Rosa DeLauro

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, we face a humanitarian crisis at our southern border, and we face a crisis of care. Six children have died in U.S. custody in the last 9 months. In the 10 previous years, not one child died. These lost, scared, and vulnerable young people are so distraught in what the Miami Herald called ``prison-like facilities'' that they are self-harming. It breaks our heart, and it must steel our conviction for action tonight. And we have been acting. In the 2020 Labor-HHS appropriations bill, we strengthened protections for the unaccompanied children program. These include funding legal services, blocking the administration's memorandum of agreement that had HHS erroneously prioritizing immigration enforcement over care for kids and scaring sponsors from coming forward, and requiring the administration to abide by the protections that are guaranteed under the standards of care under the Flores Agreement. That is what we have done. This is what we are doing now. This emergency supplemental provides funding for the housing of children. It implements protections for them. It enacts mechanisms to ensure their safe and expeditious placement with sponsors. We provide legal services, child advocates, post-release services, additional Federal field specialists, and case management personnel to identify potential family sponsors and to discharge children to them as quickly as possible. The emergency supplemental provides the full amount of $2.9 billion requested by the administration--the full amount. These funds enable the Department to expand its network of shelters to care for children. So we do provide the funds. However, we do not provide a blank check, because a blank check could be license to continue the abuses that we uncovered. All of us were shocked and outraged last year at the administration's intentional family separation policy, adding to the number of children that HHS had to care for and doing so with no plan to reunify these families. The tragedy is some children will never be reunited with their families, and that is on this administration's watch. Along with these funds, this bill includes new and necessary protections. They redirect HHS to its core mission, which is to be caring for children, placing them in a safe environment with sponsors. This bill gives priority to small and medium-scale State licensed shelters wherever possible. And for the first time ever, it requires currently exempt influx facilities to meet the minimum standards of care required by the Flores settlement. If these grantees do not comply, their contracts are revoked. The bill limits the number of days children can spend at an influx shelter. A temporary facility should not become a near-permanent way station. The bill requires HHS to maintain the directives that have been successfully accelerating the placement of children. And, finally, the bill enhances transparency, provides adequate safeguards against the misuse of funds. It prohibits funds from being transferred outside of HHS. It does not give the Secretary discretion to decide which Flores protections should apply to influx shelters. And the bill requires HHS to report to the Congress within 24 hours if a child dies in HHS custody. Not one Member in this body would volunteer his or her child or grandchild to be detained in these facilities. Not one of us would choose to expose our youngsters to these conditions. So we must not allow any children to continue to suffer, nor can we miss the opportunity to help.

Ms. DeLAURO. President Franklin Roosevelt once said, quoting the poet, Dante: ``Divine justice weighs the sins of the cold-blooded and the sins of the warmhearted in different scales. Better the occasional faults of a government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a government frozen in the ice of its own indifference.'' We are not indifferent. We should not be indifferent tonight. Do not let us become frozen. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, let us pass this emergency supplemental bill because the lives of children are at stake, and we should not play fast and loose with those lives when we have the power to do something, to make a difference, and to protect these children and make sure they get to a safe haven and a safe landing.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor for H.R. 2407.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I had a family commitment and so I missed Roll Call vote number 324 regarding the ``Lesko Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 325 regarding the ``Jackson Lee Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 326 regarding the ``Jackson Lee Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 327 regarding the ``Gosar/Luetkemeyer Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 328 regarding the ``Grijalva Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 329 regarding the ``Gosar Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 330 regarding the ``Speier to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 331 ``Meadows Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 332 regarding the ``Lowey Amendments to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 333 regarding the ``Empowering Beneficiaries, Ensuring Access, and Strengthening Accountability Act of 2019, as amended.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 334 regarding the ``Grothman Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 335 regarding the ``Walker Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 336 regarding the ``Palmer Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 337 regarding the ``Arrington Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 338 regarding the ``Banks Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 339 regarding the ``Lowey Amendments to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 340 regarding the ``Allen Amendment to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.'' I missed Roll Call vote number 341 regarding the ``Visclosky Amendments to H.R. 2740.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes.''

