e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e for e for e for for e h e e e for e e e for for e for e for for e e e e e e I call this meeting uh of the Appropriations Committee to order today we'll be marking up our remaining three bills for FY 2025 labor Health and Human Services and education transportation and Housing and Urban Development and agricultural rural development and the Food and Drug Administration we will also Mark up Revis 302b allocations uh these are very minor changes actually due to Court decisions on things excuse me like Contracting costs on Native American housing so don't really change much but we have to do that as with our previous markups it's my intention that we'll be here until we are finished however late that may be yesterday's markups went uh smoothly and efficiently and I want to thank all of you for that what we were able to accomplished I look forward to doing the same today and completing our markups for the 2025 fiscal year before I close and we move into the formal session I'm advised we have birthdays uh this is Mr neous's birthday but it's all we are very close to Miss Lee's and Miss mccullum's birthday as well so uh my I don't know if my Democratic colleagues know the Boehner Birthday song but if you don't you should probably learn it because it'll save you a lot of time uh so for my members I would ask you to all three of our distinguished colleagues to give them the Boehner Birthday song this is your birthday song it doesn't last too long hey so happy birthday birthday to our distinguished members uh our first order of business today is consideration of the labor Health and Human Services education and Rel agencies Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 I now recognize chairman aderhold to present the bill well good morning uh ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the markup for the fy2 labor Heth and Human Services uh subcommittee as you know um this subcommittee is responsible for writing the largest domestic funding bill with programs that touch the lives of every American and first I want to uh confront the criticisms of this bill uh we're going to be told as we move throughout the process today that the cuts in this bill are Draconian that they are excessive that they're harmful to workers to students to children to nation's Public Health uh um and I believe these statements couldn't be further from the truth the federal spending u in this country is out of control and while most of the growth in spending is mandatory and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the Appropriations Committee as members of Congress it remains our responsibility first and foremost to do what we can with the most powerful tools that are in our Arenal and that would be your Appropriations I do want to thank chairman Cole and taking a a fair fair and reasonable approach to this year's spending levels We are following the law the Democrats and Republicans agreed to last year and I know it's not a level that either would have picked for them by themselves but it Remains the law of the land and I respect the chair's decision to follow that the covid pandemic saw a drastic increase in Social spending Congress passed the cares act under President Trump's leadership to get our nation out of the biggest economic drop since the Great Depression this law was bipartisan and achieved its goals of giving every American the support they needed to get through some of the darkest times of our nation has faced in Generations however the second largest driver of social spending the American Rescue plan was rushed through Congress in a matter of weeks on a Partyline vote and it resulted in Skyrocket inflation it's now been more than two years and still the nation cannot achieve its 2% inflation Target and interest rates are some of the highest that we've seen since the financial crisis the nation's persistent level of 3% inflation which some would call an improvement only measures the growth in prices in a single year prices when taken together have increased 20 to 30% since the beginning of the administration we are uh we are plea we are pleased that inflation seems to be moderating its persistently high levels represent the single single largest tax shared by every single American a tax whose burden Falls most heavily on the low-income Americans the modest reduction in Social spending like those proposed by this committee for this bill represents meaningful progress in restoring physical sanity and fighting inflation we cannot continue to make our constituents pay for reckless DC Beltway spending we must stop the outof control spendings pre and simply at the end of the day the buck stops here you will hear some of our colleagues say the bill Cuts funding for American workers for schools and critical social infrastructure the bill does not reduce funding for job training programs um I I'm sorry the bill does reduce funding for job training programs the programs that have demonstrated no um help in participants finding work the bill does reain in uh divisive uh Mission Creep by public health agencies so that they can restore public trust by focusing on their core responsibilities of preparedness this bill does reduce funding for failing public schools that more and more parents are removing their children from attending Federal investment and public schools have failed to yield meaningful gains in the US student achievement despite annual increases to Title One funding and an unprecedented $190 billion investment during the pandemic student test scores continue to lag other industrial nation and a quarter of the children are chronically absent from schools altogether we cannot justify continue to throw money at the Department of Education that chooses to focus more on social indoctrination then on math and then on science these cuts are not Draconian these represent reprioritizing what is not working second I'm sure we'll hear that uh there there'll be so-called poison pills of writers that'll be in this bill um that represent extreme that it represents farri social policy agenda and let me be clear this bill does not do that either uh when did it become controversial to say that men should play in U girl Sports uh multiple polls have shown that the majority of American people oppose allowing male athletes to compete in women's sports remember it was not too long ago that Congress passed laws securing the fair access to Athletics for women so why are we overturning the right to a fair playing fi now common sense is not a cultural War putting the life of The Unborn on equal footing with every other person is not an attack on women women's rights and certainly we don't look at it from that perspective opponents will say that this bill attacks minority population and other underrepresented groups these uh the diversity Equity inclusion programs as they're called are not making uh equal opportunities for everyone instead many of these programs have turned into unaccountable attempts to provide unnecessary training and support meritless decision making the bill prohibits funding for the controversial ideological teaching of critical race Theory this radical view has no place in public schools schools should be teaching our students how to think not what to think this bill stops the endless stream of rules coming out of the administration that seeks to block consumer choice of to affordable health care services including unreasonable new rules for health plans nursing homes oh and home Community Based Services the bill also stops administration's refusal to followed the Supreme's Court decision on student loan cancellation within hours literally hours of the Supreme Court handing the ruling down the administration began rolling out one initiative after the other to subvert the highest court in the land this bill that we have before us today protects the hardworking American middle class from the largest bailout of student loans and American history a bailout so large that new estimates from CBO shows that an an annual deficit of nearly $2 trillion it is not radical to believe that when you take out a loan you have to pay it back the administration's executive orders um that to insert uh divisive social policy in every agency and program uh have brought us to this very Point government agencies have steer steered away from their core Mission and are engaged in controversial social issues Health Centers should focus on on in health care and schools should focus on educating students not signing people up to vote or fighting so-called climate change also foster care placement shouldn't be delayed for purposes of advancing a social agenda if the administration does not view the executive branch as an agent of of of a political campaign I acknowledge some of these Provisions would not be necessary now let's talk about what the bill does do the bill puts workers first by ensuring businesses can stay open we protect Farmers from a labor department determined to close small familyowned farms Across the Nation with regulation after regulation that are having a disastrous effect on our ranchers and our Growers we protect workers from a rule that would eliminate freelance opportunities for 64 million American men women seniors and others balancing work with family responsibilities we protect protect Frontline workers from dangerous National Labor Relations Board regulations that would cost more than 375,000 jobs we maintain the federal investment in the world's Premier biological institution the National Institute of Health we include a proposal to modify the structure of the NIH to achieve administrative savings and allow more funding to go to a lower resource institutions 10% of the institutions get 7 5% of NH funding these institutions in addition to receiving an outsized amount of NH funding also have endowments totaling over three4 of a trillion dollars funding should be more equitably dispersed schools with sizable endowments can bear more of the administrative funding of the grants that they receive the bill also makes a priority on early childhood education and child care vouchers to support working parents we support school choice for all students by increasing funding for Charter Schools we support the right of girls to play fairly in sports without a threat of competition for men we continue to support first generation college students historically black colleges and Hispanic serving institution the bill stops Federal support for colleges and universities that are allowing anti-semitic fueled vandalism and calls for genocide on their campuses I hope my colleagues would agree that anti-Semitism and calls for Gen genocide are not appropriate on colleges or university campuses in closing I want to thank the subcommittee members uh that serve on the labor healths human Human Services subcommittee for their hard work and their input in crafting this legislation before us the bill would not be what it is without the input of the entire committee uh Democrats and Republicans and I also want to thank the labor H um subcommittee staff here today for all their hard work and their dedication and putting this bill together as well as Emily Goff who is still at home on maternity leave enjoying her time with her new babies we're happy for her and her family I understand that as part of the process no side can get everything it wants and we have have challenging road before us today there will be many disagreements I would expect for a bill that touches nearly every aspect of Our Lives I would expect nothing less while we may disagree on core issues I want to remind everyone in the room and that's also watching online although we may not agree on how best to achieve our policy goals we are all Americans and we all want what's best for this country and what is best for our constituents we came here to represent them to the best of our ability and that's exactly what we are doing here today so I I yield back and look forward as we proceed with with the with the bill before us this morning thank you thank you I'd now like to recognize ranking member deloro for remarks on the bill thank you very much Mr chairman for yielding and my thanks to Chairman aderhold for the respectful process on this bill and to the subcommittee staff for your work on this bill especially Steven steider Philip tzani Lori BN Jackie Kilroy on the minority side Salman James Redstone Laura stagno Kirk Bole Emily gof and Laura Hatton re on the majority staff I want to take this opportunity also uh to acknowledge and uh really introduce to all of you the young interns that we have who've been working on all these bills uh for us and they work hard to get us what we need and that is Nicole snik Emily heiler Payton cstom and Noah Vaughn thank you very very much for all the work that you do guys we really appreciate it so uh before I speak on the bill I would also like to acknowledge the appropriators who are leaving us at the end of this Congress making today their last day in full committee markups on this side of the aisle Miss Lee Mr ruppersberger Mr Kilmer miss wxon Mr Tron cannot thank each of you enough for your tireless efforts and your dedication to protecting community safety and our national security investing in families and growing the middle class through your work on this committee most of all I treasure the friendships that we have made as ranking member of the State Foreign operations subcommittee ranking member Lee has fought for the rights freedom and dignity of disadvantaged and vulnerable people around the world through programs like pepar which has saved 25 5 million lives and someone as you all know is never afraid to stand up or to stand alone Mr rers bger has been an Irreplaceable stalwart for our National Defense and cyber security ensuring the safety of Americans at home and around the world an avid Ravens fan and I promise you Dutch more purple is coming Mr Kilmer has boldly Advanced the cause of congressional modernization and reform and as a champion of the recompete ACT he has helped to create American jobs and support our long-term economic growth I do call him Mr Rec compete but he is so dedicated and passionate we want to make sure that we do accomplish or we compete on his behalf Miss wexton has been an extraordinary defender of lgbtq plus Community an advocate for victims of violence and domestic abuse and she fought to expand Research into the prevention and treatment of opioid addiction I believe that we can say about Jennifer that her tenacity she has shown all of us the face of Courage of leadership and of dedication and an amazing amazing young woman Mr trone has also fought against thep of addiction that impacts every one of our districts putting Public Health front in center and helping ensure families have the resources to address and combat Addiction in their communities I also want to acknowledge our previous chair Miss Granger Mr Carl and Mr lerer who are leaving us as well congratulations to miss Granger on her trailblazing tenure on this committee and in her lifetime of what she has accomplished a long and dedicated career in public service to Fort Worth to our country and we thank her for her stewardship of this committee which is truly bigger in importance and impact than any one of us as individuals and that's something that she acknowledged and embodied in everything that she did to all of the appropriators leaving at the end of this Congress all of us on this committee and in this chamber are better off for having been able to call you our colleagues and I know your constituents and the American people are grateful to have had such honest upstanding and dedicated Public Service servants coming to bat for them in the United States capital like to say that you all know why you came to serve my heartfelt appreciation goes to each of you to your families for their support to your staff who I always say help keep our names on the door thank you and we will miss you all dearly now on to the bill for the second year in a row the majority's bill prophesizes the complete elimination of public education fully obstructing the path for Americans children to achieve the American dream last year the Republican majority put forth a labor HHS education bill that would have taken $224,000 teachers out of classrooms eliminated job opportunities for young adults for seniors and working families and jeopardized maternal Pediatric and public health I'm really exasperated that the majority is taking this committee the Congress and the American people down this path once again of course last year's Bill met its fate before the full Appropriations Committee even got to weigh in on it and to finish our work on fiscal year 2024 before we passed a bipartisan bill that enhanced Educational Opportunity supported families and helped the middle class I had hoped that I bipartisan conclusion to fiscal year 2024 and our shared exhaustion from the needless chaos we were put through to get there would have generated a different path for this year's process but instead we are picking up where we just left off the majority has doubled down on their already triy trodden and failed strategy to writing blatantly partisan bills that will never become law but in fact these bills do reflect the reality of where the majority would like to take our country this bill decimates support for K through2 education it abandons college students and lower income workers trying to gain an education or Advance their career for their chance at the American dream this Republican majority Bill harms Women's Health Children's Health and Public Health the bill would surrender the safety and the well-being of American people to multiple ongoing Health crises and the majority's cuts to the Social Security Administration would mean closings shorter operating hours at Social Security field offices and longer processing and wait times for seniors and those with disabilities we know that this bill will never become law but I thank the Republican majority for once again demonstrated Beyond any doubt where they seek to take particularly public education in this country I'm so glad that you're letting American parents see what what would become of their child's classroom American families deserve to know not only how the Republican majorities build decimate support for K through2 education they deserve to know how would abandon students young adults workers and seniors through all stages of their education and careers just last month the Republican nominee for president promised to and I quote shut down the Federal Department of Education end quote he said he plans to cut investments in children's education and again I quote in half and get much better education in some of the states end quote no word on the fate of Children and Families in any of the other states former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos called for eliminating the Department of Education former om director Russ vote vowed to thwart a public education system he views as I quote an existential threat to the American public end quote as a Republican presidential candidate BC ramaswami said he would eliminate the Department of Education via executive action former vice president Mike Pence Governors Doug beram and Ronda Sanders echoed him so this is not a new idea Republicans have been explicitly signaling their goal of eliminating the Department of Education for decades the Heritage foundation's public plans for a republican White House broadcast the Republican party's intent to end the department of education project 2025 spells out how a republican Administration would destroy public education creating a country where education is not a public good for the benefit of all Society but a holy private Enterprise page 325 of project 20125 the full Manifesto reads and I quote the federal government should confine its involvement in education policy to that of a statistics Gathering Ed agency that disseminates information to the states end quote they see no role for the federal government to actually Ensure that the American people America's children receive an education that enables them to function and flourish in their adult lives this is about making sure a quality education is no longer accessible to Working Families but only a privilege for the wealthy we saw where the majority wanted to go last year we can see how they would move to end public education in this bill we saw 161 of their colleagues vote to eliminate all elementary and secondary education funding in the Massie amendment to hr5 anyone who's paid attention to their explicit appeal to destroy public education should not be surprised by what the majority is proposing but we should all be horrified the majority cuts the Department of Education by 11 billion including 5 billion cut from title one which will take at least 72,000 teachers out of lowincome classrooms in the midst of a teacher shortage that's over 600 teachers in my state of Connecticut would be shown the door pink slips would be handed out to over 900 teachers in Oklahoma 1300 in Arizona over 8,800 teachers in California would lose their jobs those are teachers in classrooms in your districts hardworking families in District pay their taxes send their children to public schools and this bill says we cannot afford to put a teacher in their classroom English language acquisition to funding to help 5 million English Learners Nationwide is eliminated disadvantaging and discriminating against students who primarily speak another language hurting their future ability to compete and succeed in the American economy if I can just for a second my colleagues on the subcommittee heard this story but I will tell it again my father came to the United States from Italy in 1913 he came not being able to speak or read or write the English language he was in the seventh grade in public school in New Haven Connecticut he was asked to define the word janitor he didn't know what the word meant he drew on his Italian language and the word jenit toi and the word jit toi means parents and he Des Des cribed janitor as parents his teachers and his classmates laughed at him he walked out of formal education in the United States in the seventh grade because he couldn't read or write the English language he went on to serve this country in the military on the city council in the City of New Haven a self-taught musician and gave up everything for his community had he been given the opportunity to speak the English language to write it he would have succeeded Beyond his own expectations why are we denying youngsters that opportunity to learn to speak the English language to read and to write it that is what our job is to give people opportunity supporting effective instructor state grants which provide professional development opportunities for educations are completely gone this bill does not just demolish public education this bill eliminates opportunity for young Young Americans from kindergart to high school anyone who may aspire to go to college learn a new skill or begin a more fulfilling career work-based federal aid from federal work study for 350,000 students who need help to finance their postsecondary education is cut in half limiting their potential earnings and future success in the job market as is need-based financial aid for more than 800,000 lowincome students who use the supplemental education opportunity grants to finance their education Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act youth training grants are completely eliminated destroying training and Opportunity Services for 135,000 Youth and Beyond Education and Training this bill endangers the health of women Children and Families around the country the bill eliminates funding for title 10 Family Planning which would be the end of support for preventive health care services including contra ception and cancer screenings for 2.6 million low-income women and men the bill launches a full-blown assault on HIV AIDS programs with total elimination of funding for the ending HIV epidemic initiative and minority AIDS prevention also eliminated by the majority gun violence prevention research tobacco prevention rape