The FCC and FTC are agencies that “can...
The FCC and FTC are agencies that “can operate with a little less,” declared House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee Chairman Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., Wednesday during a subcommittee markup of those agencies’ FY 2015 budgets (http://1.usa.gov/1lDkSIN). The subcommittee…
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advanced the bill by voice vote, despite Democrats voicing concerns about cuts. His subcommittee budget slates the FCC for $53 million less than what the agency requested -- $323 million, $17 million less than FY 2014’s enacted level. It slates $293 million for the FTC, $5 million less than what was enacted in FY 2014 and fitting with the White House budget request. The section on the FCC included funding specifications, such as that the funding is “not to exceed $4,000 for official reception and representation expenses; purchase and hire of motor vehicles; special counsel fees” and other authorized services, and that “not less than $11,090,000 shall be for the salaries and expenses of the Office of Inspector General.” Subcommittee ranking member Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., spoke in opposition to the Financial Services draft budget bill during the Wednesday subcommittee meeting: “There are several agencies in this bill that are not funded properly,” he said. “This is not a bill I can support.” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler had testified before the House and Senate earlier this year making a strong plea for more money, which would be devoted to such priorities as better agency IT and for enforcement measures. The agency declined comment on the House budget. “I'm still hopeful we can get all these bills through the full committee before July Fourth break,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said at the subcommittee meeting of several appropriations measures including this one, which he backs. “That’s ambitious, but you're an ambitious people.”