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chair, I rise in support of this amendment. I would note that the underlying bill that we are considering today includes a $2 million increase for a total funding level of $45 million for colorectal cancer prevention activities at the CDC. Given the increasing rate of colorectal cancer among younger adults, I am pleased to support further expansion of CDC's efforts. As a survivor of ovarian cancer, I thank the gentlewoman for raising the issue of colorectal cancer and the importance of cancer screenings. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I know we will have a discussion here, Madam Chair, about where the dollars are coming from, but I would like to remind the gentleman from Maryland that, last evening, the minority voted overwhelmingly for a 14 percent cut across the board, which, in fact, would have cut the general departmental management by 14 percent, so I find this line of opposition to be somewhat disingenuous.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in support of his amendment. I commend the gentleman's efforts to highlight Lyme disease, which, unfortunately, has spread to many States due to climate change. The geographic area in which ticks can survive is increasing as milder winters result in fewer disease-carrying ticks dying during the winter. I am proud that our bill includes a $1 million increase, for a total funding level of $13 million for the CDC to intensify efforts to develop better diagnostics and to bolster critical prevention and surveillance networks. This amendment would provide an additional $1 million increase. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' I might also add that, last evening, the fiscal year 2020 House bill we spoke about provides $193 million for the Secretary of HHS' administrative budget. Yet, last night, Republicans, including my colleague, voted to cut that budget by 14 percent, which would have cut the Secretary's budget by $27 million. So the argument that is being made is a fantasy and really somewhat disingenuous.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in support of this amendment and the Project School Emergency Response to Violence, Project SERV, program. The program provides counseling and referral to mental health services, as well as other education-related services, to school districts, colleges, and universities in which the learning environment has been disrupted by a violent or traumatic crisis. To strengthen this critical program, the underlying bill increases the set-aside within the School Safety National Activities program by $5 million over the 2019 enacted level. I appreciate that the amendment is drawing attention to this important program, and I am happy to support it.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chairwoman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I rise in support of this amendment and of Comprehensive Literacy Development grants, which help States and school districts provide evidence-based literacy instruction for disadvantaged students from birth through grade 12. Literacy is a mark of a civilized society, and it is one of the most important predictors of a student's success. To further advance literacy skills for students across the country, the underlying bill provides $195 million for Comprehensive Literacy Development grants, a $5 million increase over the fiscal year 2019 enacted level. I might add that the Trump administration cut this program, literacy, and they also cut the innovative approaches to literacy, again, which we have increased by $2 million. It may mean that they don't understand that literacy is a mark of a civilized society. I appreciate that the amendment is drawing attention to the importance of this program, and I am happy to support it.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chair, I move that the committee do now rise.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of Congressman Pocan's amendment. The administration's decision to forgo promising research to develop treatments and cures for diseases such as HIV, ALS, and Parkinson's, once again, is putting extreme personal ideology ahead of public health. Researchers have used fetal tissue in research for decades to develop vaccines and cures for diseases such as polio and measles. The research has saved millions of lives. That is what we are about, saving lives. Research involving fetal tissue today is conducted subject to strict guidelines that have lasted through both Democratic and Republican administrations. This antiscience decision will stall medical research in its tracks, reduce hope for those suffering from debilitating diseases, and harm the ability of American scientists to continue to lead global efforts on biomedical research. The Trump administration has said that the Department of Health and Human Services conducted an audit and scientific review of fetal tissue research that led to this decision. Quite frankly, they refuse to make the results of that review available to the Congress. There is simply no scientific or ethical basis for the proposed restrictions on this vital research. It is misguided. It is a dangerous policy. It should be reversed. Madam Chair, I support the gentleman's amendment.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman from Paterson with one T. Madam Chair, I rise in support of this bipartisan amendment, and let me reiterate ``bipartisan amendment.'' This amendment provides $10 million for a new program at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for a newly authorized demonstration program for hospitals and emergency departments to develop, implement, or study alternatives to opioids for pain management. As our Nation continues to combat the opioid epidemic, this effort would provide the opportunity to study and develop best practice pain management strategies that involve nonaddictive medical products and other types of treatments provided in our emergency rooms. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan amendment.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, I rise to speak about the fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. To start, let me recognize the ranking member, Tom Cole, for his work on this bill. We have worked closely together over the years inasmuch as we have developed a mutual respect for one another. While we may have differences of opinions, we have the same values about the scope of these programs and whom they ought to be benefiting. I want to say thank you to the ranking member of the full committee, Congresswoman Granger. I believe we have put together very strong and serious resources in the Labor-H bill. I want to say a particular thank you to the chair of the full committee, Congresswoman Nita Lowey, for making the Labor-H bill a high priority. The Labor-HHS-Education bill supports some of the Nation's most critical programs. They touch individuals and families throughout their lifespan, from Early Head Start to the Social Security Administration. For 2020, the subcommittee is providing a total of $189.9 billion in discretionary funding. It is an increase of nearly $12 billion over last year's enacted levels. Our mission has been to advance a positive agenda, to look at issues where programs have been starved, and to reflect the oversight we have been conducting. I believe we have done so. To arrive at these figures, we hosted 12 hearings on the budget, predatory for-profit colleges, Federal student loan servicing, the unaccompanied children program, wage theft, and the administration's cost-increasing changes to the Affordable Care Act. We collected nearly 15,000 requests from Members, and we fulfilled, in part or in whole, more than 90 percent of them. With this input, we produced what I believe to be historic investments in working people, in students, in parents, in children, in families, and in our future. We make a historic $4 billion increase over last year for early childhood programs: $2.4 billion for the childcare and development block grant, equal to 300,000 new slots for childcare; $1.5 billion for Head Start; and $100 million for preschool development grants. We also increased funding for K-12 education by $3.4 billion, $1 billion more for title I, and $1 billion more for IDEA, State grants for special education. In post-secondary education, we make an additional investment of $928 million. We increase the maximum Pell grant award by $150. In health, we make a net increase of $2 billion in the National Institutes of Health, enabling a 5 percent increase for all institutes and centers. We also increased the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's budget by $938 million. We held the first appropriations hearing on gun violence prevention research in 20 years. Experts told us that the CDC and the NIH can do and must do this research, so we provide $50 million for gun violence prevention research. We are investing in women's health. That includes a $114 million increase for Title X. Title X provides annually more than 4 million low-income women and men with contraception counseling services and health screenings. These investments transform lives. We know this President is highly invested in continuing what we call a tax on women's health. We know the power of the White House and that the President will reject a repeal of the Hyde amendment. That is why this bill maintains current law with regard to the Hyde amendment. The Hyde amendment is a discriminatory policy that makes access to basic reproductive healthcare contingent on your income. That is simply wrong, and I oppose it, as do others. We will continue the long fight, and we will win that fight in the near term to ensure that women of color, low-income women, and all women are on equal footing with regard to reproductive rights. Finally, we invest in working people whose pay does not keep up with their rising costs. They struggle to deal with healthcare, prescription drugs, and childcare. We invest an additional $1.2 billion to help working people find good-paying jobs and to protect and empower them in the workplace. That includes $69 million more for at least 500 new investigators at the Wage and Hour Division to combat wage theft and to help working people receive their full pay. I am also proud of the new initiatives we are introducing. We provide $150 million for community colleges and other 4-year institutions to train working people for in-demand industries. For too long, working people and middle-class families have been shortchanged, and we are moving ambitiously to make sure that we provide every individual with a better chance at a better life.