prevention Suicide Prevention Samson's mental health programs are cut by $150 million and the funding for programs that were created following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in New Town Connecticut is completely eliminated why who are you this it can't be who you really are like every Appropriations bill this bill is an expression of values we should all be appalled by what is being expressed in this legislation and I have my doubts about the majority shortsighted decision to overhaul the National Institutes of Health and part is in Appropriations Bill the house needs to hold public hearings engage in the thoughtful process to incorporate the best ideas to advanc NIH is a crown jewel of biomedical research any discussion to reauthorize the NIH needs me to be bipartisan and by Camal unfortunately the proposed reorganization and today's partisan Bill falls short in keeping with the majority's other partisan bills this bill is chock full of dozens of yes poison pill Riders incl cluding multiple Provisions that attack women's Freedom block abortion reproduction health care services policy writers in the bill create an open season for discrimination against lgbtq people they prohibit policies and programs intended to promote diversity in the federal government and last year we will like last year we will defeat these policies including any new attacks on a woman's right to choose but we know where the majority would want to take us but we know where we have to end up this bill like the 11 other Appropriations Bill need support for Republicans Democrats in the House and Senate in order to become a law and that is how we ultimately and inevitably reached a conclusion in March the law provides for and the Democrats will accept nothing less than a 1% increase for labor HHS education at each of the other bills and dollar for dooll parody for any further increases on defense on the defense Side Of The Ledger instead of writing the Bill to what is in my opinion a stringent and limiting amount which is set in law the majority has cut the labor HHS education bill by 11% because this bill abandons and endangers Americans from the classroom to the examination room to the workplace I cannot support it and I urge my colleagues to vote no Democrats are at the table we are ready to pass legislation that protects American schools health and Economic Opportunity and please I imploy the majority to join us it is time to govern thank you and I yield back thank you I now recognize myself for remarks on the bill uh I want to begin by associating myself with my good friend the ranking members remarks about all of our colleagues that are departing on both sides of the aisle they were gracious and they were generous and they were accurate and on point there's not a member that we're losing that I do not regret losing I know you all are leaving for different reasons some personal some political uh and that's always your own choice it's always a sad reminder to me that our time does end here at some point for all of us uh but we are losing an exceptional group of members on both sides of the aisle and so I wish all of you well and whatever your next Endeavor is and I joined my friend the ranking member and I know the rest of your colleagues on this committee and just thanking you for the service that you've provided both on this committee to Congress and to our country and um you will all be missed and you will all have the uh satisfaction of knowing at some point each and every one of us will be joining you uh and uh uh not not be here but again thank you for the contribution you made while you were here and your work's not done yet because I know if the ranking member and I have our way and that's not up to us we will have an agreement we would like to end it before the end of this Congress and this calendar year I know there's disagreements on that and I suspect that'll be decided by whoever the next president of the United States is do they want to come to an agreement now or do they want to kick it in that's their decision to make but uh my advice would be regardless to either one of them uh that manages to win or whoever manages to to win get your business done this year if you can and let the next Congress start off with a clean slate and I will be working with my friend the ranking member toward doing that our markups continue today with labor Health and Human Services and education bill it's a measure I have deep familiarity with and appreciation for and one that impacts just about every American valuable taxpayer dollars are directed to maximize results and benefits for the nation we invest in research to make lifechanging treatment a reality strengthen our biod defense and support our medical supply chain education and school safety programs are supported to encourage the well-being of America's children and students resources to confront the scourge of substance abuse which has stolen far too many lives are also included the strength of America's work force is also supported through the rejection of job killing regulations importantly the Bill Reigns in the Biden administration's burdensome overreach and divisive policy agenda we protect taxpayers from infringement of their due process rights and religious Liberties as well as President Biden's forced attempt to CH uh charge them with the loans of others we preserve long-standing bipartisan Provisions to protect unborn children and the conscience rights of Americans funds are guided to help our community students and Workforce helping to build a brighter future this is a strong bill and I thank chairman aderhold for his thoughtful work I urge all the members to support this measure let me just end uh with this this is a bill and it's true of most Appropriations bills where we always start in different places but I had the great Good Fortune of working with my good friend the ranking member for eight years on this particular subcommittee and we almost always ended up in the same place at the end of the process the only time we failed to do so had nothing to do with the bill was simply a decision made above both our heads about should we do an Omnibus or should we break these things into smaller U uh chunks which is something I always prefer obviously we're trying very hard on our side to to consider each bill individually uh leaders make decisions that leaders have to make later in the process but I still think that's the best way to proceed when we can and that's what the Constitution lays out I will disagree with my friend in one area um this bill reflects what the law says maybe not what the agreement was there are two different things there's an agreement and there's what's in the statute and we made a decision to live with what was in the statute I suspect that decision will have to be either accepted or rejected by those above us but we thought that was the appropriate way to proceed um and if you're going to make an agreement about spending it ought to be in the allocations and the law in the top line so that's where why we've operated that way and I want to thank chairman aderholt uh for sticking within that I know we gave him an exceptionally difficult task to do in achieving that and uh we'll proceed in that manner but again I look forward to the debate because that's what it's all about but in the end the goal is to get these bills done and I can assure anybody here whether you're uh on the left on the political Spectrum or the right on the political Spectrum the bills won't become law there's not a bipartisan agreement no side has the ability to force these things through on their own there will be a lot of give and take not simply in the opening statements today but more importantly in the process that's ahead of us so with that again I thank U the ranking member and I thank chairman aderhold uh for their hard work on this bill and uh we look forward to continuing to work on it until we can reach an agreement with that I yield back we now move to General remarks on the bill and Mr esad is recognized for his opening comments thank you Mr chairman i r i rise in strong opposition to this bill the bill hurts American families in many ways from slashing Social Security Administration funding to eliminating child health programs like Healthy Start to potentially holding medical scientific innovation by restructuring NIH institution Center many in this committee tout on how we should be more competitive with China and Russia and yet we will promote cutting that opportunities by uh restructuring nih's Institute and centers this bill also eliminates funding for English English language acquisition this comes at a time when English language Learners are the fastest growing group of students K through 13 through 12 now I know this personally because I I was once an English language learner you may detect my accent in my Shakespearean English or perhaps even during my eloquent soliloquies here but uh being an English language learner not only gives me the ability to have Proficiency in English but it also gives me the ability to understand Mr Diaz B now Mr Diaz B speaks Cuban Spanish and Cuban Spanish has his distinction of cutting the words and eating the 's so for example Mr chairman if you say boyaka meaning I'm going home the Cubans say boaka real quick so I understand Mr Diaz barar I think he understands Dominican Spanish as well and so being uh an English language learner gives me that ability for those of you that don't subscribe to this proficiency as being an assd I say you're wrong how could that be a negative in fact I am against being bilingual I want people to be trilingual so they could be more competitive across the world and we could have our children compete at a global level with European children that speak sometimes three or four languages and so how are we cutting funding for English language Learners which are the fastest growing group of students K through 12 by next year it is estimated that one in four students in the classrooms will be English language Learners we should not leave them behind all students deserve the tools and support to flourish English language Learners need teachers and programming that can address their unique needs to leave the students without the resources would stunt their academic social and economic potential and increase their likelihood of disengaging from school we have a responsibility to the Children of America but instead this bill actively hurts them I yeld back Mr chairman thank you we now turn to Mr Simpson for his General remarks on the bill thank you Mr chairman first let me thank uh the ranking member Mr Laurel for her moving statement about her father I appreciate that very much that's one of the reasons that I am pleased and want to thank chairman aderholt and the subcommittee staff for maintaining the funding for the trio programs in this uh in this bill Trio programs are vitally important to this country it's for those individuals who are whose families have never been to college or anything like that and it teach teaches them uh through high school and into college what it takes to become a college student and helps them get through that and and it not only helps that individual but then that individual goes back into the community and people say other students say well geez John went to college maybe I can go so it spreads it's a vitally important program and I want to thank Mr aderholt and the staff for maintaining the funding in that I also want to uh raise a concern over the consolidation of the NIH National Institutes of dental crano facial research the nidcr into the proposed Institute of Neuroscience and brain research nidcr is the nation's primary biomedical and behav behavioral research and research training organization specializing in Dental Oral and cranial facial health for 75 years its laboratory clinical be clinical behavioral uh translations and populationbased programs have given the country and the world a fundamental understanding of how to prevent detect and treat Dental Oral and cranial facial diseases and conditions this institute was founded to fulfill unique and important scientific mission to eradicate oral disease seon to improve dental and oral health however I worry that diminishing The ncr's Institute level status would threaten its Mission and the United States position as the world's leader in Dental Oral and cranial facial health research as a former dentist in another world for over two decades I know the unique challenges that hinder in advancements in oral health as an entry to the body the oral cavity has unique functions and represents entirely different oral uh Health ecosystems that the ones than the ones covered under the banner of Neuroscience and brain research Shifting the nidcr to this broader uh context will dude its focus and risk loss of prioritization of the important research that the Institute carries out recognizing the significant significant contributions that the nidcr research has made to understanding and improving oral conditions and its contributions to overall health since 1943 I urge the commiss committee to consider preserving the ncr's autonomy as a unique and separate Institute and I stand ready to work with committee on uh on Appropriations uh to achieve this goal and I thank the gentleman for yielding thank you very much now turn to uh Mr Hoyer for his General remarks about the Bill thank you very much Mr chairman and I want to congratulate the chairman and the ranking member for the work they've done on this bill even though I have substantial disagreements obviously with the chairman as to the consequences of uh this bill in terms of the impact on health and uh the education during our subcommittee markup I mentioned a quote from the first Labor uh chair that I worked with Bill nater of Kentucky he used to say as long as you take care of the health of your people and the education of your children you'll continue to live in the strongest and best Nation on Earth uh he perceived this correctly as the people's bill this bill affects every individual in our country either directly or indirectly I want to join Mr Simpson and give you a Ted agu quote Ted agu was elected governor of Maryland the same year I was elected to the Maryland state senate in 1966 uh in his opening comments uh in his State of the Union Address he said about the Investments that this bill and wasn't wasn't speaking directly about the labor Health bill but speaking generally about these Investments he said U the cost of failure far exceeds the price of progress Frederick Douglas born a slave in our state said it somewhat differently he said it is easier to build strong children than it is to repair broken men both of those statements say the same thing Frederick Douglas Ted agon and it is that if we fail to invest today in the child that is five or six or seven just one time we're only five once in kindergarten we're only six etc etc if we fail to invest at that point in time making it up will be more expensive later on this bill does not take care of the health of our people nor the education of our children does it do somewhat yes of course course does it do it effectively for all of those in this one nation that is indivisible no it does not instead it represents an 11% cut in funding for the health and education of the American people it's very nice to say or will eliminate the Department of Education and we'll let the states do it there's not a person in this room doesn't know there is extraordinary disparity between our 50 states some have a lot of money some have little money but the children that are educated in one of those States rich or poor will undoubtedly be traveling to many places in America not the state in which they were educated this bill is an irresponsible proposal more than that it is a product of an irresponsible process in the 118th Congress 23 to 24 labor health committee had 11 hearings 150 to 17 5 billion give or take 11 hearings in the 97th Congress the Congress I came to I wasn't on the committee yet I didn't get on the committee until January of 83 they had over a hundred hearings as a matter of fact I think it's a multiple of that as a matter of fact the figures here show 320 hearings that's hard to believe so I want to check that but it was over 100 hearings this year we only had four budget hearings this year this subcommittee used to hear from officials from the various institutes and agencies about our bill would affect their crucial work we heard from not just cabinet officials but the agencies and sub agencies contained within this bill so we had a better and full understanding of what this money was being spent for and what was needed we talked to inspector generals we talked Corporation for Public broadcast the Bureau of Labor Statistics Social Security Administration I I'm the ranking member on the committee that oversees IRS and I talked about how we're cutting those personnel and they're not being able to give Service uh to the taxpayers of this country that they deserve same thing in this bill is happening with respect to Social Security recipients who we all say every day we're supportive of and yet we cut the ability to serve those people answer their questions get their forms filled out get their benefits being paid we s we in the past I think have much more rigorously engaged with the business of governing now the subcommittee just rubber stamps the bill we're given and sends it here to the full committee my statement said subcommittee markup we don't have markups that seemed to me to be a broken record for me but uh we did it in we did subcommittee work and we went to conference we went to subcommittee U members all members of the subcommittee and all members of the Senate subcommittee came together and hammered out the b final bill sadly and I agree 100 % with the with the chairman of this committee we ought to do these discreetly individually separately pass them have conferences on them report them back individually and pass them we're going to do an Omnibus again this year none of us will know fully what that is in that bill that's not the way to do business members we also precluded from including funding in this bill for local priorities in their districts I'm not sure why I know better frankly than the folks downtown what is needed in my district and every one of you is the same what we what we are left with is a superficial piece of legislation whose own authors know will never pass they know Democrats would never allow 11% cut to these vital programs for the American people I'm a big believer and fiscal responsibility this debt needs to be dealt with but if you deal with just a sliver of the budget and pretend that you're dealing with the deficit you are incorrect we're not going to fix our national debt how by cutting a bill that represents only 2.7% of the federal budget and it's the largest next to defense in the appropriation committee it's not a matter of opinion it's a matter of math this Cuts impact the budget may be proportionally small but its impact on the American people is substantial and in some cases very harmful another founder would have said it's Pennywise and pound foolish the cost of failure of investing will be greater than the cost of investing I'm particularly concerned that this bill Cuts funding for full service Community Schools in half bring the full resources of our communities local state and federal to bear on making sure that children have the best possible chance of success because their success will be our Collective success my late wife Judy was an early childhood educator and tiess advocate for full service Community Schools there are now 86 Judy centers in our state making sure that four and fivey olds have opportunities to succeed ladies and gentlemen I'm going to vote against this bill that's not surprising to any of you you're going to vote for the bill that's not surprising to anybody either and we will have some superficial discussion on some few amendments the education of our children and the health of our people deserve more I yield back thank you we now go to uh oh you I'll go to Chairman Rogers for his remarks on the bill I thank the chairman for yielding me time I'll be brief I want to thank uh chairman adal Mr Laurel for including in this bill lots of money for the fight against opioid overdose deaths as you well know this is the worst epidemic this country has ever faced but due to the work of this subcommittee when the big chairman was chairing this subcommittee he included monies in the bill for this purpose and we're now beginning to see some Ray of Hope overdose deaths from opioids is declining slightly but declining that's opods not fentel fentel is 2/3 to 34s of the cause of Overdose deaths now and growing so the problem with with opioid abuse we're seeing some progress we're not seeing any progress though in my judgment on the fentel piece of the action this manufactured uh opioid is the real cause of the death of so many of your fellow citizens if you're to win this fight this battle for life of people across this great nation if you're to win that fight this is the bill that makes it happen amen this is where the action is and I'm pleased to see chairman aderhold ring member delaro have included monies and pieces of ammunition in this bill to help us win this fight this is a nonpartisan fight it's a bipartisan fight but I'm pleased to see that there is bipartisanship involved in this bill in on this matter and rightly so so keep up the good work thank you sir for helping the cause how you thank you we now go to Mr Bishop for his uh General comments about the Bill thank you uh Mr chairman I just wanted to take a moment to thank chairman adol ranking member deloro and their staffs for all of the hard work that has gone into this bill while I will have to oppose the bill for so many reasons and so many deficiencies I'm pleased that the committee did not go down the same ill-considered path as it did last year by attempting to eliminate the job courp program I am co-chair of the bipartisan Job Corp caucus and the bill today contains level funding for job core for which I'm thankful considering of the challenging budget and political environment in which we found ourselves still job core campuses are struggling to hire and to retain teachers Mental Health Counselors and other critical staff it's also making every effort to address inflation in energy food costs and Health Services needed to house feed and care for job course students there's also a backlog of at least $715 million in facilities repair and Rehabilitation projects which are necessary to maintain the safety of the job corp buildings I know that several members of the House Appropriations Committee have been stal supporters of Job Core and have seen firsthand the benefits in that districts investments in Job Core will pay great dividends in terms of ensuring that young young people become productive members of the labor force and not reliant on public benefits I hope that the members of the Appropriations Committee will keep this in mind in the days and weeks ahead I do want to note however the troubling cuts that the Appropriations Committee is proposing the senat for Disease Control and prevention the CDC is one of the crown jewels of Georgia's economy the CDC has almost 10,500 employees in Georgia making it one of Georgia's top employers 62% of CDC employees have a master's degree or higher if CDC were a public company its annual operating budget would place it among the top five companies in Georgia CDC also has millions of square feet of office and lab space in the state and it buys goods and services from Georgia businesses each year and yet the bill would reduce funding for the CDC by 22% notably it would zero out the budget for cdc's National Center for injury prevention and control and eliminate funding for important public health programs including ending the HIV epidemic initiative rape prevention Suicide Prevention opioid overdose prevention and surveillance tobacco prevention and control climate and health programs and fire injury and mortality prevention research most of the cdc's budget does not stay in Georgia either about 