Washington, DC —
Senator John Thune today issued the following statement regarding the Administration's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget proposal for the Lewis and Clark Rural Water Project:
"The Administration's proposal for Lewis and Clark funding is unacceptable and represents a step backwards. As a delegation, Senator Johnson, Representative Herseth and I have consistently pushed for increased funding for this important project so thousands of South Dakotans can have access to a clean, reliable water supply, and today's proposal is a far cry from our requests. Thankfully, it's only a proposal, and the White House doesn't write the final budget. Congress determines the ultimate funding levels in the budget, and I will continue to work with the South Dakota delegation to secure a much more appropriate funding level for Lewis and Clark that meets current needs and allows for the project to be completed in a timely manner.
"In addition, I will continue to work to prevent the Lewis and Clark funding levels for 2007 from being flat-lined at 2006 levels, as the Democrat leadership has proposed to do."
The House and Senate will be working between now and September 30, 2007, to finalize the FY 2008 funding levels for all federal programs.
* Democrat House and Senate Leadership are pursuing flat-lined funding for FY 2007 at FY 2006 funding levels. If carried out, Lewis and Clark funding would remain at $17.325 million.
"The Administration's proposal for Lewis and Clark funding is unacceptable and represents a step backwards. As a delegation, Senator Johnson, Representative Herseth and I have consistently pushed for increased funding for this important project so thousands of South Dakotans can have access to a clean, reliable water supply, and today's proposal is a far cry from our requests. Thankfully, it's only a proposal, and the White House doesn't write the final budget. Congress determines the ultimate funding levels in the budget, and I will continue to work with the South Dakota delegation to secure a much more appropriate funding level for Lewis and Clark that meets current needs and allows for the project to be completed in a timely manner.
"In addition, I will continue to work to prevent the Lewis and Clark funding levels for 2007 from being flat-lined at 2006 levels, as the Democrat leadership has proposed to do."
| History of Lewis and Clark funding: | ||||
| Administration | House | Senate | Final Funding | |
| FY 2006 | $15 M | $15 M | $20 M | $17.325 |
| FY 2007 | $21 M | $22 M | $23.5 M | * |
| FY 2008 | $15 M | |||
The House and Senate will be working between now and September 30, 2007, to finalize the FY 2008 funding levels for all federal programs.
* Democrat House and Senate Leadership are pursuing flat-lined funding for FY 2007 at FY 2006 funding levels. If carried out, Lewis and Clark funding would remain at $17.325 million.