Ms. DeLAURO. We are moving ambitiously to make sure that we provide every individual with a better chance at a better life because we believe that that is our obligation as Members of Congress. Once again, I want to say thank you to the ranking member, Mr. Cole; to the chair, Mrs. Lowey; to the ranking member of the full committee, Ms. Granger; and to all the subcommittee members who worked so hard in putting this effort together. And a thank you to the staff who have worked so hard: for the majority, Brad Allen, Jared Bass, Jennifer Cama, Robin Juliano, Jaclyn Kilroy, Laurie Mignone, Stephen Steigleder, and Philip Tizzani; and for the minority, Susan Ross and Kathryn Salmon.

Ms. DeLAURO. Will the gentleman yield?

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman and I have had these conversations, and I appreciate being able to speak with him. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson) for bringing attention to this critical issue. I proudly support increased access to Head Start for all children, which is why this bill provides an increase of $1.5 billion for this important program. Mr. Chairman, let me commit to working with the gentleman and the agency to get to the bottom of this issue that has impacted the children in his district and prevented access to high-quality early childhood education.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to the amendment.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, I strongly oppose my colleague's amendment that would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to use funding in this bill to implement the Trump-Pence refusal of care rule. Personal beliefs should never determine the type of healthcare an individual receives. However, the administration's rule would completely undermine patient protections by allowing hospitals, doctors, nurses, and other individuals and institutions to deny a patient standard medical care based on personal beliefs, not based on what is best for the patient. Current law already provides protections for hospitals and healthcare workers to refuse to perform abortions, but the administration's rule would expand Federal law to allow certain individuals and entities to refuse care for any reason at all. That is why we added a provision to the Labor-HHS-Education bill to block this unacceptable rule. Let's be clear: Freedom of religion is important. It is already protected by the First Amendment. However, this freedom does not give anyone the right to impose their religious beliefs on others, to hurt others, or to discriminate. This rule has never been about religious liberty. It has been about discriminating, shaming, and denying individuals the healthcare they need. Under this rule, we know women will be denied access to standard medical care. We know hospitals have refused to treat or refer an individual who needs an abortion. Under this rule, we know a transgender individual can be denied medical care. For women in rural communities, small towns, or in an emergency situation, the hospital or pharmacy that says ``no'' means these women will not get the care they need. In this bill, we have made investments to right these wrongs, yet this rule would completely undermine those efforts instead of addressing real areas of concern. The Trump-Pence administration is completely obsessed with allowing institutions and providers the license to put their religious doctrine before an individual's health. As stewards of taxpayer dollars, we cannot allow these dollars to be used to deny medical care because of religious beliefs, nor can we allow an individual to impose their religious beliefs on another individual. That could lead to tremendous harm, including deaths. Mr. Chair, I strongly oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, may I inquire how much time is remaining?

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Frankel).

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for his amendment. Researchers on the campuses of the National Institutes of Health conduct groundbreaking, lifesaving research on diseases and disorders that affect individuals and families across the Nation. These researchers need state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to conduct this research, which is why I was proud to provide an increase in funding for NIH facility maintenance and construction in fiscal year 2019 in the appropriations bill. This year's bill maintains that level of support and allows NIH to make progress in reducing its backlog of facilities projects. I share the gentleman's concern about this issue. I look forward to working with him in the future to address NIH's facility construction and maintenance needs.