80% of his annual appropriation goes to state and local departments across the country which means that any budget cuts will be felt in everybody's backyards from reduced disease surveillance to fewer immunizations and less screenings for breast and cervical cancer for all of our constituents I hope that the Appropriations Committee will reconsider these unwise cuts to CDC and other programs that will have an adverse impact on Health Care education and job training I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and over the next few weeks to collaborate on a revised work product that better addresses the Urgent needs of the American people all of the American people and with that I you back balance of my time thank you uh chair now recognizes Mr new house for any general comments about the Bill thank you chairman Cole ranking member deloro also chairman aderholt thanks to you and all your staffs for your work on this year's fy2 labor Health and Human Services education and related agencies act this bill prioritize fiscal res restraint while addressing many priorities that that such as our now National Security or food security and also the ongoing drug overdose epidemic that chairman Rogers so passionately and eloquently described so I'm pleased that this bill does several different things like I said it bolsters our national security by supporting biomedical research which which is necessary to countering China's growing threat in basic science research it also prohibits the purchase of supplies from China for the Strategic National stockpile which is very important and third it maintains funding for substance abuse and mental health programs to combat that drug overdose epidemic that is a Scourge across this country but I'm particularly pleased with what this bill does to protect farmers and farm families by instituting a freeze on the adverse effect wage rate for the h2a agricultural workers flawed wage rate methodologies in the h2a agricultural guest worker program have caused a 62% increase in labor cost over the last decade for both h2a and non- h2a growers in the state of Washington now our Growers are facing significant non-market-based increases to labor costs that are far beyond those faced by other sectors unlike those other sectors these costs for All Growers including those not using the h2a Visa program are being driven by the terms and conditions of this Federal program these labor costs have forced many growers in my state and I beg to say in your States as well to lose their multi-generational family farms leaving far fewer in number in central Washington today than there were just five years ago the artificial inflation of the adverse effect wage rate has been the single biggest factor in driving these Growers out of business I'm pleased that this bill freezes the award rate providing critical relief to Growers while giving this body the larger Congress time to act on broader agricultural Workforce reform to fix this broken h2a Visa system I I think this is the best way to prevent further consolidation in agriculture and further losses of Family Farms so this is a an important first step in the right direction to protect our nation's Farmers I'm proud to support this bill and look forward to its passage and I yield back Mr chairman thank you the chair now recognizes Miss Lee of California for any remarks she cares to do about the Bill thank you very much Mr chairman I want to thank yourself to ad Hol uh member darara U members of the subcommittee first of all let me just say um how this bill uh is a deeply uh political extremist bill that would inflict really unnecessary harm to our children families and communities and uh I hope that this bill does not pass out of uh this full committee it's a Draconian bill that eliminates more than 57 critical programs and cuts funding for 48 other programs it also guts funding for life-saving health care and revives many of the bad provisions of last year's house bill and the people who will be impacted the most are communities of color poor rural women underserved communities the lgbtq plus communities and more this bill endangers Women's and Children's Health safety the bill eliminates title 10 family planning the teen pregnancy prevention program Healthy Start and the diaper distribution program it makes it harder for women from all walks of life to access care it also blocks access to abortion services and reproductive health care services this bill comes at a time also when gun violence can no longer be ignored as a public health issue recently in response to efforts by myself and others the Surgeon General issued an advisory on firearm violence identify it as a Public Health crisis which it is that seriously threatens our nation's well-being but this bill eliminates funding for public health research on gun violence prevention mind you prevention and the cdc's community and youth violence prevention mind you again prevention program lastly as co-chair of the Congressional HIV AIDS caucus let me remind my Republican colleagues that we have a 2030 deadline ahead of us to end the HIV epidemic in the United States and throughout the world and yes I worked with President Bush and this has been a bipartisan effort in terms of our federal commitment to uh end HIV and AIDS by 2030 due to the federal commitment to combating HIV over the last 40 years we're really on the verge of ending this EP epidemic the activists healthc care providers and caregivers are not slowing down their efforts to end this pandemic they are not losing their focus focus and neither should Congress yet this bill aims to completely derail the progress that we have made as a nation together Democrats and Republicans the bill would slash our domestic HIV AIDS prevention and research program by a shocking 21% and limits the amount of research the NIH office of AIDS research is able to carry out it also eliminates funding the ending HIV epidemic initiative zeros out funding for the Ryan White projects of national significance grants it reduces the minority AIDS funding at HHS and eliminates minority AIDS funding at Sams I mean my goodness experts have found that for every $20 we spend on preventing a new HIV diagnosis is saves our health care System nearly $500,000 down the road so I would urge my Republican colleagues to consider this when they claim this bill is fiscally responsible additionally I am deeply concerned that there is continued efforts by my Republican colleagues to eliminate cdc's Global HIV AIDS program which is cdc's contribution to pepar over the last two decades our fight against HIV and AIDS in the world has been trans transformed by a pepar saving more than 25 million lives so far as President Bush I believe wrote that this is one of the U largest uh pro-life initiative that we have passed together this bipartisan program has been so effective that I think my Republican colleagues really have forgotten just how devastating AIDS was in certain parts of the world finally let me just say to you I want to um thank our chair and ranking member for their uh kind words about my service on this committee as I open this new chapter in my life and to our staff and as a former staffer and intern I want to uh just let our staff know how grateful I am for their hard work and for their commitment to Public Service I hope that the voices of marginalized communities black people people of color poor people the lgbtq plus Community women and so many more who who are often times not seen nor heard in this cont in this committee continue to be raised this committee truly is the people's committee and that means all people including those who have been discriminated against those who have no money for lobbyists no money for really coming to Washington DC to sit out in the hallway or in our offices to speak their peace and to let us know what their issues are those in urban and rural communities uh who often times are dismissed as the other including immigrants everyone deserves a seat at the table so uh I finally just say as a woman of faith I try to look at the work in this committee based on just one one scripture and that is do unto others as you would have them do unto you thank you all again and thank you for your um service and thank you for your comments we now uh thank you I now move to Mr Clyde to make any remarks he cares to about the Bill thank you thank you Mr chairman I rise today in support of the fy2 labor Health and Human Services Appropriations and I want to thank chairman aderholt and chairman Cole for their leadership on this bill I'm very pleased pleas with the array of pro-life riders that are in this bill including the long-standing height Amendment language I'm also pleased that this bill prohibits federal funds for going towards transgender surgeries and transgender hormone hormone therapies this is especially vital when it comes to children as we need to ensure we are protecting children before life-altering decisions are made often without the knowledge or consent of their parents you know I was especially Disturbed to learn of a recent situation where Washington Children's Hospital transitioned a Christian couple's somewhat autistic 16-year-old son without their permission or consent they literally kept the son from physically seeing his parents for over two years until after he turned 18 this was child abuse by a hospital and should have never been allowed to happen the chairman and I were both made aware of the situation and it is indeed egregious I believe the critical writers included in this bill if enacted could prevent this from ever occurring again we must protect our nation's children from all abuse and it begins with what we decide to fund to fund and defund I fully support this Bill thank you and I [Music] yield no thank you uh gentle lady from Minnesota M mulls recognized for any comment she has about the Bill thank you for recognizing me chairman Cole I want to take this opportunity to just share a few brief thoughts about the labor age Bill last year we faced an unprecedented situation due to controversial contacts and this bill was never never conern considered by full markup committee to the chairman and the ranking member this bill needs a lot of work but at least we got to a markup today before I address my opposition to this bill as a whole I want to take a moment to acknowledge the work the great work that's done by Community Services block grants in my district alone our community at Action Agency has helped almost 50,000 people receive assistance and paying their utility bills utility bills for seniors enrolled 1,600 children in Head Start and provided over 1,700 workers transportation to their jobs helped people get to work the impact of community services block grants can be felt in every District in every town in every city all across this nation I hope in conference we can find a way in which to increase uh the work that these uh agencies do in our districts because I believe we could do better by putting more dollars and resources to it another area I'd like to take a moment to address uh attention to is the elimination of the Injury center within the CDC now eliminating the Injury center means the elimination of two vital programs hous there rape prevention and education programs and the Delta domestic violence prevention grants since this bill was made public I've heard an outpouring of concern from my constituents survivors and Advocates about this cut and I work with survivors and I work with Advocates on this and I know how important these programs are to Healing I'm deeply appalled that these historically bipartisan programs have been eliminated not cut eliminated in this bill this decision will have devastating impacts to our states our communities our young people our young CR uh crisis centers and survivors and yes to law enforcement who works directly with survivors and victims on these programs this is going to affect families and friends and uh colleagues you're going to be hearing a lot more more from your constituents and people about how this program cannot be eliminated these programs I could go on about the way the other bills uh fail to protect Americans and I want to uh thank um Miss Lee for her comments on the HIV programs that have been cut decimated but this also fails to protect workers wages health safety and eliminates funding for title 10 family programming and it slashes funding for the social Security Administration folks we all do casew work you go back to your district office they're all working on Social Security why would we if we want to increase our workload at the at the district office level go ahead and cut it but I think our constituents should be able to get the questions answered and the T and the help that they deserve to claim the resources that they put into the system so I hope we can overcome the difficulties we faced last year in P legislation that protects Americans from all stages of their lives from birth to the classroom to the workplace to their doctor's office but right now this bill is failing in my opinion Americans at every level for these reasons at this time I cannot support the bill and I yield back thank you very much Sher now recognizes gentle lady from Ohio Miss captor for any remarks she has about the Bill thank you Mr chair and uh dear members uh this bill would have to go a long way to gain my support uh and I want to put a few comments on the record here and then give some statistics for my home state of Ohio and how it would impact people there uh this particular Bill surely needs a lot more work it's specifically others have mentioned Social Security and of course Social Security is three programs it's the retirement program it's the disability program and it's the survivorship program and it touches every household in this country the bill specifically targets uh slashing funding for the administration of the social security administration every single member of Congress knows how many calls we make over to Social Security to deal with cases that come before us because they are underfunded for the staff that they need that benefit is an earned benefit the value of work undergirds the program and it is beyond offensive uh to our seniors and workers and beneficiaries that after years of hard work that they would be subjected to more wait times uh delayed claims closed field offices uh uh facing a computer rather than a person inside these offices a third of our people uh that exist in this country are now over the age of 50 and these offices are going to get more business not less business so this is a very very uh backward part of the draft bill that needs to be changed um it leaves hardworking Americans behind and abandons our Workforce as well by eliminating 25% of the employment and training administration's funding at the Department of Labor when every single employer that I confront whether they're a small business or a big business uh simply doesn't have the trained workers uh that they are looking for to make their businesses successful we hear from this and these people every day um the program demolishes essential programs like the registered apprenticeships and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act youth job trading why would you do that at a time when there are Workforce shortages all across this country and we want to build America forward not backward uh in every single specialty trade we need people and it's going to take some effort in order to build up that capacity now I want to turn to Ohio we talk about percentages at the national level here's how many people will be affected in Ohio by some of the backward proposals in this bill um the uh in terms of teachers all right for Ohio uh at a time when we have a teacher shortage they're asking retirees and and retired business people to come into the classrooms to try to teach the kids your bill would eliminate 2,590 teachers I'm not talking about two teachers I'm talking about over 2 and a half thousand teachers would be removed from our classrooms that serve those at the lowest income levels uh in Ohio because of your cuts to what's called Title One well for us that would mean thousands of teachers eliminated secondly and others have referenced this uh in terms of services for English Learners people who want to learn English um this bill eliminates vital academic services in Ohio only for 71,200 English Learners through the elimination of the English language acquisition uh program in title three all right we can't do that for Ohio we want to compete we have to compete we're a state that deals globally major industry major agriculture this is a mistake we can't not train our people number three in term you're cutting work study in half that's a program I benefited from I believe in work and study I don't believe in freebies but this bill Cuts federal work study by just for Ohio 12,600 students 12,600 these Cuts will have impact on young people trying to move forward in this economy which isn't so easy and it will limit their potential for higher earnings and success in the future job market next for Ohio it would slash need-based Financial Aid in half in half for us you will impact the lives of 28,000 100 students in Ohio through deep cuts to the Supplemental Educational Opportunity grants wow that's harm no matter how you spell it next you would eliminate uh the workforce opportunity youth job training program and you would literally have 5,400 Ohio young people walk out the door because they want the training to find good jobs and you deny it to them and finally in terms of adult employment opportunities your bill cuts under this program uh job training and employment services for 10,000 adults in Ohio and I want to end with this and I I so oppose this bill we see in our region I don't know about yours R Aid and Walgreens all the r AIDS in Ohio are closing you have any idea how many people are going to be out of work just in one R Aid in my district one 500 scripts a day are filled in this particular Rite Aid older people rent cabs to come and the cab sits in front of the Ride Aid so that they can get their prescription and that clock keeps ticking in the ticker inside the cab and it keeps adding up as they wait in long lines to get their medicines right now do you have any idea when people get thrown out of work as they're being done all across our country and in Ohio we'll have 10,000 people we have 10 you will H 10,000 people who need job retraining what are we going to do with a 50-year-old worker who's been involved in managing a Right Aid and this is happening in every District in the country Walgreens they haven't announced how many they're closing I bet it'll be a third in Ohio will be hit hard what are we going to do with these people you cannot cut off the money to help us retrain people uh otherwise they'll go on subsidy programs and there aren't enough of those so I view this bill as very anti-work and definitely you will harm Ohioans and I simply can't vote for a bill that does this thank you and I yield back G lady from Florida Miss wasman Schultz is recognized for General remarks about the Bill thank you Mr chairman first I just want to app mention my appreciation of the inclusion of several of my key priorities which have historically been and hopefully will continue to be bipartisan cgus causes as a breast cancer survivor I'm thrilled that the bill includes vital funding for programs created by the early act that's an initiative that I passed into law to promote breast cancer awareness for young and atrisk women and continues to guarantee women access to annual mammograms at no cost beginning at age 40 the bill also includes funding for cancer survivorship programs and policies and prioritizes funding for the LCL Hastings program for advanced cancer screening in underserved communities and it spotlights the importance of PCOS research and treatment development and supports Holocaust Survivors while addressing anti some addressing anti-Semitism um to some degree but reading through this bill as a whole it is deja vu from last year when we were unable to bring the bill through committee and regular order the labor rage Appropriations bill has again proven to be unpassable in its current form nonetheless here we are debating an incomplete intolerant and indefensible Bill littered with Extreme Cuts eliminated programs and policy writers it is clear where the majority's priorities lie this bill truly paints a complete picture so let's go through some of them first the repeated disdain for women their reproductive freedoms and their autonomy remains appalling all throughout you've assaulted Women's Health by eliminating or blocking funding for title 10 Family Planning teen pregnancy prevention programs plan Parenthood and access to abortion and Reproductive Services but now you went further and eliminated the women's Bureau which protects the interests of working women this certainly makes it clear how much disregard and disdain Republicans have for women in this country second this bill jeopardizes Public Health in countless ways it eliminates the entire CDC Center for injury prevention which focuses on preventing death or injury from drowning opioids rape suicide domestic violence and the list goes on it eliminates funding for the HIV epidemic initiative at a time when States like Florida has one of the highest annual new HIV diagnoses in the nation it eliminates firearm injury and mortality prevention research because the majority clearly believes their thoughts and prayers are enough to end the Carnage Across the Nation and it eliminates the climate and health program because sticking their heads in the sand and pretending climate change isn't real will make dire impacts go away the majority doesn't understand or chooses to ignore this reality that paying for prevention now is less costly than treatment when it's too late unbelievably knowing the countless times each one of us has been told by our constituents that we are facing a dire Healthcare work Force shortage the majority thought it prudent to eliminate several Workforce Development programs and they even went as far as slashing Social Security a Lifeline for our seniors this bill takes my breath away and finally this bill drives home the message that access to a public education is a pipe dream for American families with a particular lack of care for elementary schools and America's teachers the funding slashes depart the Department of Education that will decimate equal education opportunities for students especially lwi income in minorities students and exacerbates our teacher shortages and the bill abandons anyone looking to improve their lives through higher education or job training quite frankly going through all the extreme policies in this bill is frustrating worrisome and exhausting but perhaps that's the point at least Republicans hit their marks the bill will encourage discrimination and bigotry trample women's rights and push minorities in the lgbtq plus Community further away from equality with that I can assure you that this is a bill that will never see the light of day when comes to the president signing it into law so I encourage everyone to vote against this deeply disturbing and dangerous legislation and let's start from the drawing board and actually try to work together in a bipartisan way to pass a bill that can earn his signature thank you I yield back the balance of my time chair recognizes Mr quar for any remarks he cares to make about the Bill thank you Mr chairman ranking uh member I um uh first of all I uh I think we all know this is only a starting point it's a negotiating a negotiating part for the majority we still need a lot of work I know a lot of us do have concerns about the uh uh Title One Cuts uh to education in my area that would be a tremendous cuts to our school districts we also know the importance of social security that cuts uh to the uh operations of Social Security a lot of our casew work uh my area deals with social security so we know this is only a starting point that we understand the process and we'll get there uh we'll be voting no at this time but at the end we'll be supporting this bill once we get