Sheila Jackson Lee

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. I just rise to thank the gentleman from Texas for accepting this amendment. I think it shows that though we may have positions that differ on the underlying legislation, this is an initiative for transparency, and it will help explain to the American people. Let me also conclude by saying that it should be very clear that this funding is not used for health care, in particular, on personnel. But it is to build the structures that will provide and protect children to be able to have these clinics, more access to health care for communities, and a source and site to be able to protect people who are impacted by natural or manmade disaster. With that, I would ask my colleagues to support this legislation.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. And I am trying to reserve my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment. I appreciate very much my friend and colleague from Texas, and I believe that this is an amendment that Republicans and Democrats can join on, maybe for different reasons. I have indicated that I believe the repealing of the support for school-based health clinics and construction thereof is an unfortunate act on behalf of America's children. My amendment is very simple. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services to post public notice on its official Web site that the mandated funds from Section 410(1)(a) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including the amounts of the funds, will be rescinded. It explains to the American public just what we are doing and it gives them a line-by-line, dollar-by-dollar impact of what happens when they take money away that is already being invested, that will be invested, to help build a health care infrastructure in their neighborhood, so that children like this young man and many others who may not have access to health care can have a school-based clinic. The amendment will provide the public with important information about mandatory school-based health center funding that will no longer be available for them to receive these preventative care services. This amendment also assists my good friends on the other side of the aisle by permitting them to easily show the American public that they are cutting public spending. But yet we must weigh the balance--cutting spending, or alleging that you are going to benefit from these cut funds, and undermining the health care system of America. When the Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, and the President signed it into law, the Department of Health and Human Services was given a mandate to provide funding for expanded and sustained national health investment in school-based health center construction programs to improve clinical preventive services and help restrain the growth in private and public health costs. Nearly every State has school-based health centers. There are about 2,000. It provides mandatory funds for building and improving school-based health centers. There are now 350 applications for 46 States with shovel-ready projects. It couldn't be all bad. If H.R. 1214 is passed, it will kill those funds. It will repeal it. And yet this particular amendment will point out Sophie's choices--not really good choices--to take away from our children good health care under the pretense of cutting the deficit. The majority of the funding that is being cut by my friends is from discretionary services, few dollars that represent only a small portion of the Nation's budget, appropriations, and deficit. And so I ask that we support this amendment because truth is in the pudding. Let's see what they're doing and how you can get good health care and cut school-based clinics. Let me quickly say this. We're trying to make sure that we have places in neighborhoods for people to evacuate to--schools that are secure enough and strong enough that you could run or you could evacuate or you could be safe in place. School-based clinics, health clinics, provide places to take the wounded from a hurricane or tornado or a disaster unforeseen--or a manmade disaster. So I would ask my colleagues to vote for this amendment, to support this amendment, because it shows the light of what we should and should not be doing. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Let me make the point that in earlier debate today, the Chair allowed me to reserve, and so I take issue with the ruling. And what is the basis of the ruling?

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Can I have an explanation as to why I was allowed to do so previously?

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Let me just indicate that school-based clinics represent a source of homeland security, and in fact what we will find is we will stop States in their tracks for trying to provide the kind of health care not only for the children going to school every day to be able to protect them, but also in a long-range effort. Does anyone remember H1N1? I do, because I went to my schools where there was an epidemic of H1N1. And we had it all across the Nation. We were panicked. I will tell you that school-based clinics can be a source of relief for children either coming to school with infections or some devastation coming about. I would ask my colleagues to support this very simple amendment which gives to the American public the reason why we shouldn't cut these funds. Cutting funds, killing health care. Cutting funds, killing health care. Support this very thoughtful amendment that provides you with the reason for us being able to support school-based health clinics, for homeland security, for the ability to evacuate and be secure in times of disaster and, yes, to take care of the millions of children and respond to the States that are not Democratic or Republican who have 350 applications on the record. I ask my colleagues to support the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I would first like to state my clear position that I am adamantly opposed to H.R. 1214 and its repeal of the important mandatory funding for School-Based Health Center Construction Prevention and Public Health Fund created under the Affordable Care Act. The funding saves lives and saves money. If H.R. 1214 to repeal mandatory funding for School-Based Health Center Construction provided under Section 4101(a) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is enacted into law: what my amendment does Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to post public notice on its official web site that the Mandated Funds from Section 4101(a) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act including the amount of the funds that will be rescinded. This Amendment will provide the public with important information about Mandatory School-Based Health Center Funding that will no longer be available for them to receive necessary preventive health care services. This Amendment also assists my Republican Colleagues by permitting them to easily show the American Public that they are cutting government spending, by how much they are cutting spending, and where they are cutting government spending. So I expect that my Republican Colleagues will fully support this Amendment. Purpose of the Mandatory Funding for School-Based Health Center Construction Prevention and Public Health Fund Created under the Affordable Care Act. (Section 4101 of the Affordable Care Act) When Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and the President signed it into law, the Department of Health of Human Services was given the mandate to provide funding for expanded and sustained national health investment in School-based Health Center construction programs to improve access to Clinical Preventive Services and help restrain the growth in private and public health costs. This was already a cost cutting measure. Nearly every State has School-based health centers (there are about 2,000 of these) Provides mandatory funds for building and improving school-based health centers. There are 350 Applications for 46 States with shovel--ready projects. If H.R. 1214 is passed it will repeal these funds and kill jobs. According to the Texas Department of Health Services there are approximately 8 to 10 people employed at the 85 existing health centers. More than 20 of these health centers are currently in Houston. A study conducted by John Hopkins University found that school-based health centers reduced inappropriate emergency room use among regular users or school-based health centers A national multi-site study conducted by Mathmatica Policy Research Institute found a significant increase in health care access by students who used school-based health centers: 71 percent of students reported having a health care visit in past year compared to 59 percent of students who did not have access to a school-based health center. This program has been attributed to a reduction in Medicaid expenditures related to inpatient, drug and emergency department use to use of school-based health centers.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. So to my parliamentary inquiry, the answer is that we're under the 5-minute rule?

