Capitol Words a project of the Sunlight Foundation

Rep. Earl Blumenauer

Mr. Chair, while I agree that the federal government must find a way to dispose of unused federal government property properly, I voted against H.R. 1734, because this legislation turns the federal government into a worse partner than it already is.

There is a way to save federal government dollars and reduce our property holdings while working in cooperation with local governments and the local population. Rather than working with local governments and respecting the plans they have implemented, this legislation ignores plans that are already in place, and does not give community leaders a chance to participate in any part of the property realignment. Additionally, the legislation overrides important environmental regulation that has helped protect our communities for decades.

It is frustrating that my colleagues refused to work in a bipartisan fashion, or even to work with local governments, to develop a better way to dispose of excess federal property. I look forward to working with my colleagues to find a solution we can all agree on.