the input from both the majority and the minority side but I do want to point uh uh two of the provisions and many of the bipartisan Provisions that that have been added uh they had to do with uh Hispanic over institutions uh the first provision adds money adds language where it calls on Hispanic institutions to work with school districts to make sure that aign in making sure that the kids get that get out of the uh uh High School are able to get enrolled and higher ed make sure they get retained and make sure that they graduate so that alignment between the curriculums of our high schools and uh higher education is very important so the money and the provisions language at it there is important the other part has to do with Hispanic uh institutions also uh when I got my PhD uh some years ago I I was only less than 1% of Hispanics that have gone their PHD I don't think that number has change and with this provision and language that got added in a bipartisan way will have Hispanic servant institutions uh work and make sure that we get more Hispanics to get their PHD so those two Provisions among other bipartisan Provisions I do appreciate that again I'll be voting no on this bill because it's only a negotiating starting point we will get there at a later time but with that I say thank you for the time Mr chairman thank you uh now turn to miss Frankle for any opening remarks she has about the bill yeah thank thank you Mr chair I I uh sadly rise in opposition to this bill look the bill has The Good The Bad and The Ugly uh unfortunately the Bad and the Ugly Prevail and I'm going to just talk about a couple things here I want to talk about are very young and are more mature citizens our children are our future and our seniors built our country and they should be able to retire in dignity and this bill does a great disservice to both and I'm sure you all remember that I quite often have to say my my my uh far too many times I say we have spent so many hours debating access to legal abortion and look we know Republicans have are on a mission to ban legal abortion in every nook and cranny on this earth right sometimes I think they're going to go into the planets too but right now it's the Earth um and we we've had this debate now ever since roie Wade passed and of course Donald Trump gave a death blow to women's reproductive Freedom when he appointed a supreme court that handed down the do's decision and since that day one state one Republican state after another has banned abortion and we've been fighting Amendment after Amendment here in Congress Republicans trying with their poison policies to ban abortion and Republicans claim they claim you claim I hear you claim that these anti-abortion policies are pro-life that's what I hear you say it's pro-life so my question today is what about the life of the born or children because this bill is very I say hypocritical cutting funding for preschool development grants eliminating College Child Care slashing the department of education's budget eliminating teacher training programs eliminating Arts education cutting mental health support for students slashing education funding for lowincome children zering out funding for teen pregnancy and rape prevention eliminating funding to prevent drowning Firearms injury domestic violence and there's more and this bill strikes an ugly blow to the welfare of our grandmothers and grandfathers we we I I think we can agree that Social Security and Medicare are essential benefits that the seniors have earned through a lifetime of hard work and paid for with each paycheck paycheck nearly 70 million people that's all our constituents around this country on Social Security and this bill chops chops the Social Securities Administration operating budget and medicare's administrative budget what does that mean threatening to close offices and more delay of time I've my colleagues have talked about this I think very adequately so Mr chair I I would like to see that we have a budget that takes care of those people who took care of us and are invest on our most precious resource our children this bill and its current form does not do that it it falls short and I yeld back thank you chair now recognizes Miss Watson Coleman for any general remarks she has about the Bill thank you Mr chair I rise in strong opposition to this bill if these bills are supposed to reflect the values of this house then I'm horrified by those on display here the majority proposes billions of dollars in cuts to critical programs supporting those in greatest need while filling this bill with extreme partisan riers attacking black Americans women families and the lgbtq plus Community while this bill acknowledges is a mental health challenges facing America's youth it slashes funding for mental health support services in the schools as well as a grant program that trains Mental Health Providers at schools the New Jersey Department of Education receives significant support for mental health services made accessible through these programs the proposed Cuts would not only have a devastating impact on the children who rely on the me Mental Health support at their schools but it would also affect their families classmates teachers and staff this bill continues to attack our public school system by cutting over3 billion dollar to essential Title One grants which will punish schools that serve lowincome students and further constrained districts that lack the resources of wealthier areas Republicans proposed cuts to title one will have a severe impact on our undeserved resource public schools in the Garden State which receives hundreds of millions of dollars each year the bill also eviscerates support for workers with a $3.1 billion cut to the Department of Labor for FY 24 many of these Cuts hit job training programs which can help lift American workers up and provide them with good well-paying jobs and therefore help for our economy to be even stronger if this were not enough the majority seeks to gut funding by 99 million for the National Labor Relations Board which serves an important role in addressing unfair labor practices I also take issue with the majority's cuts to our Public Health infrastructure and programs they will eliminate funding for gun prevention and research HIV programs prenatal and infant nutrition support women reproductive health programs nursing Workforce diversity and preventive medicine training I can't think of many ideas more shortsighted than eliminating funding to train medical students in preventive medic medicine if we care about the long-term health issues impacting millions of Americans we should be expanding and encouraging the growth of this field and I'd like to highlight the vital work of the brain initiative within the ni this program and the research that it funds is so consequential to how we understand the brain and the brain diseases funding for this program has been reduced over the last two fiscal years but given the outsize impact of its research I respectfully request that we work together to increase this program's budget my colleagues across the aisle continue to display their lack of concern for black and brown Americans and women by cutting 50 million from the office of minority Health 10 million from the office of women's health and 15 million from the minority HIV AIDS fund the work these offices performed give voice to millions of Americans whose health concerns are too often minimized and under prioritized in our Medical Systems I am dismayed and offended and that the majority does not value these Americans enough to invest in their health and their well-being I believe there is much to improve in this bill and we can do better so I urge my colleagues to vote against sending it to the floor and I yield back the balance of my time thank you thank you chair recognizes Mr stores of California for General remarks about the Bill thank you uh Mr chairman I too rise in opposition of this bill I represent um hardworking um poor hardworking workers um the people that I represent are folks that are working in logistics they are essential workers traditionally this bill has been a Lifeline for their families a way to keep their kids in school and after care while they are working um for us the bill before us makes a devastating $24.6 billion cut to the essential programs the Working Families that I represent depend on this legislation fails to support children K through 12 elementary schools and special special education programs it attacks Women's Health and reproductive freedoms it harms seniors by cutting funding for the Social Security administration's operation budget extending wait times and delaying retirement and disability claims and abandons college students and workers trying to improve their lives by obtaining a college degree or obtaining a certification um Pro uh certificate I'm also disappointed that this bill defunds a program that I have been working on for college students for quite a while now it defunds the basic needs act but more than that if we care about our communities if we care about the people that we represent we really need to get back to working together and ensuring that we could pass a bill worthy enough of earning President Biden's signature in this bill it cuts $55 million for the reintegration of ex offenders you're willing to vote for someone with 34 felony counts but constituents they have served their time in prison are not worthy of your support for job training so that they can get on with their lives and pay back to their Community what they owe you're cutting $152 million to maternal and child health you are willing willing to force a woman a rape victim to have a baby but you are refusing to provide her or her child the care that they need we have a gun pandemic epidemic whatever you want to call it too many people too many of our young people are being murdered in our communities and here you go you are cutting $1.5 million for firearm injury immortality prevention prevention opioid overdose that doesn't just happen in communities that I represent it it happens in communities across the country you are cutting a prevention and survey Vance program by $56 million you are eliminating an additional $30 million for suicide prevention Suicide Prevention rape prevention you are cutting $62 million I could go on and on teen pregnancy prevention program decreased by $108 million in K through 12 decreased by 8.6 billion doll Shame Shame Shame Shame and with that I yield back and I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill and get back to the table and work together to pass a bill that all of our communities could be proud of General lady from Illinois Miss Underwoods recognized for any general mention about the Bill thank you Mr chairman I rise in strong opposition to the fisal year 2025 labor HHS education Appropriations bill before us today this legislation misses the mark and ignores our country's most pressing needs instead of investing in real solutions to the challenges we face this bill drastically slashes funding for some of our most critical programs for example despite the severe maternal Health crisis that our country faces with hundreds of preventable deaths each year the bill put forward by the Republican majority makes Extreme Cuts to maternal and child health programs this bill hurts moms not just in my district but in every District represented in this room the maternal mortality crisis we are facing is urgent and it impacts moms All Over America and every Community this legislation zeros out funding for the Healthy Start program which provides comprehensive care to mothers throughout their pregnancy and has been critical in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates the bill also reduces funding for the special projects of regional and National significance within the Maternal Child Health block grant that addresses maternal mortality Children's Mental Health it grows the perinatal Workforce and much more and it cuts the funding by millions of dollars in the midst of these devastating Cuts I was relieved to see that key funding we re rescur based on my mnus ACT survived including funding for maternal mortality review committees community-based organizations working to advance maternal Health Equity and maternal health research via the NIH improve initiative these Investments demonstrate to me that all members here on both sides of the aisle understand the need to support moms and address the maternal Health crisis in America but they and the rest of the momni Abus are not f did at the level this crisis demands we can end this crisis colleagues but to do so we must fight for solutions that work and we must fund the mbus act now with respect to youth mental health an issue that I know is on the minds of families Across America this bill Cuts $124 million from the popular and successful school-based Mental Health Services Grants and Mental Health Service professional demonstration grants programs at the department of Education together these two programs address the critical shortage of school-based mental health professionals by increasing the available Workforce and helping school districts support increased positions to improve access to Services we cannot afford to divest from these programs our kids are counting on us furthermore this bill exacerbates the severe Healthcare Workforce shortage in this country by eliminating pipeline programs within hersa including eliminating all f funding for the nursing Workforce Diversity Program which helps build a highquality and diverse registered nurse Workforce it eliminates all funding for the scholarships for disadvantaged students program which provides funding to health professionals and Nur I'm sorry Health Professions and nursing schools to award scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds and it eliminates all funding for the health careers opportunities program which provides a range of support including tailored academic counseling and a highly focused mentoring services it offers student financial assistance and more to students from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds to enter the Health Professions there couldn't be a more pressing time than now to stand up for our Frontline workers in healthcare especially our nurses and yet through these cuts the Republican majority has chosen to abandon successful efforts to grow strengthen and diversify our nursing Workforce the proposed legislation also ignores the threat of climate change by eliminating all funding for the office of climate change and Health Equity within the office of the assistant Secretary of Health for the CDC climate and health program both of these initiatives help reduce vulnerability and increased resilience to the health effects of climate change as a nurse as a member of Congress and as an American I am deeply disappointed in this proposed legislation and I urge my colle colleages to join me in opposing it thank you and I you'll back thank you very much um chair advises everyone that uh been exceptionally generous with the clock because I this is very important debate and uh of course traditionally we would do that to the chairman and ranking member anyway but we have done it for everyone on both sides of the aisle going forward I do not want our colleagues here that are leaving us for their last markup to be their longest markup so uh we're going to enforce the clock and uh again it's up to you guys we can be here as long as you want to be here but we will be here until we finish so with that uh just uh wanted to advise everybody moving forward that's how we'll proceed uh with that uh they're um seeing no other members uh wishing to make opening remarks I'd like to recognize chairman aderhold to offer a manager's Amendment yeah have Amendment at the desk ater Hol amendment number one and I ask for un's consent to dispense with the reading of the amendment without objection gentleman's recognized uh this amendment uh before us contains Technical and non-c contal changes uh to the bill and Report language agreed on to by both sides of the aisle I want to thank ranking member delaro and her staff for working with us to make these improvements and with that I urge adoption of the amendment and you'll back uh the ranking member Miss glor's recognized Mr chman over the past few days chairman ader Halt and I have worked to make a number of non-controversial and Technical changes to the bill and report for programs that are of interest to so many of our members of the committee on both sides of the aisle I appreciate the collaboration with the chair and his staff in putting this amendment together and we are in agreement so I urge the adoption of the amendment do any other members seek recognition to speak on the amendment I recognize chairman hold for one minute to close thank you Mr chairman again Technical and non-controversial changes are included in here it uh should be straightforward and uh the uh ranking memb is in agreement so I yield I yield back and ask for adoption questions on the amendment uh all those in favor say I I opposed say no the opinion of the chair the eyes have it and the amendment is adopted uh ranking member Mr lores recognized for an amendment hang on Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk I I ask that the read be dispensed without objection and gentle ladies recognize to explain our amendment in my opening remarks I walked through Republicans plans years in the making to eliminate public education in our country denying opportunities for students to learn and succeed in life but with this amendment my Republican colleagues have an opportunity to reverse the most egregious of these plans in their 2025 labor age Bill their $4.7 billion cut to title one which would kick 72,000 teachers out of classrooms Nationwide make no mistake title one which provides additional academic support to students from lowincome background is the Cornerstone of our federal investment in public education nearly 95% of school districts in the country are eligible for Title One funds and nearly two-thirds of all public schools receive these Resources with an overwhelming share of public school expenditures supporting educator salaries and benefits that's nearly 80% the title One funds provided in this bill allow school districts to hire teachers to provide additional academic support for high need students students a cut of $4.7 billion to title one would remove 72,000 teachers from classrooms serving lowincome students all around the country including 1300 teachers in Arizona 8,800 teachers in California 230 teachers in Montana 7300 teachers in Texas and I would just say to my colleagues if you have if any May Republican colleagues want to know the impact of the bill cuts and eliminations to education and I might add to job training both for adults and for youth you might just ask me because the charts are here with every state and every uh uh teacher that's eliminated um and uh with the with youngsters who are um uh and adults who are kicked out of job training programs uh we released a fact sheet on our website that walks through how this bill denies Education and Training opportunities for uh uh students and job Seekers at all stages of life in each state with this amendment my Republican colleagues have an opportunity to reject the Bill's dangerous cuts to Title One protect 72,000 teaching positions Nationwide preserve the opportunity for children from Working Families to receive a quality education I urge my colleagues to support my Amendment uh chairman aderholt is recognized to respond to the amendment thank you chairman I rise in opposition to the amendment I acknowledge the role that title one plays in supporting K12 public education across the country but we had it to set priorities and make a significant reduction in this bill to meet our allocations federal government invest invested $190 billion into District K through2 schools during the pandemic with little oversight this is 10 times the size of the federal support that these schools normally receive annually four years later we know that the reading and the mass scores remain dismal and a quarter of kids are chronically absent from schools altogether the department of education's most recent enrollment data shows that parents are pulling their kids out of failing public schools and enrolling them in public charter schools or private schools over the past 10 years a substantial increase in the amount of money that K12 Public Schools spend on education has not improved student math or reading scores when the government is running a $2 trillion doll annual deficit and Americans are facing annual or prices 20 to 30% higher than just three years ago with we cannot continue to Simply throw money at a broken public education system and then just Pat ourselves on the back we need real solution this amendment would also put the bill above its allocation with that I I urge a no vote on the amendment and now you'll back there's no further debate the Gent let chair oh I'm sorry uh gentleman from Maryland's recognized Mr chairman I rise in strong support of this uh legislation of of this amendment it's a lot of money let me remind you of the quote that I gave from Governor agon cost of failure far exceeds the price of progress ironically the chairman has just said the performance of our children as a result of the pandemic has gone down so the answer is let's disinvest more in the education of our children that doesn't make any sense and will result in higher cost five years from now 10 years from now whether it's on health care whether it's on drug uh questions that Mr Rogers is so rightfully concerned about all will be magnified because of the disinvestment that this bill uh proposes uh for uh children there these schools are 40% of more students from lowincome families now you can relegate them to continued being lowincome families or you can invest in them to bring them up so they will be paying taxes participating more productively in our society and apparently this doesn't get much attention this is a serious matter as to whether we're not we're going to invest in lowincome kids so they become middle income kids and high income kids Title One schools account for some 43% of all public schools so in effect we're disinvesting in 43% of the schools in America The Genius of America and very frankly a lot of other countries around the world is universal public education that's what made the difference in millions of lives throughout our history in this country and around the world we have 463 of these schools uh in uh Maryland including uh literally scores in my own district and in your districts do not abandon these young people I have a saying about uh yo-yo policies yo-yo policies you're on your own and if we leave them on their own we will find that our generations to come will have paid a terrible price for our negligence education is the key to opportunity and economic Mobility the land of opportunity is paved with the bricks of Education these children are already starting life at an economic disadvantage when we help them get ahead we help America get ahead not only do I say that but the evidence of that is irrefutable my colleagues I understand that we don't have $4.7 billion do to put back on the table you have to find it but if you believe that investing in our national security is solely doing in a defense bill of the milcon bill you are absolutely wrong wrong because our national security is dependent upon the strength of our people the education and the health of our people at some point in time Mr chairman during this process we need to make sure that we're investing in these young people which is investing in America and I yield back is there any fur further debate if there is no further debate uh the gentle U lady is recognized for one minute to close thank you Mr chairman I think it's very clear that the Republican majority once again demonstrates Beyond any doubt where they seek to take public education in this country I'm delighted that you're letting the American parents see what become of their child's classroom where you're going to look down the states and see how many