Rosa DeLauro

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. I reserve the balance of my time, Madam Speaker.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 555, I call up the bill (H.R. 4502) making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), who is the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the majority leader of the House.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree), the chair of the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies of the Appropriations Committee.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, our country faces dire needs. Far too many people are struggling to put food on the table, to pay their rent. Many more struggle to afford childcare or the cost of education and skills training. The deck has been stacked for so long for the wealthy and the well connected, while our infrastructure crumbles and the existential threat of climate change looms. From the mountains of Appalachia to the struggling neighborhoods of our largest cities, the biggest deficit we face is one of hope. The moral test of our government today is how we meet these challenges. It is whether we can rise to the occasion and deliver hope for the American people who have been left behind for far too long. The bills before us meet that moral test. Their transformative investments create jobs, grow opportunity, and provide a lifeline to the vulnerable. They invest in our infrastructure and in a cleaner, safer future. Madam Speaker, I urge support for this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 555, I offer amendments en bloc.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. While I have offered this en bloc amendment for the purposes of legislative efficiency, I strongly oppose it. The amendment would cut funding for important programs and services that provide opportunities for working families. The simultaneous public health and economic crises of the last 18 months have demonstrated, once again, that these programs are underfunded. They fail to meet the existing needs across the country. A few examples. This amendment would cut Head Start by $2.4 billion. That leads to tens of thousands of children losing access to high- quality early learning programs. It cuts the Child Care and Development Block Grant by $1.5 billion, at a time when parents want to return to work, but there is no one available to care for their children. It cuts the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. It is a bipartisan priority, but it cuts it by $780 million. It cuts senior nutrition, including Meals on Wheels, resulting in 25 million fewer home-delivered or prepackaged meals for low-income seniors. It cuts biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health. It is a reduction of 10,000 new grants for potentially lifesaving research. It cuts $2 billion from mental health and substance use disorder. CDC data shows that 93,000 deaths in 2020 were related to drug overdoses, the highest number ever. It cuts title I funding for low-income public schools, reducing needed resources for 25 million low-income students. It cuts special education grants to States by more than $3 billion. It reduces support for services for 7.6 million students with disabilities. It cuts Federal financial aid programs--the Pell grants, the FSEOG program, and work study--by $5.4 billion for students and families in need. It cuts funding for job training programs, resulting in fewer supports for Americans who are seeking better economic opportunities for themselves and their families. I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, the Hyde amendment is a discriminatory policy. For more than 45 years, it has been routinely extended every year as a legislative rider, but the time has come to reckon with the status quo, a status quo that denies health to the poor, in this case, disproportionately denying people of color health services available to those who can afford this choice. The inequities in our country's healthcare system have been exposed by COVID-19. Systemic racism makes itself felt here, and it is time we insist on equality for women, particularly women of color. However we feel about abortion, we shouldn't deny health coverage just because someone is working to make ends meet. When Medicaid covers the cost of pregnancy-related care, including abortion, it means someone can make a decision based on what is best for their circumstances. Thirty-three States and the District of Columbia deny State funding to women seeking access to abortion. As a result, millions of economically insecure women in these States are hostage to their geography. I work every day to advance the respect for life and dignity for every human being. I believe that government has a moral purpose, and I am committed to helping the poor and the disadvantaged, reducing the rising rates of poverty, taking seriously the decision to go to war. We cannot pick and choose among life issues. Increased access to education is a life issue. The COVID-19 vaccine is a life issue. The Affordable Care Act is a life issue. Medicaid expansion is a life issue. Separating children from their families is a life issue. Gun violence prevention research is a life issue. Food and nutrition assistance, housing and homelessness assistance, supporting background checks, addressing climate change are all life issues. The bills today all address these issues, all of which my colleagues on the other side of the aisle oppose. I am proud that the bill we consider today moves us forward, ensuring access to essential reproductive healthcare services. It protects women's health and empowers all women by eliminating these riders which for years have allowed certain politicians to insert themselves into a woman's most personal care decision. The decision to get an abortion should be made by a woman and her family in consultation with her doctor and in accordance with her own faith. The decision should not be made by people in this Chamber. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the chair of the Subcommittee on Defense.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar), a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Trone), a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier).

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, this amendment would cut Head Start, cut childcare, cut low-income home energy assistance, cut senior nutrition, cut biomedical research, cut mental health programs, cut title I for low-income public schools, cut special education, cut Federal financial aid programs like Pell grants and work-study programs, and cut funding for job training, and so much more. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 555, I offer amendments en bloc.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 45 seconds. Madam Speaker, the en bloc amendment includes a number of proposals offered by Members on both sides of the aisle. It includes amendments offered by both Democrats and Republicans and several offered jointly by Members of both parties on which the vast majority of this body can agree. Madam Speaker, I urge support for this bipartisan en bloc, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I misspoke earlier. This en bloc amendment includes a number of proposals offered by my Democratic colleagues, and it reflects our shared values of investing in the American people to create good paying jobs, grow opportunity, and provide a lifeline to the vulnerable; and I urge support. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).