WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) , ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, issued the following statement on the FY2021 Interior Appropriations Bill:
“I very much appreciate Chairman Murkowski putting together a bill under difficult funding constraints, and I thank her for accommodating a number of important priorities in this draft. I fully support the Appropriations Committee’s efforts to enact an omnibus by the end of the year. During that process, I will work to resolve a number of outstanding concerns about this draft in the final Interior Appropriations bill, starting with the funding level of the bill itself. We simply need more resources to fund programs that address existential threats such as climate change, imperiled species, and crumbling infrastructure, improve the lives of American Indians and Alaska Natives, and support the nation’s arts and cultural institutions. I am also troubled that the draft continues a number of anti-environmental policy riders from previous years that would bind the incoming Biden-Harris administration before they are even in office and need to be removed, including language to block protections for the sage grouse.
“Over the past six years, Chairman Murkowski and I have worked through countless tough issues and enacted several very good bills. I expect that this year will be no exception. I am committed to working with my colleagues to resolve these issues and enact a strong, full-year Interior Appropriations bill.”
