In an annual rite, the House Budget Committee invites members of Congress to testify about their spending priorities for their own districts. Among those testifying for the first time last week was freshman Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, who advocated for:

• Full funding for Army Corps of Engineers dredging work to support the port of New Orleans; 
• Eliminating proposed GOP cuts in community development block grants, Pell grants and Head Start; 
• Robust financing of the Small Business Administration to promote job growth.