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to have the opportunity to be on the floor for such an important issue and joined by my colleagues. I am holding the time until the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Richmond) arrives. But let me just indicate that this is an enormous crisis when nine of our soldiers are killed in the way that they were killed in Afghanistan. And for many of us who are concerned about the continuing conflict and the next steps, it is important to be able to offer our sympathy to their families and, as well, to be able to ask for an investigation as to the basis of their loss. So it is important tonight that we educate our colleagues about the challenges that those brave soldiers faced, the conditions under which they lost their lives, and to say to their families that we will not rest until we have the opportunity to secure all of the facts and to be able to establish a reaction or a basis on seeking a response from the Afghan Government and certainly from those who are in supervision of the Armed Forces in the region, in the theater. With that in mind, as we offer our sympathy and express our desire for a full understanding and story as to what happened, Mr. Chairman, let me just say I look forward to a full airing of this unfortunate circumstance, and I hope that we will continue to seek information for these families and on behalf of these brave soldiers. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. I thank the gentleman for his correction. My point would be, is it not okay then for your patients to use the health savings account but also okay for those who still may not have the resources to go into an exchange? Aren't we trying to do the same thing, which is to make sure everyone of all means available can in fact have insurance?

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Will the gentleman yield?

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, for those of us who were here on 9/11 in this humble place and saw the building smoke, we know what today and the last 24 hours have meant. Thank you to the Navy SEALs for their bravery, for their strategic genius, for providing a safety net to bring them all out, to make sure that the women and children were protected. Thank you to President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, the continuing chain of those who experienced terrorism who worked together. Thank you, President Obama. And, again, to the families of the victims, no one knows the story, those who were victims whose family members died at the USS Cole or in Africa or on 9/11 or in 1993. So I ask us not to move forward in this country as Democrats or Republicans but as Americans, not as conservative radio talk show listeners who seemingly cannot find a glistening of hope. But come together as Americans. Osama bin Laden is dead, and we have the opportunity to thank the Navy SEALs and the United States military. And we have the ability to move forward as Americans, to move forward for peace and democracy and to be able to thank those who have laid down their lives, who sacrifice so that our flag can fly and justice can prevail in our Nation and around the world.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, over the last 48 hours, this House engaged in its constitutional right of creating a pathway for revenue for the United States of America. Sadly, we ended just a few minutes ago on a Republican budget that cannot claim that it will, in essence, reduce the deficit or create a surplus in any given year. I am delighted to have supported the Democratic budget that reduces the deficit and reaches a primary balance by 2018. But more importantly, I think I am very delighted that the American people will see a heart in this budget: that we will not destroy Medicare; that we will not burden on seniors the extra $12,000 that seniors will have to pay--that is right, $12,000--in the Medicare program under the Republican plan; and that young people will not be prevented at the doors of colleges from going to school, and that Head Start will end and Medicaid for the disabled and seniors will end. I do have faith in this country, and I believe we will get a budget that is both merciful and balanced the right way for the American people, not the wrong way. Today, unfortunately, we made a wrong step, but I believe together we will make it right.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Chair, Congressman Paul Ryan's budget goes beyond what is necessary to restore fiscal solvency. It unfairly targets our nation's low income communities and senior citizens, while protecting the interests of the wealthiest Americans. My colleague's budget, which has been embraced by his party returns to the ``trickle down'' economics that contributed to the recent recession by cutting the tax rate for the wealthiest individuals and corporations from 35 to 25%. This ten percent decrease represents $800 billion dollars in new tax cuts for the wealthiest among us at a time when so many are struggling. The $800 billion in tax cuts represents $115 billion dollars cut from healthcare, $119 billion from income security, $223 billion from education, job training and social services, and $276 billion dollars in cuts to transportation initiatives that provide jobs. There is absolutely no justification for these huge tax cuts. The wealthiest tax brackets should not profit at the expense of programs keeping struggling families from poverty. The Economic Policy Institute states that ``A study just released by the Heritage Center for Data Analysis projects that The Path to Prosperity [Republican Budget Plan] will help create nearly one million new private-sector jobs next year, bring the unemployment rate down to 4% by 2015, and result in 2.5 million additional private-sector jobs in the last year of the decade.'' This is an overwhelmingly presumptuous estimation. Unemployment fell to 4% for only one relatively brief episode in recent memory, and that was after nearly a decade of strong economic growth. So the Heritage Center's claim is very bold. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the unemployment rate will be 5.9% in 2015. The Heritage Center's forecasts for the Ryan plan are even bolder in the out years: It predicts unemployment will fall to an unprecedented 2.8% by 2021. Simply put, this is incredible and wholly unrealistic. The Economic Policy Institute calls ``the Ryan budget a job killer,'' and goes on to say, ``The chances that this plan would drive the U.S. economy to 2.8% unemployment are near zero, but the chances of it repeating the mistakes of the Bush tax cuts and driving the economy into a ditch are very real.'' The Republican's 2012 budget cuts $2 trillion dollars more than President Obama's Debt Commission advised, and those cuts come from vital social services and safety nets for low income families, children and seniors. Since 1965, Americans have relied on the Federal government to provide healthcare security. The changes and cuts to Medicare proposed in this budget deeply threaten the security of our senior citizens. The proposed repeal of guaranteed eligibility means that Americans who are 54 years old today will not be guaranteed to receive Medicare when they turn 65. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that these changes to Medicare will triple the cost for new beneficiaries by 2030 and increase costs for current recipients, including the 2.9 million people in Texas who received Medicare in 2010. The Republican proposal will enact damaging changes to Medicaid, threatening healthcare resources for the 60 million people, half of them children that rely on this program to stay healthy. A block grant for funding or a cap on federal Medicaid spending would increase the cost for states and the low income families who benefit from the program. Harris County has one of the highest Medicaid enrollment records in Texas. Limits and cuts to Medicaid funds would significantly hurt the citizens of Texas's 18th District. Harris County averages between 500,000 and 600,000 Medicaid recipients monthly, thousands of people who may not have access to healthcare under this budget. Changes to Medicaid advocated by Republicans would be devastating to senior citizens who rely on the Medicaid safety net for long term care and nursing home costs not covered by Medicare. The AARP estimates cutting this safety net would put 54,000 Texas nursing home residents in jeopardy. The Majority party's budget cuts do not just impact those who rely on Medicaid and Medicare; they also prevent 32 million Americans from obtaining health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. By inserting a repeal of this historic legislation into a budget, Republicans threaten millions seeking insurance, including the 6.2 million Texans who do not have health care coverage. Underserved and low income Americans will see deep cuts to the programs that keep them safe and healthy, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food assistance to 44.3 million people, would be transferred to a block grant under the Republican plan. Shifting the cost to the states would force them to cut benefits to current recipients or create a waiting list of families that can't afford food on their own. This would certainly harm the 554,000 people in Harris County receiving SNAP benefits in December of 2010. This legislation would cut Federal housing aid, and impose unfair work or job training requirements that give no consideration to job market diversity or extenuating circumstances. It will also deeply reduce the LIHEAP contingency fund will affect the 500,000 low income households in Houston that were receiving heating and energy discounts last year. Republicans may be willing to pass a budget that reduces Pell Grants by 60%. They may be comfortable eliminating $75 million dollars to provide housing and other services to homeless veterans, but I cannot support a budget that leaves so many Americans behind. In order to move America forward, we must give all citizens equal opportunity for success. We must invest in future generations by funding education and job training programs, not cutting this funding by $250 billion dollars. We need to invest in clean energy, and environmentally sound technology that will foster job growth, and continue to improve our infrastructure.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. My heart pains me for this day and this budget for America. Some of us might feel as the President does, that it's a question of whether or not we are saying to the American people that they are not understanding, or that we who are fighting simply are stupid. It's a time when you want to reflect on how great a country we live in, and it hurts my heart when I see individuals putting on the floor of the House a budget that unfairly targets low-income communities and senior citizens while protecting the wealthiest Americans, Americans who I care about, and simply eliminating any sense of responsibility for working and middle class Americans. The people's budget saves Medicare. Those are working Americans. Those are Americans that are middle class. And then, of course, what about our disabled persons? Do you think that they are only classified as low-income? These are individuals who become seniors or disabled who need to have the kind of sacrifice. Look what happens. The people's budget protects those who cannot protect themselves. Finally, I ask the individuals, is there any shared sacrifice that you can see in the Republican budget. The Republican budget fails to help all those who are in need? This is a good budget. Support the people's budget. Recommendation from CPC: Every Member mentions the first talking point below re: deficits. Then Members can address the remaining TPs below, as they feel comfortable. Deficit: Our Budget Eliminates the Deficit by 2021. We eliminate the deficit by 2021. Instead of eroding America's hard- earned retirement plan and social safety net, our budget targets the true drivers of deficits in the next decade: the Bush Tax Cuts, the wars overseas, and the causes and effects of the recent recession. Jobs: Our Budget Puts America Back to Work & Restores America's Competitiveness. We rebuild America and make it competitive again. We make smart investments. We put America back to work. You can't grow the economy by slashing programs. Our plan will spark new job growth, improve education, accelerate clean energy development and modernize the nation's infrastructure. Taxes: Our Budget Implements a Fair Tax System. We ask the richest and most fortunate Americans to contribute more. We stop giving handouts and huge tax giveaways to corporate special interests. The ``People's Budget'' implements a fair tax system, based on the notion that fairness and equality are integral to our society. Our budget restores fairness to a system that unfairly benefits a few while hurting the majority of Americans. Defense: Our Budget Brings Our Troops Home. We bring the troops back home. We ensure that our country's defense spending does not continue to contribute significantly to our current fiscal burden. It's time to stop bankrupting the country fighting unwinnable wars. We end these wars not simply to save massive amounts of money or because the majority of Americans favors it, but because these wars are making America less safe, reduce our standing in the world, and do nothing to reduce America's burgeoning energy security crisis. Health: Our Budget Keeps Americans Healthy. We allow real competition in health care. We will never see health care costs decrease until the government can compete and use its bargaining power to strike a better deal for Americans.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, unlike the gentleman from Wisconsin who just doesn't know what to do and seems to be confused on his side of the aisle as to what his budget is all about, I will say that I am getting unconfused because his budget is a destruction of the fabric and the way of life of all Americans. Do you want to know what the Republican budget does? It cuts food assistance for struggling families; it takes away affordable health care coverage for working families; and, of course, it dismantles the health care safety net. But also, it deals with the education of our children. As the cochair and founder of the Congressional Children's Caucus, let me show you what happens when we don't educate our children. We can see the numbers of individuals who are unemployed who have not had a high school degree. Our friends and the Republican budget are going to cut education, and they're going to wind up with increasing unemployment because you can see that less of our Americans are being able to go to college, and, therefore, without college, without a high school education, we just undermine a growing child's opportunity. Let me tell you what else we do. We go from children to their grandparents. I remember standing on the floor of this House trying to prevent the doughnut hole from coming about, but Republicans again established a doughnut hole that millions of seniors have fallen through. In fact, the Republican budget causes seniors to pay some $12,000 on their Medicare. Listen to me clearly, seniors, you will be paying an extra $12,000 with the Republican budget plan. And of course we will open up the doughnut hole again, the very doughnut hole that has been taken care of by the Affordable Care Act. On the other hand, the Democratic budget balances the budget, and of course it recognizes the value of a shared sacrifice. I just visited Texas soldiers, National Guard. They understand about shared sacrifice; they support each other. But this is a suicidal budget. It has no shared sacrifice, and all of the cuts come from the most vulnerable. The Republican plan is all about turning back the clock and throwing the poor people over the bridge. That is what it's all about. It is a disgrace. Vote for the Democratic Budget. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the Republican Budget for Fiscal Year 2012 and beyond. Unlike the proposed Democratic Budget, the Republican Budget purports to reduce our nation's deficit by making disturbingly deep cuts to important programs and will have an adverse affect on our nation's families, children, and the health of women. The Republican Budget: Guts Food Assistance for Struggling Families. The budget resolution calls for $127 billion in cuts to SNAP (formerly called food stamps) in a six-year period (2015 through 2021). This proposal to block-grant and reduce funding represents a cut of 25 percent in food benefits for some of the most vulnerable Americans. States will be forced to cut benefits to some households or create waiting lists for needy families. Takes Away Affordable Health Coverage for Millions of Working Families. The majority's budget resolution calls for $1.4 trillion in savings from repealing coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which Congress enacted a year ago to hold insurance companies accountable and extend health coverage to more than 30 million Americans who would otherwise be uninsured. This would mean repealing $777 billion in tax credits to help low- and middle-income families afford health insurance coverage. Dismantles Health Care Safety Net for Vulnerable Populations. The majority's budget devastates health security for 28 million poor children, 5 million seniors, and 10 million disabled individuals who rely on Medicaid for a basic safety net of health care. To protect tax cuts for the wealthy, the budget includes the absurd idea to dismantle the Medicaid program and to let the chips fall where they may, no matter who might get hurt. The real hard choices are left to others: state governors, who will decide which populations or health services to drop; health care providers, whose Medicaid payments might get cut so low they will have to decide whether they can afford to continue providing services to Medicaid beneficiaries; low-income families, who may have to decide between buying groceries and taking a sick child to a doctor; and adults with aging parents, who may have to decide between sending a child to college or paying for their parents' long-term care. The Democratic Budget: Democratic budget reduces the deficit responsibly, reaches primary balance by 2018. The Democratic budget reduces the deficit by $1.2 trillion more than the President's budget over ten years. Includes Pell grant and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) initiatives. The Democratic budget includes two mandatory initiatives that are fully paid for with spending reductions. First, it includes the President's proposed mandatory funding to sustain the maximum Pell grant award at $5,550, in contrast to the Republican budget, which cuts Pell grant funding substantially. The Democratic Budget protects Medicaid and the Medicare guarantee for seniors. The Democratic budget protects Medicare's guarantee of health care coverage for seniors and disabled workers. It also preserves the existing structure of Medicaid that provides a health care safety net for vulnerable children, families, seniors, and persons with disabilities. In contrast, the Republican budget dismantles Medicaid and ends Medicare by converting it into an inadequate voucher for the purchase of private insurance. I would urge all Members of Congress to oppose the Republican Budget and instead support the Democratic Budget to responsibly cut spending and give America's families, women and children a chance.