mr. chairman , i urge my colleagues to support the weiner/mccotter amendment . 
we need to boost federal funding to fight the invasive species that are destroying native trees across the united states . 
this amendment would provide an additional $ 19 million to help fight invasive species like the asian longhorn beetle , the emerald ash borer , and the boll weevil . 
if you 've never heard of these insects , or have never lost a tree in your district to these invaders , count yourself lucky . 
the emerald ash borer has been simply devastating to ash trees in my district in southeast michigan . 
the borer is native to china and was only discovered in the united states in 2002 , but already it has killed more than 7 million ash trees . 
the emerald ash borer arrived in north america years earlier , so we have a huge job on our hands to contain this insect and stop its spread . 
i ca n't overemphasize how destructive this small green insect is . 
once it gets underneath the bark of an ash tree , the borer will kill the tree within a couple years . 
all species of ash trees are vulnerable . 
it is sobering to see so many beautiful trees that have stood in neighborhoods for decades become sick and die . 
it is also extremely costly to homeowners and communities to remove the ash trees and replace them . 
by working quickly , we 've managed to significantly slow the spread of the emerald ash borer , but people need to understand that every ash tree in the country is at risk if we do n't contain this insect now . 
so far , the infestation has been limited to michigan , ohio , indiana and ontario . 
to give you some idea of the dimension of the threat , there are 750 million ash trees in michigan alone , and 7.5 billion ash trees nationwide . 
we need to make additional resources available now to fight the emerald ash borer , or there will be a much higher price to pay down the road . 
i urge the house to support the amendment . 