of the class of the teachers will be jettisoned and I think that they ought to know that that they're kid is not going to have a teacher in their classroom and they will know about it to close I will remind us all that the Republican party's project 2025 calls on their elected officials to eliminate the US Department of Education and it calls for the eventual elimination of title one this is the road to the end of Title One a mass layoff hundreds of thousands of teachers the Heritage Foundation a republican think tank is calling the shots for House Republicans see seing the complete destruction of public education and this is what they are saying this is about making sure that quality education is not accessible to Working Families is what they're saying and it only in the purview of the wealthy what my amendment gives is my Republican colleagues a chance to walk away from this dangerous Vision save 72,000 teachers from getting laid off save the kids in your own community and let their parents know that you care about them you care about their kids because they are going to know if you vote no on this amendment that you vote for kicking their kids teachers out of the classrooms I urge a yes vote on the amendment questions now on the amendment offered by The Gentle lady from Connecticut all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no the opinion of the chair of the nose habit call roll call roll call has been uh requested all those in favor recorded vote raise your hand please sufficient number having raised your hands the clerk will call the role Mr aderholt no Mr aderholt no Mr agular I Mr agular I Mr amaday Mr amaday no Mrs Bice Mr Bishop I Mr Bishop I Mr Calbert Mr calber no Mr Carl no Mr Carl no Mr Carter no Mr car Carter no Mr cartright hi Mr cartright I Mr Case Mr case I Mr cisman Mr kleene Mr kleene no Mr Cloud Mr Cloud no Mr Clyde Mr Clyde no Mr Cole no Mr Cole no Mr quar Mr quar I Mr deloro I Mr Loro I Mr Diaz Bart Mr Diaz Bart no Mr Edwards Mr Edwards no Mr elzy Mr Elie no Mr espat Mr espat I Mr Flashman Mr Flashman no Miss Frankl Miss Frankl I Mr Franklin Mr Franklin no Mr Garcia Mr Gonzalez Mr Gonzalez no Miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest no Mr Harter Dr Harris Dr Harris no Mrs Hinson Mrs Henson no Mr Hoyer I Mr Hoyer I Mr Joyce Mr Joyce no Miss captor I miss captor I Mr Kilmer Mr lerer Mr lerer no Miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California I miss Lee of Nevada Miss Leto Miss Leto no Miss McCollum Miss McCollum I miss Ming Miss Ming I Mr molinar Mr molar no Mr Morelli Mr Morelli I Mr new house Mr new house no Miss pingry Miss pingry I Mr poan Mr poan I Mr Quigley Mr Quigley I Mr Russen thaler Mr Rogers no Mr Rogers no Mr ruppersberger I Mr ruppersberger I Mr Rutherford Mr Rutherford no Mr Simpson Mr Simpson no Mrs Torres Mrs Torres I Mr trone Mr trone I miss Underwood Miss Underwood I Mr valade Mr valo no Miss waserman Schultz Miss waserman Schultz I Mrs Watson Coleman Mrs Watson Coleman I miss wexton miss wexton I Mr wellmac Mr wellmac no Mr ziny Mr ziny no does any member wish to record their Vote or change their vote gentleman from California Mr Garcia no gent lady from Oklahoma Mrs Bice no uh General lady from Nevada Miss leam Nevada I are there any further members that need to vote or change their votes Mr sisani uh gentleman's not recorded Mr sisani I are there any other members wishing to record or change their vote that the clerk will tally on this vote the eyes are 26 the nose are 31 the amendment is not adopted is there any further Amendment or discussion I now recognize chairman adle to offer a republican on block amendment I have an amendment at the desk at hold amendment number two I would ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the amendment without objection and gentleman's recognized to explain the amendment okay this unblock Amendment includes several changes to strengthen the labor Health and Human Services and education bill a few Li highlights of this would be the inclusion of language requiring agencies to meet important reporting requirements about the returning to uh to work in person also includes report language uh to address uh emergent issues in our districts and I want to thank the off thank the offices that have raised this issue with the committee and addressing them through this onbl package and I would urge my colleagues to support its adoption and with that I yield back General lady from Connecticut Miss Dolores recognized microphone sorry if you didn't hear me the first time I rise in strong opposition to the amendment the Republican on black Amendment would add yet another poison pill related to abortion it would amend the Public Health Service act to allow individuals to sue for monetary damages if they believe a government agency discriminated against a physici hospital or health insurance plan that did not provide provide coverage of or refer for abortions this amendment would expand refusal of care refusal of care laws by prior prioritizing personal beliefs above a woman's health this amendment would expand the reach of the well an amendment which puts Women's Health and women's lives in danger across the country we are seeing the deadly consequences of laws that ban abortion or limit Access to life-saving Health Care in states with abortion banss doctors are putting pregnant women with life-threatening conditions onto emergency flights to be airlifted to neighboring states to receive life-saving Health Care imagine this in the United States of America this poison pill Rider would be added to a bill that already includes at least six New Riders related to abortion or reproductive Health the house Republican majority has once again hijacked the debate over Government funding bills by adding policy writers that harm women restrict abortion and make Women's Health Care inaccessible this Republican on block Amendment at adds at least four new writers to the bill on top of more than 50 new writers in the Bas bill I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment do any other members seek recognition speak on the on block Amendment gentleman from Maryland's recogn will the gentle will the uh uh uh chair of the subcommittee yield for a question sure uh did we have any hearings on this this is a lot of substantive language and changes in the law did we have any hearings on this a lot of the these changes were included at request of members and uh but obviously everything was not we had before hearing but uh I think these are things that the members wanted to see in the bill but there were no hearings there's no vote on these amendments in the subcommittee was there as and that's the situation is with a lot of these amendments there are no hearings yes I agree with you it's the situation with a lot of these I yield okay do any other members seek recognition there's a uh gentle lady from Florida's recognized thank you Mr chair we're having a little disruption over here I I have an amendment in the second degree I ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading without objection gentle ladies Mr chair optimistically I am optimistically hoping that everyone's going to agree to this secondary Amendment um and that uh it's just been a mistake in this on block Amendment with because what it does is it cuts $10 million from the Department of Education off for office for civil rights which is the office to ensure equal access to education throughout the N nation and what my Amendment does it just put this puts the $10 million back into the base bill that was there in the first place and I I just want to say this very very respectfully because I I really have felt that Democrats and Republicans have been on the same page on this which is combating anti-Semitism in school because it is this office that does this does that and you know from The River To The Sea have you heard that from the river to Thea that's what students that's what students on college campuses are hearing a rallying cry for pro Palestinian protesters and even terrorists are calling for the destruction of Israel and I hope we all agree that all students have the right to go to school safely and in peace and since uh the events of October 7th the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust we have witnessed a Surge and anti-Semitism in this country like we have never seen the Anti-Defamation League reported more anti-emetic incidents last year than any other year on record on college campuses it jumped by over 300% that's almost a thousand incidences of anti-Semitic conduct on these campuses and across the country Jewish students are being harassed and intimidated academic buildings are being windows are broken students wearing Jewish garments uh uh stars of David are going to H are afraid they're afraid to show their faith it Bears a very chilling resemblance to what many of our Jewish relatives in including my own grandfather Abe who sawar in Europe as the Nazis were taking over it is a very frightening time to be a Jewish person in America and to be a Jewish grandmother I'm a Jewish grandmother I know you know that so thank you re uh this is not the time to slash funding for an office critical for fighting this o age-old hate and uh I'm just hoping that this is something that we can all do together and and and pass this amendment and I yield back uh gentleman from Alabama chairman atols recognized respond to the amendment in the second agree thank you chair Mr chairman I uh I rise in opposition Amendment and let me just say that regarding the anti-semitic uh comments on and actions upon the our college campuses we do not support that but this amendment would actually increase funding for the Department of Education that has pursued misguided title uh nine rulemaking that would force women to compete against males and uh males and sports uh the amendment at the same time decreases funding for charter schools and funding for Charter Schools makes up less than 1% of federal spending on K12 education and an increase is highly strongly supported by data on charter school performance the and the increasing demand for Charter Schools as I've said before here today uh we should be investing in what works and demand for charter schools and Charter School enrollment continues to increase while the enrollment in additional Public Schools declines and with that I would urge opposition to the amendment and I yield back uh Mr lores recognized respond to the amendment in a second degree I supportes Mike okay I rise in support of Representative frankl's second degree Amendment um House Republicans are not genuine in their efforts to confront anti-Semitism if they were uh you would not cut funding to the program Central to combating this hate specifically the proposal to cut the department of education's office of civil rights by $10 million in this amendment OCR is tasked with enforcing civil rights laws in educational settings prohibiting discrimination including discrimination based on national origin or shared ancestry such as anti-Semitism this includes all education settings in America K2 12 higher education and Beyond this office is critical to collecting data on allegations of harassment or bullying based on religion as it has since 2013 2014 civil rights data collection this includes reported allegations of harassments or bullying based on 14 categories of religion including Judaism for example it resolved investigations involving alleged failure to respond to anti-semitic harassment in Vermont at the University of Vermont and state agricultural college and in Arizona in both the kirne school district number 28 and Peoria Unified School District everyone has a right to learn and in an environment free from anti-semitic harassment the office of civil rights and education is vital to these efforts is watching to be sure that students our students are safe if House Republicans were so focused on combating anti-Semitism why would you cut the department of education's office of civil rights by $10 million in their Amendment their cut to education's office of civil rights demonstrate this is not serious about combating anti-Semitism I urge my colleagues to support representative Franco's second degree amendment to restore House Republicans cut to the depart Department Ed of education's office of civil rights yield back thank you the chair recognizes a gentleman from Maryland Dr Harris to address the second degree Amendment Dr Harris you're recognized to address the amendment Dr Harris you're recognized to address the amendment he doesn't think he wants to be recognized oh well they sent me the wrong name or I read the wrong name it's actually Mr Ho Mr Hoyer how could I they're both from Maryland they kind of look alike very distinct we all look alike from Maryland recognize the gentleman I apologize he apologizes for calling me Mr Harris uh you're on your own yoyo it's the yo-yo policy you're on your own we're not going to help the chairman mentions an issue of uh males uh competing against females the governor of Utah a republican in a left-wing State Utah vetoed a bill that addressed that issue why did he veto because he said it was a DI Minimus hardly present issue in Utah you mentioned the number of athletes that were competing and the incredibly small less than one hand that this could possibly uh concern with yet we know that anti-Semitism is exploding as a cancer not only on America but of the global community and yet because of the issue of dominous impact we are prepared to cut 10 million from the organization that is charged with the responsibility of confronting hate and discrimination and racism and sexism and anti-Semitism and saying to those Jewish students or to those black students or to anybody else who's different you are on your own I don't support the concept that somehow people who are suffering discrimination anti-Semitism whatever it hate will manifest itself in are on their own because yes I am My Brother's Keeper in that respect and so I rise in strong support of the gentle ladies Amendment because it is directed at manifesting America's concern for every individual we hold these truths to be self-evident that all are created equal and should not be discriminated against should not be the victims of hate and so I would say that uh this is something that we ought not to cut out because it should represent a priority not a policy of your on your own support this amendment stand up for opposition to hate stand up for opposition to the threats to the basic concept of America which is all of us are equal and due protection I yeld back Mr Clyde is recognized to address the amendment in the second degree thank you Mr chairman you know with anti-Semitism absolutely exploding on campus you would think religious freedom would take priority for the uh office of civil rights you know anti-jewish acts have increased by 900% on college campuses within the last year since the October 7th terrorist attack on Israel Jewish students report being afraid to openly identify their faith lest they face verbal or physical abuse so why would ocr's budget be cut how does OCR respond to this it's been oh what nine months since the attack on Israel yet OCR responds with indifference to such Terror targeting of Jewish students and has yet to launch a single enforcement action they are not on the job they are absent without leave they are awall OCR is awall on this issue whatsoever they are yoyo they are on your own you're on your own that's what OCR is saying when if you're Jewish you're on your own that's it no enforcement actions whatsoever these failures should outrage all law enforcement equally protecting civil rights means for all students and that requires a refocus ing of ocr's mission and ield G lady from Florida Mr wasman Schultz recognize to address the amendment in second degree you m thank you Mr chairman uh let me first just uh correct the record from the gentleman from Georgia that is absolutely not true uh the office of civil rights and the Department of Education has initiated enforcement actions against several colleges and universities opened multiple investigations that are ongoing um I I'm happy to have my staff pull for you and show you the enforcement actions but you are incorrect um let me just uh let me try to get my uh my heart and my head together here because um obviously this is a deeply personal issue for many of us um I'm not a grandmother and hope to not be for for quite a while um but I am a Jewish mother of Jewish college students and uh I'm thankful that my children attend a university uh that has not conducted itself in the way that some others have but that despite that there is still constant concern and anti-Semitism raising its ugly head um in the form of attacks against Jewish students all over this country and what is dismaying about the opposition by the Republican majority to my colleague from Florida's secondary amendment is um is found in the expression that goes something like well money talks and you know what walks um unfortunately the Republican majority is once again refusing to put their money where their mouth is on anti-semitism I I have also repeatedly supported the resolutions um that are nice words um that are important expressions of opposition and concern against anti-Semitism but words matter deeds and money to back up those words matter a hell of a lot more hatred against Jews is rising everywhere but nowhere is it more pronounced than on our college campuses recently I visited George Washington University and heard directly from Jewish students about the threatening behavior of protesters in the en in the encampments distracting them from finals and most alarmingly making them fear for their safety and in many cases unable to attend their own classes in person the same is true for Jew Jewish students faculty and staff at universities across the country including the one that my children attend and around the world it is an unfurling tragedy that demands action it demands resources I'm sure you you've heard about it after all the GOP passed seemingly endless non-binding resolutions decrying anti-semitic acts and demanding Solutions just as long as those Solutions don't involve providing the Department of Education with the resources they need to actually counter anti-Semitism because this amendment responds to The Surge and anti-semitic attacks vandalism and harassment on college campuses the underlying n block Amendment Cuts funds from the office for civil rights below the current levels really is is that how the majority demonstrates your concern about the 900% increase in anti-semitic attacks by cutting funding from the office that actually has the ability to enforce th th those uh those complaints um because they're in the process of enforcing them they've taken enforcement action against college and universities who have ignored anti-Semitism on their campuses and what the majority does in this end block of amendment is makes it even harder for them to do that by cutting the funds that they're able to use to fight anti-Semitism how can Republicans strip funding from our federal response to anti-semitic discrimination right when complaints are at record levels and there's already a backlog of Investigations it's not surprising but it's still rep repulsive it's truly sad to see Republicans make so abundantly clear that they are uninterested in defending Jewish students from hate and would rather use Jewish pain as a political cudgle we shouldn't be so surprised really since this is the same party who produced project 2025 a 900 page textbook of Christian nationalism 101 that calls for completely eliminating the Department of Education we also should no longer be surprised because we just watched the majority force a bill through this committee that underfunded nonprofit security grants another bill completely defunded hate crime prevention with anti-semitic attacks at an all-time high again it's no surprise because the Maga Supreme Court spent years hammering away at the Civil Rights Act and we shouldn't be shocked because sadly this majority has shown a chronic ability to walk the walk when it comes to fighting anti-Semitism especially from the alt-right qanon and neo-nazis I urge my colleagues to vote against the using Jewish students as political props while giving them the fire sale treatment and leaving them more vulnerable to violence I urge my my colleague support for the gentle lady's underlying uh secondary amendment I yeld back gentle lady from New York Miss Mings recognize to address the secondary Amendment thank you Mr chair I too rise in support of congresswoman frankl's amendment to restore badly needed funding for the education Department's office of civil rights I'm deeply disturbed by Republicans attempts to cut this funding the office of civil rights plays a central role in enforcing title 6 protections for students and faculty from all backgrounds who are entitled to a learning environment free from hate and discrimination under federal law right now our campuses are facing a crisis of anti-Semitism and hate according to the latest data from the Anti-Defamation League this past year was the worst year for anti-semitic incidents on campus since the ADL began recording them more than four decades ago these in incidents have included verbal and physical harassment and intimidation of students for example at Queens College which is in my district in New York there were cases of graffiti on buildings that said you better start hiding Jews and Hitler please come back teach Jews a lesson so $1 billion is not a big cut tell that to these students who have had to witness and suffer from the fear this is beyond the pale and morally reprehensible for our Jewish students to see and they are witnessing this hearing because I told them to turn on the TV and to watch this markup as Republicans cut the very office that they are asking for protection from this is not an isolated event and it's why OCR is working around the clock to address these surges of cases like these and just last week OCR resolved nine complaints against the City University of New York and entered into an agreement with the entire public City University system to ensure that each of its 25 colleges fulfills their title six responsibility ilities last month secretary Cardona told this committee that the department is woefully underst staffed to handle the existing cases and ask for an increase in funding to resolve them and earlier this month 24 Jewish organizations from across the political Spectrum wrote To Us appropriators requesting that Congress provide the highest possible funding for OCR in 2025 so given this crisis and they are watching how do our Republican colleagues who purport to care about anti-Semitism on campus respond by taking funding from the office doing the work of responding to anti-Semitism you also tried to cut funding to OCR last year my Republican colleagues are using Jewish students and Jewish trauma to advance a political agenda but when it's time to step up and provide the actual resources to protect them on campus they won't put their money where their mouth is if the office of civil rights can't investigate these cases not only Jewish students but students from all backgrounds who need protection will suffer I hope my Republican colleagues will come to the table and make funding OCR a bipartisan effort to protect our students i y back do any other members wish to address address the amendment uh gentleman from New York Mr espat recognized thank you Mr chairman I represent the district that has um the area of the neighborhood of Washington Heights which uh saw uh the influx of thousands of German Jews are fleeing the death camps during the Holocaust uh during World War II uh in addition to that it has Columbia University as well as jiba University the oldest Jewish University uh in the country over 100 years um and uh I met with students um at uh Columbia University Jewish students that conveyed to me uh that during the crisis a few months back they felt alone that they felt abandoned in a time of need and crisis not including the funding for this office will perpetuate that abandonment and will ensure that they continue to feel isolated alone and abandoned in a time of Crisis it is not with words that we can address crisis it is with deeds and certainly this action is one that's needed to ensure that safety uh is brought to all students on campuses but particularly the Jewish students imagine going to class and being yelled at right on your ear as you walk to class death to the Jews imagine that what those students must feel like we must protect them and the way we protect them is by funding this office and I yield back do any other members seek recognition to speak the second degree Amendment seeing none the gentle lady is recognized for one minute to close well I have to say I'm so sad because I really thought that the on block Amendment uh being offered that it was a mistake because because the Department of Education CI civil rights needs more money not no money it needs more money not no money and I'm just asking my colleagues does anyone have the guts ever to stand up and just hey I'm not going on the party line I don't understand it I thought the party line of the Republicans was to fight anti-Semitism so I'm a little confused but listen regardless of your party affiliation all I'm saying to you today is let's make sure sure all our children can have access to school freely and fairly without being harassed and intimidated and frightened and I yield back please support the amendment questions now on the second degree Amendment offered by General lady from Florida all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no the opinion of the chair the NOS have it on the second degree Amendment old call has been requested sufficient number of hands have been raised the clerk will call the role Mr aderholt no Mr aderholt no Mr agular I Mr agular I Mr amaday no Mr amaday no Mrs Bice Mr Bice no Mr Bishop Mr Bishop I Mr Calbert Mr Calbert no Mr Carl Mr Carl no Mr Carter Mr Carter no Mr cartright Mr cartright I Mr Case Mr case I Mr camani Mr sisani no Mr kleene Mr kleene no Mr Cloud Mr Clyde Mr Clyde no Mr Cole no Mr Cole no Mr quar Mr quar I Mr Loro I Mr luro I Mr Diaz Bart Mr Edwards Mr Edwards no Mr Elie Mr Elie no Mr espat Mr espat I Mr fman Mr fman no Miss Frankle Miss Frankle I Mr Franklin Mr Franklin no Mr Garcia Mr Garcia no Mr Gonzalez Mr Gonzalez no Miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest no Mr Harter Dr Harris Dr Harris no Mrs Henson Mrs Henson no Mr Hoyer yes Mr Hoyer I Mr Joyce Miss captor Miss captor I Mr Kilmer Mr Kilmer I Mr lerer Mr lerer no Miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California I miss Lee of Nevada Miss Lee of Nevada I miss Leto Miss Leto no Miss McCullum Miss McCullum I miss Ming Miss Ming I Mr molinar Mr mullinar no Mr mlli Mr mlli I Mr new house Mr new house no Miss pingry Miss pingry I Mr poan Mr poan I Mr Quigley Mr Quigley I Mr Russen thaler Mr Russen thaler no Mr Rogers Mr Rogers no Mr rippberger Mr Mr ruppersberger I Mr Rutherford Mr Rutherford no Mr Simpson Mrs Tores hi Mrs Tores I Mr trone Mr trone I miss Underwood hi Miss Underwood I Mr valo Mr valo no Miss wasman Schultz Miss was Schultz I Mrs Watson Coleman Mrs Watson Coleman I miss wexton miss wexton I Mr wac Mr wac no Mr ziny Mr ziny no are there any uh members wishing to vote or to change their vote Mr Cloud Mr Cloud no uh Mr Simpson no Mr simp no are there any other members wishing to either record or change their vote that clerk Will T oh no it's not Mr uh Mr Jo what purpose gentleman from Ohio rise and gentleman is not recorded Mr Joyce no gentleman from Florida Mr Diaz Bart no on this vote the eyes are 26 the nose are 33 the amendment in the second degree is not adopted we'll now return to the amendment offered by Mr adol I recognize chairman aderholt for one minute to close thanks uh thank you Mr chairman uh again uh this U amendment makes several changes to strengthen the labor Health and Human Services and education bill as I mentioned and G ladies Fring I'm sorry we had other items in the end block that I think some wanted to debate not just secondary you want to continue other things beyond that I mean it wasn't only the cut to the OCR that well no nobody was seeking res recognition so I moved on to give the gentleman the opportunity to close but we can certainly go back yeah I mean i' like to add a few other things G General ladies recognized thank you Mr chairman and I appreciate everyone's Indulgence but I think it's important that uh members understand that this end block Amendment doesn't just outrageously cut the office of civil rights and ignore um and contradict our colleagues professions to uh to support fighting anti-Semitism it's also a laundry list of terrible Provisions because Republicans in this end block are attempting to add yet another anti-abortion riter in this bill since it somehow isn't extreme enough already the proposed expansion of the Welden Amendment will embolden insurance and medical providers who see to deny patients access to abortion services and coverage and that just moves America One Step Closer to the National Abortion ban that Republicans clearly covet this amendment also inserts a riter that moves toward a return to Trump's cruel policy of family separation by making it harder for unaccompanied children to be United with family members at taxpayers expense these two Provisions alone are frankly unconscionable and we've already had a lengthy discussion um I I I just think that every member that just voted against um uh the Gent lady from Florida's secondary Amendment uh should spare us the in treaties that you have so eloquently expressed in opposition to anti-Semitism if you just refuse to restore $10 million to the office that actually is the only office that can enforce the fight against anti-Semitism on college campuses you know like I said money talks and you know what walks and that's apparently what Republicans did with this unblock Amendment um don't go back home and look at your Jewish Comm your Jewish Community constituents in the face and say you actually care about fighting anti-Semitism if you support this enblock amendment with 10 this $10 million cut thank you Mr chairman for the Indulgence I yield back there additional speakers willing wishing to discuss the enblock seeing none I recognize chairman aderholt uh for one minute to close again Amendment include several changes to strengthen the labor Health and Human Services and education Bill and again one of the things that it does requires agencies to meet important reporting requirements about returning to uh n work persons uh so um again uh I urge my colleagues uh to support this legislation or this um to uh adopt and with that I yield back questions on the amendment all those in favor say I I I all those poos say no no in the opinion of the chair the eyes have it roll call has been requested sufficient number of hands have been raised the clerk will call the role Mr aderholt I Mr aderholt I Mr agular Mr agular no Mr amaday Mr amaday I Mrs Bice Mr Bishop Mr Calbert no I'm sorry Mr Bishop no Mr Calbert Mr Carl I Mr Carl I Mr Carter I Mr Carter I Mr carright Mr cartright no Mr Case Mr Case no Mr sisani Mr sisani I Mr kleene Mr Cloud Mr Clyde hi Mr Clyde I Mr Cole I Mr Cole I Mr quar Mr Loro no Mr Loro no Mr Diaz Bart I Mr Diaz Bart I Mr Edwards Mr Edwards I Mr Elie Mr espat Mr espat no Mr Flashman I Mr Flashman I miss Frankle Miss Frankle no Mr Franklin Mr Frank Franklin I Mr Garcia Mr Garcia I Mr Gonzalez Mr Gonzalez I miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest I Mr Harter Dr Harris Dr Harris I Mrs Henson Mrs Henson I Mr Hoyer no Mr Hoyer no Mr Joyce I Mr Joyce I miss captor no Miss captor no Mr Kilmer Mr lerer Mr lerer I miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California no Miss Lee of Nevada Miss Lee of Nevada no Miss Leto I miss Leto I miss McCollum Miss McCollum no Miss Ming Miss Ming no Mr molinar Mr molinar I Mr Morelli Mr Morelli no Mr NE housee Mr NE house I miss pingry miss pingry no Mr poan Mr poan no Mr Quigley no Mr Quigley no Mr rashen thaler hi Mr rashen thaler I Mr Rogers I Mr Rogers I Mr ruppersberger Mr ruppersberger no Mr ruford Mr ruford I Mr Simpson Mrs torus Mrs torus no Mr trone no Mr trone no Miss Underwood Mr valo I Mr valo I miss wasman Schultz Miss was Schultz no Mrs Watson Coleman Miss wexton Miss wexton no Mr wac Mr wac I Mr ziny Mr ziny I any members wish to vote or to change their vote gentleman from California Mr Calin Mr calber I Texas Mr qu Mr quar no gentleman from Texas Mr Cloud I Mr Cloud I another gentleman from Texas Mr Elie Mr Elie I another gentleman from Idaho gentleman from Washington I Mr Kilmer no gentleman from Virginia Mr kleene I are there other gentlem lady from Oklahoma Mrs Vice I are there other other members wishing to vote or change their vote that the clerk will tally on this vote the eyes are 33 the nose are 24 the amendment is adopted Mr Hoyer is recognized for the purpose of an amendment Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk and I ask unanimous consent that be considered as read without objection and the gentleman is recognized to explain his Amendment thank you very much Mr chairman I Rise to offer an amendment that would strike this bill's provision that undermines the critical work done by the advanced research project Agency for health arpa h and the National Institutes for health I mentioned this in my opening comments with reference to the consolidation or reorganization of NIH and uh arpa earlier my colleague representative Simpson voiced his very legitimate concerns about consolidating the National Institute of dental and crano facial research with some of the other institutes I have a similar concern about this consolidating arpa H within NIH Institute and centers a year and a half ago Congress established arpa H with an independent structure reporting directly to the Secretary of the Health and Human Services we did so to put another pair of eyes on uh issues of development investment and Innovation the bill would eliminate the agency's autonomy and flexibility ripping away the very tools that are essential to the agency's mission ARP has focused on high impact research to drive breakthroughs on the hardest challenges in health its collaboration with NIH is essential but its independence provides the flexibility to take big risks and big payoffs those who are for free enterprise know that one of the great payoffs we have is that people take big risks obviously big risk they fail a lot some agencies do not want the the over s it of them failing a lot so they avoid big risk this bill would also cut arpa H's funding by 1 billion do or 67% 2third of its funding such a cut could immediately stifle Innovation by forcing the agency to scale back its existing portfolio of crucial R&D initiatives RP's Cutting Edge research is vital to saving lives and improving the health of the American people that research includes among others projects develop technology to heal joints affected by osteoporo arthritis 3D printed hearts and kidneys what an amazing thought that is to help address organ shortages eye transplant to cure blindness and novel Imaging and surgery methods to provide breakthrough cancer treatment in rural areas arpa H needs adequate resources to advance these projects and many others that are transforming Americans lives which is why this amendment would strike this bill's cut to the agency the amendment also removes Provisions that would rationally overhaul NIH on which we had no hearings in the committee on which there is no plan that has been provided to us uh the NIH is an economic and Innovation Powerhouse with discoveries that have led to new ways to prevent diagnose and treat illnesses the the rush fiscal year 2025 Appropriations process however is not is not the appropriate time or venue to initiate dramatic restructuring of the NIH it's not that it shouldn't be considered but it should be considered in a thoughtful considered way instead Congress ought to do what has done in the past and take a thoughtful as I said transparent and bipartisan approach that's the cares act bipartisan approach to reauthorizing and enhancing NIH the Energy and Commerce Committee recently released a discussion draft of possible changes to NIH structure and policy on which the comment phase has not ended as at the invitation of the committee we need to give the committee time to receive feedback from stakeholders and weigh it carefully this is not a process that should be prematurely initiated rushed or based on conspiracy theories and claims constructive discussion should include hearings stakeholder input and the advice of the department any approach to reorganizing the ni should clearly demonstrate how it improves and streamlines work for maximum scientific benefit lastly the appropriation committee needs to hold its own hearings I I know I sound like a broken record that we ought to have hearings we ought to learn what the facts are we then ought to have discussions in subcommittees supposedly the experts in that subject matter of those sub of those subcommittees we have not done that once the authorizers have done their work and our committee has done its own due diligence we will be able to appropriate the necessary funding needed to strengthen the NIH in a way that we think is appropriate therefore my colleagues uh without taking a position on the proposal which we do not have had no opportunity to discuss none zero zip I would urge us to adopt this amendment uh and undertake the hard work the careful work that is required to reach a conclusion of which we could all be proud and I yeld back uh Mr aderholt is recognized respond to the amendment thank you I uh appreciate the gentleman's concerns uh and we all know that the current structure of NH does not fit the scientific needs of the nation and this fact has been acknowledged by prior directors it's also been acknowledged by scientific advisory panels and quite frankly by uh those of us in Congress uh chair of the the energy and um Commerce Committee uh M mik Morris Ro rers uh she and I have sought to work together to launch a a conversation about how to reform elements of in age while retaining the core focus on biomedical research and maintaining America's Leading Edge Innovation uh we understand that not every proposal that we are putting forward is going to be adopted but as we've seen from in investigations led by House Republicans and several committees NIH reform is urgently needed they cannot appropriately manage grantees they seek to circumvent federal law and block Congressional investigation I know we all value the countless efforts to save lives and cure disease and we fully intend to expand those efforts we're not trying to take away from that in any way form or fashion but we will not turn a blind eye to the necessary and the urgent need to address other shortcomings I do want to thank the gentleman for sharing his concerns and I look forward to working with him and all the members of this committee on this issue as we move forward in this process how you back thank you uh gentle lady from Connecticut Mr LS recognized to address the amendment Mr chairman with all du du respect to the to the chair of the of the of the subcomittee I I don't understand that about denigrating the role of the NIH it's a crown jewel of a biomedical research not only recognized in the United States but recognized all over the world and as I understand understand this uh that there's a consensus in the in the biomedical research uh uh uh uh community that this is the wrong direction to be going in now I would I would just say to you this any way can take a look at of consolidating reorganizing or or or taking a look at uh uh uh if there are gaps Etc but as Congressman Hoyer pointed out that requires hearings that requires the scientific evidence of that the need for such a restructuring and there hasn't been any of that if this was a collaboration between Energy and Commerce and the chair of the committee well that's wonderful I appreciate your ideas but that is not the that is not the the the the biomedical research community in the United States so I I rise in strong U support of of of of um of uh of Mr hoyer's Amendment it's shortsighted to include a partisan reorganization of the National Institutes of Health in an Appropriations bill I say we need to hold these public hearings this is a thoughtful process what are the best ideas to advance the NIH any discussion again needs to be bipartisan and by Camal uh what about slashing the funding for the advanced research projects Agency for arpa by a billion below 2024 and I am proud that we established arpa age in the 2022 Omnibus initially funding the new agency at a billion dollar increasing that amount to 1.5 billion in 2023 we established ARP as an independent research agency to drive transformational innovation in health research support high-risk High reward projects cutting funding by a billion dollars for arpage 67% would force this new agency to cancel or drastically scale back ambitious research projects ARA is now funding teams of researchers they are trying to heal osteoarthritis by regenerating joints it is funding research to enable the transplantation of whole eyes to restore sight arpa H is supporting research that will enable delivery of treatments to the brain funding research to development hearts and kidneys to address the challenge of organ shortages for patients who need them in my district I am proud that several constituents who work at the Yale School of Medicine one of the top medical research institutions in the country have received arpa grants the first was $6.5 Million an award aimed to training the immune system to better fight cancer the second Grant awarded last month a $22 million award to develop a more affordable method for breast MRIs which is the best screening tool we have to detect breast cancer especially in women with dense breasts these Innovations have the potential to benefit all Americans to cut arpa's funding for projects like this would be deeply shortsighted I'm very proud of the role that I played in establishing arpa H as an independent research agency and I will continue to ously support its mission to fund transformational transformative research I urge my colleagues to support representative hoyer's Amendment do any other members seek recognition to speak on the amendment seeing none the gentleman has recognized uh for one minute to close thank you very much Mr chairman if I Rose during the consideration of the defense bill and suggested that we have a reorganization without any hearings without any discussion without any consideration by the authorizing Committee of substance that doesn't mean the chair hasn't had some ideas Mr Calbert would have laughed me out of the committee room yet I have the feeling here that we're going to um without significant thought say yes let's go ahead with this that does not speak well for the substantive consideration by this committee I hope that you will decide as a committee that this requires more thought than it has been given not one of you know what this means not one and yet I have the feeling you're prepared to vote uh as the the committee subcommittee chair ask you to vote I think that's unfortunate I yield back questions now on the amendment offered by Mr Hoyer all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no opinion of the chair the NOS have it chairman I'm going to withdraw uh if there's no objection uh the amendment uh but uh this amendment of course will not be in the bill when it's ultimately as you point out uh there going to be compromises I certainly have no objection to the gentleman withdrawing the amendment I'll withdraw the amendment Mr C Mr Clyde is recognized for the purpose of an amendment thank you Mr chair I have an amendment at the desk and I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be considered without objection and the gentleman's recognized to explain the amendment thank you now earlier this year during our hearing with secretary barera I focused my questions on the mishandling of unaccompanied Alien Children who are entering our country today I'm offering a simple Amendment one that bars the Department of Health and Human Services from placing these unaccompanied alien children with illegal alien sponsors there are a record number of unaccompanied children cross the southern border due to President Biden's open border policies in 2022 alone HHS received a record 128,648 Harris Administration HHS could not reach 85,000 children living with sponsors this is completely unacceptable we need to know the status of these sponsors when they are vetted and we need to ensure that children being placed with sponsors are properly cared for and provided with a safe living experience that starts with ensuring that these children are placed with law-abiding families you know I was born in another country and I came here as a minor but I came here legally my older brother and sister were born in another country and they came to the United States legally my mother was born in another country and came to the United States legally sponsors to unaccompanied Alien Children must never be allowed to live with illegal aliens we should never be rewarding illegal Behavior with the custody of children so I urge my colleagues to support my Common Sense Amendment thank you and I Y back thank you the general lady from Conneticut Mr lores recognized respond to the amendment I rise in strong opposition to the amendment this amendment would prohibit the office of refugee resettlement from reuniting children with families full stop prohibit the office of refugee resettlement from reuniting children with families I don't know how many times we have to say this but the Department of Health and Human Services is not an immigration enforcement agency the trafficking victims protection reauthorization act of 2008 mandates that an unaccompanied child and I quote be promptly placed in the least restrictive setting that is in the best interest of the child end quote this is the law if you want to change immigration law then do it but until then Congress tasked the Department of Health and Human Services to be temporary caretakers of unaccompanied children it tasked the office of refugee resettlement with the respons responsibility of vetting sponsors to ensure a suitable safe placement for children in homes as safely and expeditiously as possible and I want to acknowledge here o has not been perfect in this regard there have been oig reports and mistakes and they need to be better nothing nothing is more important than the safety of a child and I have spent years in this institution working on this issue but disqualifying a sponsor because of their legal status is not an appropriate factor in this process it would ignore the reality that most of the children over 80% of the children are released to family members over 80% are released to family members you can shake your head but but you have to look at the data it would keep thousands of children from their parents this is a fact we've seen what happened with that in the past regardless of legal status children do not and should not be in the care of the federal government any longer than they need to be this Amendment would disregard current law and the requirement that children be placed in the least restrictive setting in the best interest of the child the way it works is you place him with parents first secondly with legal Guardians and family members next grandparents Aunts Uncles Etc absent extreme circumstances it would disregard the American medical association's advice ignore child welfare best practices and needlessly detain children for longer than they need be in care let me quote a former Trump HHS official here quote the children should be home with their parents the government makes lousy parents end quote it seems yet again like another Republican's cruel attempt to use children as PA bonds for immigration enforcement I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment are there other members wishing to speak to the amendment seeing none the gentleman is recognized for one minute to close you Mr chairman you know the people who end up being Guardian of