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman from Utah for yielding to the CBC. The CBC budget saves $325 billion in interest over 10 years which the Republican budget does not. I am glad to stand here and talk about ports and public transit, but I am even more glad to talk about the $5 billion that goes into general sciences, space and technology, and the $5 billion for community development. The reason I want to say that is for all of the tax cuts to the wealthy, $800 billion, the CBC budget understands that they can invest in health, income security, education, and transportation. In addition, may I say to you that this is the face of what we are trying to fight for: a hardworking nurse and a beautiful child. This is what America is all about. And I would just say to my good friends, the CBC budget does not engage in slash-onomics. It does not engage in losing jobs, jobs, jobs. We create jobs through community block grants, through space, science, and technology, through transportation. And all the bill for the Republicans will do to America is slash jobs; slash- onomics. Vote for the CBC budget. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the Congressional Black Caucus Alternative Budget for Fiscal Year 2012. The CBC Alternative Budget provides a far superior alternative to the Republican Budget in general and especially in the areas of job creating area of transportation and infrastructure.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1217, which would repeal the provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (``Affordable Care Act'') that established the Prevention and Public Health Fund, a fund which serves as a great stride toward turning our ``sick-care'' system, where we focus on treating the injured and ill, into a true ``healthcare'' system that puts focus on keeping the population well. It is because of all that the Prevention and Public Heath Fund accomplished in its first year, the overwhelming support the Fund has received from hundreds of organizations, and how essential prevention is to reducing the overall cost of healthcare for the American people, that I oppose the repeal of this Fund. Despite my general opposition to this bill, yesterday in the Rules Committee meeting, I offered amendments to H.R. 1217, in order to remind this chamber and emphasize to the American people the importance and benefits of preventative care for the American public. My amendments reaffirm to the American people that we as lawmakers understand the importance of preventative care by stating that it is the sense of Congress that prevention of disease and injury is overwhelmingly effective in improving our healthcare system and keeping that system affordable. Furthermore, preventative health care is an effective means for detecting and treating illnesses before they become serious and life threatening. My amendments also make us as lawmakers accountable to the American people who have been and would be benefitting from the services and support provided through this fund. It gives notice to the public, through the Department of Health and Human Services' website, of the rescission of funds and the amount rescinded, increasing government's accountability. I think most of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle would agree with me, as evidenced by the intense debate at the end of last week, when I say that we must address our nation's spending and growing deficit. However, it is of great concern to me that my friends on the other side of the aisle are attempting to do so by cutting cost-saving programs that are also essential to the health and wellbeing of Americans. This attempt, through H.R. 1217, to defund this essential program which was created under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is of particular concern. Today's youth may be the first generation to live shorter and less healthy lives than that of their parents, and this is largely due to increased rates of diseases and conditions which are preventable with proper and consistent healthcare. 75% of our country's healthcare costs are attributed to treatment of chronic diseases, most of which are preventable. However, less than 5% of our healthcare spending goes towards preventing these diseases. Loss of productivity in the workforce attributed to chronic disease is estimated to cost the United States over $1 trillion each year. With that being said, the 111th Congress, with the intent of seeing these grim statistics changes, appropriated $16.5 billion to be used, over the next ten years to support preventative care and research. Since its establishment the Fund has already begun to strengthen the infrastructure of our healthcare system on the state and national level. The Prevention and Public Health fund, though it has only been in existence for one year, has already been used for: Programs to promote tobacco control and implement tobacco cessation services and campaigns; Obesity prevention which directly decreases risk for Diabetes; Improving nutrition and access to fresh fruits and vegetables; Increasing opportunities for recreational and physical activity; HIV prevention; Support of clinical and community-based disease prevention; and Bolstering the health workforce by increasing health care personnel. Money towards finding health solutions, rather than treating health problems, comes back to society in terms of increasing productivity, creating jobs, and reducing Medicare, Medicaid, and overall healthcare costs. With just a $10 per person investment towards improving community based activity, nutrition, and other preventative measures would create a return of $56 per person within only 5 years. That translates to a savings of $5.60 for every $1 invested in preventative health care. Most importantly, cost benefits extend beyond