Chellie Pingree never anticipated a life in politics. Living on the offshore island of North Haven, Maine, she raised her kids and ran a small business. She served on the school board and as the local tax assessor, a job no one else in town wanted. But in 1991, when she was approached about running for State Senate, she jumped at the chance.
She scored a remarkable upset, defeating a popular Republican, and went on to serve four terms in the Maine Senate. But throughout her political career, from Augusta to Washington and beyond, the lessons she learned on North Haven have always been her guide: Be accountable to your neighbors, and always use your common sense.
In January 2021, I was elected to serve as House Appropriations Committee Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chair. I'm honored to lead the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee at this critical moment. As Chair, I will fight to undo the harmful policies enacted by the last administration and provide the resources needed to preserve the long-term health of our environment. As a member of the Subcommittee for the past seven years, I have secured significant funding for Maine’s tribes, environmental preservation programs, our cultural economy, and our forests, and as Chair I will have the opportunity to put these priorities at the top of the Committee’s agenda.
The U.S Constitution specifies that “Congress—and in particular, the House of Representatives—is invested with the 'power of the purse,' the ability to tax and spend public money for the national government,” which falls to the Appropriations Committee. The House Appropriations Committee has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending but does not have jurisdiction over mandatory federal spending (i.e., Social Security, Medicare). The House Appropriations Committee, led by Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), is responsible for investments in families and communities across America, providing funding to create jobs, grow our economy, keep our country safe and secure, and build for the future.
A full list of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee's jurisdiction can be found below: