regarding his vote against the FY 2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill:
“After a careful review of the FY 2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill that was considered by the House of Representatives, I voted against the bill.
“Even though the bill was not perfect, under normal circumstances, this bill could have had support from conservatives in Congress. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, President Obama ignored the Constitution and circumvented Congress by attempting to unlawfully change our nation’s immigration laws. The president’s extremist actions have created a serious lack of trust between the White House and members of both parties in Congress as well as with a large majority of the American public. In response, GOP members in the House and Senate have committed to do all we can to reverse the president’s unlawful action, including defunding the parts of DHS that will be implementing the amnesty plan. Earlier this week, several House conservatives and I supported an amendment to the omnibus bill to immediately defund the president’s amnesty plan, however, we were unsuccessful in getting it included in the final bill. Even if we had been successful in getting this amendment included, there is a substantial likelihood that the Democratic leadership in the Senate would have stripped out our provision and sent the bill back to the House in the form that was voted on yesterday.
“Many members of the House Appropriations Committee worked hard to draft this bill to fund most agencies of the federal through the end of the fiscal year. The bill included a substantial number of conservative policy provisions that provide relief to hardworking American families and businesses who are struggling under the Obama regulatory regime. In addition, the bill adhered to spending caps put in place by Congressional conservatives in 2013 and reflects a significant decrease in annual discretionary spending of over $200 billion since I was elected to Congress in 2010. In response to President Obama’s amnesty actions, the bill only funds the Department of Homeland Security through late February.
“Just last month, American voters overwhelmingly rejected President Obama’s extremist policies; and they elected a GOP majority in the Senate, and a larger conservative majority in the House. When the new Senate majority takes office in January, 2015, we will have additional options to stop the president’s unlawful actions, including defunding parts of DHS. All Americans expect the federal government to adhere to the Constitution, and conservatives in Congress are committed to restoring trust, accountability and the Rule of Law in Washington. We will also be working to improve economic opportunities for hardworking American families, to rebuild our national security, to fix the fiscal mess in Washington, to limit the federal government to its Constitutional role and to reinforce healthy family values.”