government to both American businesses and families; providing savings and an improved quality of life. As a result of the Prevention and Public Health Fund, Texas received $6 million last year that went towards creating committees, testing facilities, laboratories, and training centers which brought over $2 million to the health prevention capacity of Houston alone. Congress must maintain that the prevention of illness, the saving of lives, and the securing of a healthy public are top priorities, and that prevention is an undeniably effective means to achieve these ends. My amendments will do just that. The total loss of $16 billion of funding for prevention efforts, an effective total eradication of our country's prevention program, will be unfortunate, and thus I urge my colleagues not to lose sight of importance of the Prevention and Public Health Fund's accomplishments and goals. Including: The improvement of state and local health departments, giving them the capacity to respond to infections, natural disasters, and terrorist threats; Creating a strong and healthy workforce that will be competitive in the global market; and Saving families, businesses, and the government money, opposed to simply cutting costs. While I do not support what H.R. 1217 purports to do, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of these essential changes to H.R. 1217 to acknowledge the need for preventative care and hold ourselves accountable for what would most certainly be a great loss to the public.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Let me thank the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey and let me thank the chairman of the committee as well. Madam Chairwoman, we just have a disagreement. I would venture to say that the bulk of sick people in America and others who every day struggle to maintain their health so they can provide for their families would vigorously disagree as well. I think there are two points that I would like to make, and that is that what we lose when we repeal this Affordable Care Act and the funding of it is more than the glory that we get from going home and bragging that we have undermined America's health care system, or some would say that we have taken away ObamaCare. Preventative care is an unbelievable plus that this bill has generated. I went to one of my emergency centers, a new one, that is crafted under the public health system. It is to take the load off the emergency centers, the emergency centers that ambulances go to. What an amazing sight, of people coming with broken toes and fingers and feet and bruises, maybe the beginning of heart disease and other problems. But it was a lower level emergency room, not particularly preventative care but the kind of intervention that can save millions of dollars. I want to go even lower than that--and I don't use that terminology-- but I want people to be able to go and check on their cholesterol, check on their high blood pressure, understand whether they have sickle cell, understand what stage of diabetes they are in or understand what stage of heart disease they are in in a preventative care cycle. And everyone knows that economists document how many billions of dollar that will save. How can we vote against that? And then secondarily, there are two elements that the Affordable Care Act provides that is being repealed; research and training for health professionals that we absolutely need--whether you're in the private care system or not--and then of course protecting our most precious resource, and that is our children. If you can raise a child in a healthy manner in terms of nutrition, in terms of immunization, in terms of regular doctor visits, then you are able to save billions of dollars. This is wrong, headed in a wrong direction. Many of us are fasting. I said on this floor, we must pray because this is the wrong direction to go.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Chair, I know sometimes in the rush of legislating, many Members are faced with any number of challenges in understanding legislation, but I do know that the majority has come with their own roadmap. And I do want to respect the different viewpoints, and I don't say this in any way to malign. First of all, I'm grateful that this amendment was made in order, but I wish it wasn't because I understand that all legislation that passes needs to have in fact--or often has those who agree with it and those who do not. And that's fair enough. And the process that we usually use to handle that is to amend, not repeal. There are some sections here that I have looked at and have concern with. And many have heard me on the floor of the House discussing a number of issues regarding my local hospitals. But I will say to you that the repeal of this bill is putting us on the road to ruin. And my amendment is simple. It asks the HHS to place on its Web site the moneys rescinded so that the American people can see. For some it may be to see the great success of taking away money. For others, it may be to see what has happened to the resources that they need to take care of themselves. Very quickly, this amendment requires for fiscal years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 to list the amount of money that is being taken away from good health care. But, Madam Chair, it will also hopefully point people to what they're losing. For example, look at this beautiful baby here. We will not have, under the repeal of this Affordable Care Act, the bounty of preventative care. For those with chronic diseases, Americans who are subject to chronic disease such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes, their only care will be the emergency room, high-priced emergency room when they're in a diabetic coma or they're in a stroke or they have a heart attack, rather than be able to go to their doctors. But we start early on with this little baby being able to go to wellness clinics or to their community health clinics. That's what the money that is being rescinded is going to do to you. In addition, you will find that chronic diseases resulted in $75.3 billion loss in productivity in the State of Texas alone. This is going to be across America. The rescissions will also impact all of the States. I have a list of almost 50 States that have begun to receive dollars from the Affordable Care