children should be those who obey the law those who are legally here um not those who are law Breakers and with that I encourage support of my Amendment and I yield questions now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no the opinion of the chair the eyes have it and the amendment is adopted GLE lady from California Miss Lee is recognized for the purpose of an amendment oh she stepped away do we have another one we come back to this obviously Mr Clyde are you ready to proceed okay Mr Clyde is Rec recognized for an amendment thank you Mr chairman um I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be considered as read uh without objection would the gentleman specify the amendment quickly oh I'm sorry yes Clyde number two okay without objection uh and the gentleman is recognized to explain the amendment thank you Mr chair AR rise today to ask my colleagues to support my amendment to prevent federal funds from being used to carry out research focused on firearm related restrictions firearm disenfranchisement firearm bans and any other restriction on Firearms the federal government should not fund or subsidize the undermining of our Second Amendment freedoms while the adiki amendment is thankfully still in existence in this bill unelected anti-gun bureaucrats attack our Second Amendment rights um on a regular basis and they are gaining in momentum just two weeks ago Biden Administration Surgeon General VC m and I think I got that name right went as far as to say and I quote firearm violence is a Public Health crisis in America as we all know the US Surgeon General is a political appointee nominated by the president of the United States and is the leading spokesman on matters of Public Health but this fear-mongering is unacceptable with rhetoric like this coming from the top Public Health official in the nation who is supposed to be nonpartisan I am extremely concerned that federal funds that are supposed to be going toward research searching ways to fight crippling diseases will instead be used to study and Advance gun control policies we cannot allow this to happen my Amendment will strengthen the existing Dicky amendment guard rails in the bill to ensure taxpayer dollars do not fund this type of research in any manner or fashion I urge my colleagues to support this amendment which supports the Second Amendment thank you and I yield back thank you uh gent lady from Connecticut Mr lores recognized to respond to the amendment thank you Mr chairman uh I rise in strong opposition to this amendment firearm inj in injury is among the five leading causes of death for people aged 1 through 44 in the United States it is the leading cause of death for children and teens aged 1 through 19 me repeat the last statement firearm injury is the leading cause of death for children and teens 1 through 19 this amendment to add prohibitions on research related to firearm mortality and morbidity prevention would be added to a bill that already removes funding for This research this is absurd collecting timely data addressing the gaps in knowledge around this issue identifying effective prevention strategies are needed to keep individual ual families schools and communities safe from firearm injury and death and to enhance safe firearm practices the National Institutes of Health has funded research in New York that allows emergency room Health Care Providers to ask about firearms in the home and if they are stored safely an issue I care about deeply according to the hospital where this research was conducted reducing gun violence in Industry would be a cost-saver to the hospital's bottom line if fewer gunshot patients are treated Center for Disease Control and prevention supports a diverse portfolio of research projects to advance our understanding of the characteristics risks and protective factors of firearm violence suicide and unintentional injury and the effectiveness of interventions to prevent firearm related injuries and death many funded research Pro projects Focus specifically on youth or will have implications for youth While others are relevant for specific populations at an elevated risk for firearm violence and suicide such as our veterans and those who have been victims of violence in addition the Center for Disease Control and prevention funds 12 states to colle collect near realtime data from emergency departments to identify patterns respond to surges in gun violence and determine where to direct intervention efforts the underlying Bill already includes the dicki amendment which prohibits funding from being used and I quote in whole or in part to Advocate or promote gun control this is not about gun control this is about public health I will note that it was the former Secretary of HHS Health and Human Services Alex AAR who said there was nothing precluding congress from funding This research there just needed to be funding in the bill that is why I fought to provide funding for firearm injury and mortality research in fiscal year 2020 the first time that we have had funding for 20 years I will continue to fight to ensure that funding is included in this bill we should be United in finding ways to save lives and to end gun violence not playing partisan games with this critical research this is this amendment is more for guns and for gun owners than it is is for saving lives I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment is Le recognized to address the amendment in strong opposition to this amendment it's very harmful it attempts to uh prohibit gun violence prevention research relating to gunshot injury or mortality prevention that treats crimes committed with the firearm as a public health epidemic which it is in June 2023 um I let a letter signed by many members of Congress to Surgeon General mury urging him to take more robust action to curb gun violence following various engagements this past month the surgeon general's office took the historic step of releasing an advisory declaring gun violence a Public Health crisis and applaud continued efforts to expand gun violence research to protect families especially our children gun violence has impacted far too many communities across this nation from Mass school shootings to daily crime in vulnerable neighborhoods it's not just a political or law enforcement problem it's a Public Health crisis and deserves to be treated as such which necessitates better research and data collection guns kill 44,000 Americans and severely injures hundreds of thousands more each year it's the leading cause of death for children children in the United States you can't tell me that that is not a Public Health crisis leading cause of death of children it disproportionately impacts communities of color gun violence is not a political issue it impacts all of us regardless of political stripes or zip code just last year a poll found that access to guns was America's number one public concerns mass shootings that have continued to devastate our schools our public places and our communities are clear examples of why we need a public health approach to this issue Americans are constantly telling us that they want to see change on the issue because of the deadly fear that they feel from gun violence and it is an epidemic and rightly so if there were a disease killing 44,000 mind you 44,000 Americans every day we'd be racing to find a cure if there were a food it killing 44,000 Americans every year we'd be pulling it from the shelves if there were a car or an airplane killing 44,000 Americans every year we'd be demanding a redesign Mr Clyde's Amendment will directly make us and our loved ones less safe it prevents medical experts from using their expertise to confront an epidemic that's destroying lives families and communities we need to stop favoring the gun lobby at the expense of American lives and do everything we can to further expand firearm violence research and data collection I urge my colleagues to vote no on this amendment it's uh quite deadly chair recognizes the gentle lady from Florida Miss wasman Schultz to address the amendment thank you Mr chairman I rise in strong opposition to this amendment as the gentleman from Georgia said just two weeks ago US Surgeon General Dr Vivic Murthy declared firearm violence in this country to be a Public Health crisis his advisory detailed very clearly how Firearms are now the leading cause of death for children and adolescents there were more than 48,000 firearm related deaths in the United States in 2022 according to CDC data think about that every day over a hundred people are killed by a gun every single day a room full of people just like this one die from Guns these numbers are appalling this non-starter of a bill already eliminates funding for CDC to conduct gun violence prevention research but clearly that's not enough for those beholden to the gun lobby this senseless and heartless Amendment manages to expand that research pre prohibition even further so what so we can double down on thoughts and prayers this amendment is plain disgusting research was one of the key pillars in Dr murthy's advisory in very clear terms and he is absolutely correct we do need a strong Foundation of research to understand which gun safety policies truly keep our community safe this amendment prevents any meaningful analysis into understanding this epidemic and I'm saddened by the Republicans priorities have we forgotten Sandy Hook pulse Parkland Las Vegas Uvalde Tree of Life mother Emanuel and so many more terrible incidents do you not see the news on a daily basis or look at the horrific scenes in our communities gun violence is in our places of worship shopping malls in our grocery stores concerts and movie theaters do we keep ignoring the Carnage born from hate crimes anti-Semitism or the children thoughtlessly gunned down our neighborhoods in schools now flooded with fear gun violence is a major problem but it is a distinctly American problem that's because extreme elected leaders allowed it to get to this point leaders right here in this room who turn a blind eye to the pain fear and Skyhigh Health costs gun violence reeks and claim guns just aren't a problem how many more massacres will it take for Republicans to take a stand and say enough I urge my Republican colleagues to vote against this amendment I'm confident my Democratic colleagues will be and rise to the occasion once and for all a yield back um G lady from Ohio Miss captors recognized to address the amendment thank you uh Mr chairman and um I uh want to concur with my colleagues uh Congressman Lee and um waserman Schulz and oppose this uh amendment I um like many other Americans continue to weigh the cost of the Carnage of children across our country and what has happened to them in schools places we used to consider safe and uh I just want to tell the story of one killing that I happen to have personal knowledge of to place this on the record the as salant was a male 15 years of age in a rather well-to-do community in Michigan just north of the border that I serve in Ohio he killed four of his classmates and six more students were injured as was a teacher and many many others were caught in the crossfire and the maam that happened in that school remains with every single individual who worked there or had loved ones in the school the as salent thankfully was convicted of first-degree murder he was 15 years old and terrorism I can tell you the mother of one of the deceased children seeing the hand of her daughter uh sticking out from under a medical covering in a medical lab screamed so loud ly that she thought she would break the glass that she was looking through I happen to know a family member of a young student that survived that shooting a Survivor and what this family is going through right now with pts as bad as any one of our military veterans would face and not just the child the family the grandparents this doesn't end it is a public health problem it's even more than that the family has moved and just the bills the medical bills for a family that survived in quotes has already amounted to over $200,000 just to try to stabilize a family their child has not re-enrolled in school we don't want that child to fall behind behind but how do they catch up when they're not with their classmates and how do they manage to rroo in a new place and try to live a normal life when the pts does not end these are veterans these are veterans of the shooting spree going on in this country I know the offerer of the amendment um owns a gun store but I would really plead with him to meet with some of the families that I know in my part of the country and perhaps meet some of your concerns but also address the real Health crisis that we face in this country and it is disturbing to me it's in the families present with pts because of what has happened to their children this is a big public health issue and it is rooted in irresponsible Behavior you can blame the parents you can blame the media you can blame whatever you want but we have many wounded veterans civillian veterans across this country that have their families have been so damaged and so crippled by this Rising gun violence I I just think the gentleman is on the wrong track uh we at least have communicated on other issues where we've disagree but this is one that is not getting any smaller it's getting bigger across our country and it is wounding our fellow citizens we simply must take a different Tack and I do not believe the gentleman's Amendment helps in this very very important regard thank you so very much and I yield back are there other members wishing to address the amendment seeing none the gentleman's recognize for one minute to close thank you Mr Mr chairman and my colleagues on the left love to use the term gun violence that is a deceptive left-wing term much like the term assault weapon guns are inanimate objects and are not violent evil people are violent not Firearms evil Deeds do not transcend constitutional rights my Amendment still allows the CDC and the NIH to carry out research on medical procedures practices treatments medicines and therapies related gunshot injuries and recovery and I encourage them to do that this amendment simply strengthens the existing guard rails of the dicki amendment and with that I encourage support and I yield back questions now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no opinion of the chair the eyes have it roll call has been requested Ed please a show of hands you got the number sufficient number of hands have been raised so with that the clerk will call the role Mr aderholt I Mr aderhold I Mr agular no Mr agular no Mr amaday Mrs Bice Mr Bishop no Mr Bishop no Mr Calbert Mr Calbert I Mr Carl Mr Carl I Mr Carter Mr cartright Mr cartright no Mr Case Mr Case no Mr sisani Mr camani I Mr kleene Mr kleene I Mr Cloud Mr Clyde I Mr Clyde I Mr Cole I Mr Cole I Mr quar Mr Loro hell no Mr Loro no Mr Diaz Bart Mr Edwards Mr Elie Mr Elie I Mr espat Mr aspat no Mr fman Mr Flashman I miss Frankle Miss Frankle no Mr Franklin Mr Franklin I Mr Garcia Mr Garcia I Mr Gonzalez Miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest I Mr Harter Dr Harris Dr Harris I Mrs Henson Mrs Henson I Mr Hoyer no Mr Hoyer no Mr Joyce Mr Joyce I miss captor Miss captor no Mr Kilmer Mr Kilmer no Mr lerer Mr lerer I miss Lee of California no Miss Lee of California no Miss Lee of Nevada Miss Lee of Nevada no Miss Leto Miss Leto I miss McCullum Miss McCullum no Miss Ming Miss Ming no Mr molinar Mr molar I Mr Morelli Mr mlli no Mr new house Mr new house I miss pingry miss pingry no Mr poan Mr poan no Mr Quigley Mr Quigley no Mr rashen thaler Mr Russen thaler I Mr Rogers Mr Rogers I Mr rubers bger Mr rippberger no Mr ruford I Mr Rutherford I Mr Simpson Mr Simpson I Mrs Tores Mrs Torres no Mr trone no Mr trone no Miss Underwood Miss Underwood no Mr valo Mr valo I miss wasman Schultz Miss wasman Schultz no Mrs Watson Coleman Miss wxon Miss wexton no I Mr wmac Mr wellmac I Mr ziny I Mr ziny I are there uh other members wishing to vote or change their vote gentleman from Texas Mr Cloud Mr Cloud I gentleman from North Carolina Mr Edwards gentleman from Florida Mr Diaz Bart I gentleman from Nevada Mr amade I gentle lady from Oklahoma hi Mrs Bice I gentleman from Texas Mr Carter I are there others wishing to vote or change their vote seeing none the clerk will tally on this vote the uh eyes are 32 the NOS are 24 the amendment is adopted is there any further Amendment or discussion Mr Lee of California is recognized for an amendment chairman I have an amendment Lee number one at the desk and I ask without objection and gentle ladies recognized to explain her Amendment Mr chairman first um as co-chair of the pro-choice profal pro-choice caucus I offer an amendment to strike the writers which place restrictions on women's health and freedom these uh deeply partisan and unserious policy writers would block access to sexual and reproductive Health Care Nationwide this is all part and parcel of course of the extreme project 2025 agenda that Republicans are seeking to implement under a Republican president these writers would let me just tell you how extreme they are defund Planned Parenthood and block people that rely on on public health programs from accessing critical preventive services including mammograms at Planned Parenthood Health Centers prohibits funding for NIH to conduct and support research using fetal issue tissue excuse me eliminate funding for the title 10 program and teen pregnancy prevention program while funding abstinence only programs restricts access to gender affirming care in with postgraduate training in abortion care which is an essential component of medical education necessary to ensure the health and well-being of pregnant people Block's implementation of the Biden administration's executive orders intended to increase access to abortion care postd decision two years ago five extremist Supreme Court Justices voted to take our country back decades and revoke a fundamental right of millions by overturning row now millions of Americans of reproductive age are living without access to abortion care suffering preventable harm to their bodies and lives doctors are afraid to treat women who need care out of fear of being sued or losing their medical license and women are dying mind you dying because of this these poison pill writers are a stark reminder that the gop's war on reproductive freedom is not over over if these poison pill Riders are not stricken we know that the impacts that these Provisions have hold would fall hardest on young people lgbtq plus people black indigenous and other people of color as well as those working to make ends meet everyone should be able to make their own decisions about their reproductive health and future this amendment is intended to demonstrate that we in Congress support efforts to protect access to critically important reproductive health services and do everything we can to reestablish a nationwide right to access abortion care throughout the United States as Ro versus Wade had established about half a century ago before a right-wing extremist took that right away I urge a yes on my Amendment but before I yield I'd like to make one thing abundantly clear there are two extreme partisan writers that this amendment would not strike to have no place in our budget Federal funding and a bans like hide the hide Amendment and licenses to discriminate like the Welden Amendment or nothing less than direct attacks on black and brown people women and poor women since 1979 the H amendment has banned all federal funds for abortions leaving everyone who relies on the federal government who have no money no insurance leaves them without abortion care coverage this disproportionately harms women of color black women and poor women who are far more likely to receive government sponsored Insurance because the economic Gap is real for these women they're lower wage women they work two and three jobs they have child care costs they have no money for health care so either through Medicaid or the ACA Marketplace subsidies is where they get their health care across the 34 states in DC where it's currently having an impact the height Amendment leaves nearly 8 million women of reproductive age with Medicaid coverage but without abortion coverage half of those AFF in mind you half are women that look like me they're black women and they're women of color the height amendment is an abortion plan ban excuse me plain and simple a targeted abortion ban on a specific portion of our population it's an abortion ban on anyone who relies on the federal government as their source of their health insurance on our service members on those working to make ends meet on people of color and even on federal employees who keep this place running and this ban only exacerbates the already dire crisis that women of color face after the fall of Row versus Wade not only do black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States almost three times that of white women but more than half of black women of reproductive age currently live under an abortion ban putting them at even greater risk the hide and Welding amendments are targeted extreme abortion bans on women of color and poor women who already face insurmountable barriers to essential reproductive Health Care in post-dbs America they are racist and they're discriminatory house Democrats have kept the height Amendment out of the House pass spending bills when in the majority and we must call out this GOP extremism for exactly what it is so I urge my colleagues to support my Amendment to eliminate these extreme anti-abortion Provisions in this will I yield back thank you uh Mr ader Holtz recognized respond to the amendment thank you Mr chair um I rise in strong opposition to the amendment uh the gentle L's Amendment would strike numerous pro-life non-discrimination and conscious protection Provisions that's included in the bill for example this amendment eliminates the conscience protection for medical students under our bill uh the underlying Bill students cannot be required to participate in training to perform or assist in the performance of an induced abortion medical students who do not voluntarily opt in to such training should not be required to violate their conscience in any way however the amendment also eliminates non-discrimination Provisions that protect medical students from discrimination if they decide not to opt in for training and induced abortions no one should be discriminated against for deciding not to receive such training the amendment removes a provision that prevents taxpayer dollars from going to plan Parenthood the largest facilitator of abortion in this nation Americans should not be forced to pay taxes to support an organization that violates their conscience regarding the sany of human life furthermore the amendment strikes Pro uh protections for title 10 grantees who cannot in good conscience refer for abortions grantees funded with taxpayer dollars should never be required to refer uh for abortions in violation of of their deeply held beliefs I know members of this committee have strongly held disagreements over the right to life for The Unborn I would hope however that at least we can unite under the principle that Americans should not be required or they should not be coerced to violate their conscience to pay for train for refer for or provide for abortions and it's for the these reasons that I strongly oppose the gentle L's Amendment and I ask my colleagues to vote not thank you General lady from Connecticut Mr lores recognized to respond to the amendment I support of the amendment Republicans continue to oppose their extreme ideology on women by blocking access to abortion Services reproductive health care and this bill is a laundry list of their extreme demands in this bill Republicans include poison pill Riders to block funding to Planned Parenthood Health Clinics they block funding for Biden Administration policies intended to help women who live in states that have enacted total bans on abortion but blocking funding is not enough for the extremists in this Republican majority they also impose a quote gag order on title 10 health clinics