Act--from Alabama, to Alaska, to Pennsylvania, to Massachusetts, to Michigan, to Rhode Island, and South Carolina, and Tennessee, and Texas. All of the States that my good friends come from, they are receiving money right now. In addition to this issue of taking away money, Prevention for Healthy America concluded that investing $10 per person per year in proven community-based programs that increased physical activity, for example, improved nutrition, and prevents smoking and other tobacco could save the country more than $16 billion annually within 5 years. When you see how much money was taken away, just realize that you multiply that. If it's a total of $16 billion, you're going to lose $16 billion a year because there will not be any wellness program. Community and clinical prevention, which is about $2 million. And so you will take away money from HIV prevention, and that is a very costly proposal. You'll take away from public health infrastructure; you'll take away from primary care residential expansion programs training residents and doctors. You'll take away from other medical assistance programs, expansion of physician assistant training. You'll take away from public health departments where they link people to needed health care. You'll take away childhood and adult immunizations and protecting the water we drink and the food we eat. Let me just say to you that my amendment is to shine the light on what will be happening to the health care of Americans. I want my colleagues to tell their constituents, not those that are already focused on negative aspects of what we're trying to do here, but those who are just simply hardworking mothers and fathers who are trying to make a living and who need this health care. Madam Chair, I would first like to state my clear position that I am adamantly opposed to H.R. 1217 and its repeal of the important Prevention and Public Health Fund created under the Affordable Care Act. The Fund saves lives and saves money. If H.R. 1217 to repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund provided under section 4002 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is enacted into law: What my amendment does is: Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to post public notice on its official website of the Unobligated Funds from section 4002 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act including the amount of the funds that will be rescinded. This amendment will provide the public with important information about Preventive Health Care funding that will no longer be available for them to receive necessary preventive health care services. This amendment also assists my Republican colleagues by permitting them to easily show the American public that they are cutting government spending, by how much they are cutting spending, and where they are cutting government spending. So I expect that my Republican colleagues will fully support this amendment. Purpose of the Prevention and Public Health Fund (Section 4002 of the Affordable Care Act) When Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and the President signed it into law, the Department of Health of Human Services was given the power to administer the program to provide for expanded and sustained national health investment in prevention and public health programs to improve public health programs and help restrain the growth in private and public health costs. This was already a cost cutting measure. Nearly 11.7 million cases of seven common chronic diseases--cancers, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, mental disorders, and pulmonary conditions--were reported in Texas in 2003. The cost of treating those with chronic disease in Texas totaled about $17.2 billion. Chronic diseases resulted in $75.3 billion in lost productivity and economic costs to Texas. A new focus on prevention will offer Texas and the rest of our nation the opportunity to not only improve the health of Americans, but also control health care spending. A report from Trust for America's Health entitled Prevention for a Healthier America concluded that investing $10 per person per year in proven community-based programs that increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking and other tobacco use could save the country more than $16 billion annually within 5 years. This is a return of $5.60 for every $1 spent on preventive health care. How the Fund Improves Wellness and Prevention for Texans Since enactment of the Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services has awarded approximately $17.63 million in grants to organizations in Texas through the Prevention and Public Health Fund to help improve wellness and prevention efforts, including: Community and Clinical Prevention ($2,956,000): This funding supports prevention activities that have been shown to be effective in reducing health care costs and promoting health and wellness. Primary and Behavioral Health Integration ($495,000). Assists communities with the integration of primary care services into community-based mental & behavioral health settings. HIV Prevention ($2,359,000). Focuses on HIV prevention in high risk populations and communities by increasing HIV testing opportunities, linking HIV-infected persons with appropriate services, and filling critical gaps in data and understanding of the HIV epidemic. Tobacco Cessation ($102,000). Strengthens Texas's ability to move towards implementing a plan to reduce tobacco use. It also enhances and expands the national network of tobacco cessation quitlines to significantly increase the number of tobacco users who quit each year. Public Health Infrastructure ($2,084,000): These grants strengthen state and local capacity to prepare health departments to meet 21st century public health challenges and support the training of existing and next generation public health professionals. Public Health Infrastructure ($800,000). Supports state, local, and tribal public health infrastructure to improve information technology, workforce training, and policy development. Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity ($634,000). Builds state and local capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. Public Health Training Centers ($650,000). Improve the public health system by enhancing skills of the current and future public health workforce. Primary Care Training ($12,586,000): These funds support the expansion of the primary care workforce. Primary Care Residency Expansion Program ($7,680,000). Increases the number of residents trained in family medicine, general internal medicine, and general pediatrics. Advanced Nursing Education Expansion Program ($1,426,000). Increases the number of primary care nurse practitioners and nurse midwives who graduate by expanding class sizes and accelerating graduation rates for part-time students. Expansion of Physician Assistant Training ($1,980,000). Improves access to primary care by funding the training of primary care physician assistants and expanding the primary care workforce. Nurse-Managed Health Clinics ($1,500,000). Provide primary care and wellness services to underserved and vulnerable populations through clinics that are managed by advanced practice nurses and provide valuable clinical training sites for primary care nurse practitioners. If the Prevention and Public Health Fund is cut and its Unobligated Funds Rescinded our health care costs will soar and the results will be catastrophic. The Fund saves lives and saves money. if the funds are rescinded America's local health departments need the Prevention and Public Health Fund to help prevent diseases and protect health in ways that health insurance companies or medical care providers cannot. Local health departments: Link people who need healthcare with ways to get it. Detect and stop outbreaks of disease. Help people make healthier choices in diet, exercise, and tobacco use to prevent and reduce chronic disease. Provide childhood and adult immunizations. Protect the water we drink and the food we eat. Help new parents give babies a healthy start at home. Inspect schools and day care centers for health and safety. Conduct screenings for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, childhood lead poisoning, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases. The Prevention and Public Health Fund is critically needed to stabilize the ability of local health departments to protect their communities from health threats and help individuals and families lead productive and healthy lives. Please oppose this attempt by H.R. 1217 to eliminate funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund. A healthy future depends on it. If H.R. 1217 passes this Chamber and is enacted into law, it is important for the American People to have notice of the rescission of funds for the Prevention and Public Health Fund program. Since the Department of Health and Human Services administers the Fund, it is only appropriate that public notice be given on the official HHS website and include the amount of funds rescinded. In this way, the American public will know that the public funding they rely upon has been cancelled for preventive health care and the Transparency of Spending Cuts will be further promoted in a manner that my Republican Colleagues will also appreciate. I would urge all Members of Congress to support my amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Florida, and I carefully and enthusiastically associate myself with his response. We are all colleagues here. We call each other ``distinguished colleagues,'' and I call my good friend from North Carolina ``distinguished colleague,'' with whom I disagree with wide and well- versed opposition. First of all, as we approach a sacred holiday for many of us in this country, it is one of sacrifice, and as we move into the month of May, we begin to look at how mothers sacrifice to take care of their children and not themselves. Many of us during this time frame will be fasting because we find that this draconian road that our Republican friends are on, with the minutest and the smallest of a majority that voted in this low voting election in 2010, is frightening. We need prayer, and we need to fast because this is truly the road to ruin. I just hope that my colleagues who communicate to the American people will tell the truth. The budget, the repeal of the Prevention and Public Health, the CR, all of them are the road to ruin. Whether you agree with our President or not, he has it right: the country we can believe in. With regard to the CR, when you have The Washington Post or any newspaper saying that more than half of the $38 billion in cuts that are used in this CR for tomorrow are taken out of education, labor and health programs while those at the top 2 percent or 1 percent of the tax bracket keep going on and on--many of whom said we are willing to sacrifice, that we are willing to offer to be able to help this country--and then when they want to repeal the Prevention and Public Health bill so that the brunt of the people going in for medical care will be in the emergency rooms because they will not have had cholesterol checks or high blood pressure checks or checks for sickle cell or diabetes--they won't have any of that. They'll go into the emergency rooms, laying out in comas--that's what the repeal of this legislation is all about. The question you ask the Republicans is: What is the dream or the vision of America for them? It is a road to ruin, and the budget is an absurd ridiculousness that wants to cut Medicare and wants to cut Medicaid. In going back to the CR, how can you tell the District of Columbia citizens, who pay taxes, that they cannot take their own money and use it for the dictates of their elected body? How can you tell them that?

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. The gentleman is enormously kind. I sat and listened to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton who has lost a vote on this floor that she had, and the citizens of that community, the Mayor and the city council could do nothing but take to the streets to protest, How can you dictate what we do with our own dollars? And so over the next 48 hours, you will see the reason why many Americans are fasting, because they see that this country is going down the road of no return. And it hurts my heart to think that we're going to rescind $16 billion that can be used to make a healthier country, to make a country where children can have access to health care, where a little 10-year- old doesn't die because he has an abscess. I ask my colleagues to vote against all these rules and stop this from going down the road to ruin.