Banning them from merely providing information on abortion options that's outrageous let me say it again Republicans would block doctors from providing accurate and comprehensive information to women about the health care options that are available to them they would forever ruin the TR between women and their doctors and insert their 19th century ideology into some of the most private and consequential decisions that women must make this bill also includes a dangerous provision that would lead to fewer Physicians receiving clinical training to provide a needed abortion that means a woman with a life-threatening pregnancy would be less likely to find a physician with the clinical training training necessary to save her life or protect her ability to have children in the future since the Supreme Court overturned roie Wade and took away a constitutional right that was in place for more than 50 years Republicans have doubled down on extremism they have led efforts to enact total abortion bans in 14 States and partial bans in 27 States Republicans are demonstrating their true agenda they want to AB band they want to ban abortion Nationwide and unequivocally that's what it is they want to completely strip away a woman's right to make her own health care decisions a lack of respect for women and a lack of trust in women who make judgments about their families and theirselves every single day as a result of this bill millions of women would be denied from seeing the doctor of their choice denied the ability to travel to another state to receive an abortion if they live in a state with a total ban and denied complete information on their health care options this bill makes a mockery of the idea of informed Health Care decisions puts millions of women at the mercy of an extreme Republican ideology that really does doesn't care much about their health or their lives ultimately Congress must fix the error of the Supreme Court but in the meantime we must also defend Health Care for Women across this country I urge my colleagues to support representative Lee's Amendment for the sake of women everywhere I yield back thank you Gentle lady from Florida Miss Frankle recognized to address the amendment well okay here we go again you know it wouldn't be uh Wednesday without me saying my my my is it Wednesday oh yes it is she thank you you feel better about that okay I feel like I'm repeating myself who said that now but you started it you started it uh you know I'm going to say this again because I think it's very important for everyone to know the Republicans are on a mission to ban abortion in every look cranny of this country despite the fact that a few of you I'm not saying anyone in this room because I don't really know what you're saying but there are a few Republicans who said oh the Supreme Court is now leaving it up to the states but today we're not leaving it up to the states are we uh and first let me make something clear there's a little difference between Banning abortion and taking someone's ability uh to pay for one away I mean you all have are Banning abortion for underresourced women in this country there's no question about that that's starting with the hide Amendment and then you got the uh the next Amendment which uh called the weal an amendment which threatens federal health care funding for low-income Americans not just those who need abortions by punishing states that try to protect reprod reproductive Health Care access and then unbelievably this bill once again guys you're trying to prohibit funding for Planned Parenthood which last year served over 2 million low-income patients not for abortions for Health Care provide providing over 400,000 life-saving cancer screenings and providing over 2 million people with birth control administering 5 million STD tests and treatments this bill also prohibits funding for teaching hospitals where abortions or abortion referrals are provided you know what this means this means doctors are not going to be trained on abortion procedures even when emergency procedures are needed what is this going to mean mean it's going to be more deaths and more morbidity and now see what else is in here Banning fetal tissue research that's a thinly veiled attack on abortion providers that serves to slow the progress on cures for diseases like Alzheimer's cancers Parkinson's and more and alarmingly this book prohibits funding for the implementation of any of President bayern's executive orders intended to increase access to reproductive health I just want to make sure everybody knows exactly what this bill is doing CU here are the kinds of things that our president is protecting ensuring women can freely cross state lines to AC access needed care clarifying contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act improving contraceptive access for veterans ensuring data privacy for women seeking reproductive care and then another uh policy writer would stop the Department of Health and Human Services from providing public information on abortion rights you don't even want you don't even want people to know their rights you don't even want people to know their rights and then there's that gag the gag rule makes me want to gag does it make you want to gag I mean really the the rep you makes you gag too right the gag rule would stop any doctor at a federally funded Clinic from giving factual information to to patience that that does cause a gag and and you know just Mr Le I want to thank you so much for your Amendment because I'll just get back to the Crux of this all the Crux of this all is that women not politicians should make the deeply personal decision of whether and when to start a grow grow a family and so again I want to say it is a falsehood that Republican an are leaving abortions bans to the states that is bad enough but the Republicans of Congress are leading the charge and let me tell you what this going to eventually mean folks it's going to be more mean more women are going to die it's going to mean that more doctors fearing criminal prosecution are going to be forced to deny care that is needed that you're going to see the maternity care deserts are going to proliferate around this country and Drug safety is going to be based on politics not science and with that I do support your Amendment Miss Lee and I yell back thank you are there any further members wishing toh speak to the amendment seeing none the gentle lady is recognized for one minute to close colleagues for speaking in support of this amendment because they know um The Perils in which these uh poison pills present to people let me just reiterate how harmful these Provisions are to women across America as well as how punitive this is for black and brown women in particular Congress should not be making Health Care decisions for any woman it's long past time for us to ensure that everyone is able to make their own decisions about their bodies now my Republicans like to write off anything that has to do with sex sexual and reproductive Health as being too radical um comprehensive sex education too radical teen pregnancy prevention too radical birth control too radical Family Planning too radical medical education training for uh Physicians too radical good grief this is not about being radical this is about supporting the very population that we are elected to protect and Safeguard the fundamental right about reproductive Healthcare and the right for them to make their own healthare decisions not for you to make their decisions for them the truth is that these anti-reproductive Health poison pills are a cruel and immoral attack on women families children people across the nation they're fundamentally anti-democratic I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to protect sexual and reproductive health care and access to Federal resources for all the question is now on the amendment offered by the gentle lady from California all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no the opinion of the chair of the NOS have it roll call has been requested sufficient number of hands have been raised the clerk will call the role Mr aderholt no Mr aderholt no Mr agular Mr amaday Mr amade no Mrs Bice Mrs Bice no Mr Bishop Mr Bishop I Mr Calbert Mr Calbert no Mr Carl no Mr Carl no Mr Carter no Mr Carter no Mr cartright Mr cartright I Mr Case Mr case I Mr sisani Mr cisman no Mr kleene Mr kleene no Mr Cloud Mr cloud no Mr Clyde Mr Clyde no Mr Cole no Mr Cole no Mr qu Mr Loro I Mr Loro I Mr Diaz Bart Mr Diaz Bart no Mr Edwards Mr Edwards no Mr Elie Mr Elie no Mr espat Mr espat I Mr Flashman Mr Flashman no Miss Frankle Miss Frankle I Mr Franklin Mr Franklin no Mr Garcia Mr Garcia no Mr Gonzalez Miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest no Mr Harter Dr Harris Dr Harris no Mrs Hinson Mrs Hinson no Mr Hoyer Mr Joyce Mr Joyce no Miss captor Miss captor I Mr Kilmer Mr Kilmer I Mr lerer Mr lerer no Miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California I miss Lee of Nevada Miss Lee of Nevada I miss luto miss llo no Miss McCollum Miss McCollum I miss Ming Miss Ming I Mr molinar no Mr mullinar no Mr melli I Mr mlli I Mr new house Mr new house no Miss pingry Miss pingry I Mr poan Mr poan I Mr Quigley Mr Quigley I Mr rashen thaler Mr rashen thaler no Mr Rogers Mr Rogers no Mr rers bger Mr rers bger Mr rers bger I Mr Rutherford Mr Rutherford no Mr Simpson Mr Simpson no Mrs Torres Mrs Torres hi Mrs Torres I Mr trone hi Mr trone I miss Underwood Miss Underwood I Mr valo Mr valido no Miss werman Schultz Miss waserman Schultz I Mrs Watson Coleman m Mrs Watson Coleman I miss wexton miss wexton I Mr wac Mr wac no Mr ziny Mr ziny no are there members wishing to vote or change their vote uh gentleman from Maryland Mr Hoyer I are there others wishing to vote or change their vote seeing none the clerks will toing on this vote the eyes are 24 the nose are 32 the amendment is not adopted is there any further Amendment or discussion Mr poan is recognized for an amendment thank you Mr chairman I have Amendment at the desk and I ask unanimous consent that it be considered as right without objection and the gentleman's recognize to explain his Amendment thank you Mr chairman um so I think you've heard the Democrats talk there's plenty wrong with the 12 appr propes bills this year this bill is no exception um Extreme Cuts to vital programs no different than any other bills however this bill it is different because this bill predominantly has funding that helps people helps our constituents um much of the problem with this bill is in the extreme policy writers uh and that's what this amendment will actually address um this bill puts project 2025 into practice and I know many of you like to plead ignorance about project 2025 I know the former president has tried that um front page of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel uh today as you're going to be going to the beautiful city of Milwaukee next week many of you project 2025 author to be sponsor of RNC so if you really don't know what project 2025 is uh they're a sponsor of your convention they're having an event on Monday an all day policy Fest um so if you've got some time dip in you don't have to read all 900 pages but you could take a look at the appro process we've been doing this much in action um but that is exactly uh what we see in these policy Riders there's 32 Riders and let me just give you a little taste of what's in here um there's a a Policy rider that strikes uh that says you have to prohibit Department of Labor from expanding overtime pay eligibility for American workers and also uh from making any improvements to the National apprenticeship system it's just ridiculous it would strike uh it would bar OSHA from supporting a safe working environment by allowing an employee representative to join certain inspection um it uh would provide the do stops them from protecting miners from exposure to known carcinogens and improving workplace standards that's just workers uh LGBT I know you all love the flag um there's a provision that bars HHS from implementing an executive order to prevent and combat discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation there's a Prohibition on funding for healthcare for the trans Community which major medical associations have agreed is necessary and life-saving uh there's language targeting children in foster care this bill strips protections for lgbtqi uh plus children foster care uh that'd be able to request uh Home Free from harassment mistreatment and abuse of course you have your pride flag uh Riders cloth is important to you uh as well as you have a license to discriminate under the false guise of religious liberty when it comes to attacks on students you have something that blocks President Biden's student debt relief plan and new income-driven repayment options why would you ever let someone pay back based on their income uh you have efforts that block executive orders combating climate change that uh you prohibit diversity Equity inclusion and accessibility programs in the federal workplace you put atrisk populations like seniors and people with disabilities at further risk of covid-19 by barring long-term care facilities from educating residents on the vaccine really uh I could go on but I think you get an idea of the type of 32 riders that we're trying to get rid of on here and every other Bill bottom line uh this prorations bill really is kind of the trial balloon it's the canary in the cave of project 2025 to put it into practice much of the provisions are exactly what is in your and the heritage foundation's plans and if you look at the other sponsors of project 2025 I guarantee you it probably looks like a lot of the the patches that you may all wear on your clothes when you get the the donations and when you are dealing with the groups uh that work with your side there is no question that this is the road map uh for your party for uh should you be fortunate enough uh to get the White House in November so I'm just saying let's wait till November we don't need to do all these policy writers in this bill uh I think it would be a good idea to take them out of here uh especially ones that are anti-worker anti-woman anti-lgbt anti-immigrant anti-diversity anti-student anti- senior anti-climate change anti- anti a lot uh Mr chairman I urge a yes vote on the amendment and I yield back thank you Mr adolt do recognized respond to the amendment thank you Mr chairman and uh I rise in opposition to uh my good friend wi from Wisconsin's Amendment uh this amendment strips out uh several policy proposals in the bill that would restore the social fabric of America and reign in the executive branch who has exceeded its constitutional authorities countless times this includes Provisions that prevent biological men from competing in women's sports and to block the administration's illegal student loan forgiveness scheme the bill also prohibits Federal taxpayer dollars from being used to sign people up to vote an election year and it blots controversial diversity equity and inclusion initiatives across government that focus on discriminating for and against groups of citizens based on the color of their skin these are not controversial radical ideas many of the provisions in this bill before us are blocking policies that the courts have already struck down I would urge a no vote on this amendment and I yield back thank you General lady from Connecticut Mr lores recognize to speak on the amendment I rise in strong support of the amendment the Republican majority has added dozens of poison pill Riders to this bill hijacking the debate over funding for health education labor programs stacking the bill with riders that would harm workers patients students and families this amendment would strike harmful anti-worker Provisions including attempts to roll back overtime wage protections for 4.3 million Americans as well as efforts by the Republican majority to Shield employers from liability when they steal wages from their workers or deny workers their right to collective bargaining this amendment would strike the Republican majority's efforts to help insurance companies sell quote junk insurance plans the amendment would protect the Biden uh administration's policy uh to make it easier for students to repay their loans as well as Pro as well as policies to provide student debt relief uh and it would protect the department of education's rules that Shield students from predatory for-profit colleges the amendment would strike the majority's never ending and indefensible attacks on the LGBT community it would protect policies and programs intended to promote diversity in the federal government like last year we will defeat these policy writers we will remove them from the bill uh before it becomes law but once again I think uh as my colleague uh from Wisconsin has pointed out this is a road map this is the Republican party's project 2025 um this is uh uh uh really the uh the the Heritage Foundation Republican Think Tank they're calling the shots um uh on on what the Republican agenda is but let's get it out there let's lay it out and let's just see what people uh think about it and they certainly going to know about it um this bill like the 11 other Appropriations bills needs support from Republicans and Democrats in the house and the Senate that's how we will ultimately reach a conclusion at the end of this process uh I urge my colleagues to support uh representative Pan's amendments and uh I want to just say a thank you to him for laying out his clearly um what that road map is all about and we ought to continue to speak about it every opportunity we can because it is a reality it is being uh it's showing up in all of of the Appropriations bills and other legislation uh that the Republicans are proposing so with that I yield back um Miss Le California recognized to address the amendment RIS in strong support of representative Pan's amendment to strike the long list of partisan and harmful policy writers attached to the underlying Bill project 2025 is a live and well in this committee and has been for quite some time amen as a founding member and vice chair of the Congressional equality caucus I stand against this Republican attempt to turn back the clock on civil rights for the lgbtq plus Community it's really a shame that this bill aims to redefine marriage as a binary Union between heterosexual men and women make no mistake there are many sections in this bill which attempt to justify in mind you justify discrimination against the lgbtq plus Community instead of drafting a bill that would reduce cost for American families and help hardworking families receive more affordable health care the majority are once again trying to undermine the rights of same-sex couples through a federal funding bill and I'm deeply disturbed by the G gop's Vendetta against inclusion and representation as the nation's largest employer the federal government has the responsibility to ensure all their employees including those from marginalized communities can live up to their potential rather than promoting fairness equality and equity for everyone our Republican colleagues are taking a page out of once again project 2025 Playbook to eliminate diversity equity and inclusion program in the workplace as outlined in the Mandate for leadership chapter of project 202 2025 let me quote the next conservative president must delete the terms sexual orientation and gender identity diversity equity and inclusion gender gender equality gender Equity gender awareness gender sensitive abortion reproductive Health Reproductive Rights out of every single federal rule every Federal agency regulation contract Grant regulation and piece of legislation that exists folks let's be clear section 533 of the underlying bill is part of a larger coordinated attack against the lgbtq plus people and people of color and other minorities by Republicans and we can't and should not ever ever tolerate this the ranking members Amendment would also strike section 244 if enacted this policy writer it would allow wealthy individuals to continue to misuse Tana of funding meant to help lowincome people underserved families and prevent the federal government from ensuring that more tan of dollars go towards supporting families with low incomes my Republican colleagues like to regularly bemoan misuse of public funds and yet the fiscal 2025 labor AG Bill includes a policy writer that would the administration for families and children's ability to prevent Bad actors and frauders such as NFL star Brett farb who conspired with Mississippi officials to direct millions of tan of dollars to a slush fund for his pet projects and personal gain from misusing federal cash assistance programs that's what this bill would do the administration's proposed rule would establish guard rails to help curb the misuse of Tana funding rather than strengthening this critical safety net program the majority they're per permitting Bad actors to continue abusing tan of dollars and that of course penalizes families we must remain fully committed to rejecting homophobia dismantling all systoms of Oppression and hate and ensure that Federal funding will not go to further criminalize those living in poverty I urge my colleagues to vote Yes on this amendment and thank you for offering are there other members wishing to address the amendment seeing none uh the uh gentleman is recognized for one minute to close thank you Mr chair U you I just would recommend people uh Google project 2025 um you know you're not going to have time to read the whole budget Bill you'd certainly get it there you probably don't have time to read the 900 pages that the the Heritage found foundation and its other allies and sponsors of the Republican convention next week uh have written but you can at least see the highlights of what would happen should there be a republican Takeover in Washington and find out how exactly it'll affect more importantly you and your family because they will be hurt you will be hurt by what is in Project 2025 uh and of course that means what's in these amendments because this is the canary in the ca cave there's a lot worse to come and uh I would strongly urge people to vote for this amendment and against these terrible ideas I yield back questions now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no opinion of the chair the NOS have it uh roll call has been requested sufficient number of hands having been raised the clerk will call the RO Mr aderholt no Mr aderholt no Mr agular Mr amaday M Mr amaday no Mrs Bice Mrs Bice no Mr Bishop yes Mr Bishop I Mr Calbert Mr Calbert no Mr Carl Mr Carl no Mr Carter Mr Carter no Mr cartright Mr cartright I Mr case Mr case I Mr sisani Mr sisani no Mr kleene Mr kleene no Mr Cloud Mr Cloud no Mr Clyde Mr Clyde no Mr Cole no Mr Cole no Mr quar Mr Loro I Mr Loro I Mr Diaz Bart Mr Diaz Bart no Mr Edwards Mr Edwards no Mr Elie Mr Elie no Mr Mr ASAT Mr ASAT I Mr Flashman Mr Flashman no Miss Frankle Miss Frankle I Mr Franklin Mr Franklin no Mr Garcia Mr Garcia no Mr Gonzalez Mr Gonzalez no miss grer Mr guest Mr guest no Mr Harter Dr Harris Mrs Dr Harris Dr Harris no Mrs Henson Mrs Henson no Mr Hoyer I Mr Hoyer I Mr Joyce Mr Joyce no Miss captor Miss captor I Mr Kilmer Mr Kilmer I Mr lerer Mr lerer no Miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California I miss Lee of Nevada Miss Lee of Nevada I miss Leto Miss Leto no Miss McCollum Miss McCollum I miss Ming Miss Ming I Mr molar Mr mullinar no Mr Morelli Mr new house Mr new house no Miss pingry Miss pingry I Mr poan Mr poan I Mr Quigley Mr Quigley I Mr rashen thaler Mr rashen thaler no Mr Rogers Mr Rogers no Mr rers bger Mr rers bger I Mr Rutherford Mr Rutherford no Mr Simpson Mr Simpson no Mrs Torres Mrs Torres I Mr trone Mr trone I miss Underwood Miss Underwood I Mr valo Mr valo no Miss wasman Schultz Miss wasman Schultz I Mrs Watson Coleman Mrs Watson Coleman I miss wexton miss wexton I Mr wac Mr wac no Mr ziny Mr ziny no are there members uh wishing to record or change their vote seeing none the clerk will tally on this vote the eyes are 23 the nose are 33 the amendment is not adopted is there any further Amendment or discussion as Frankle is recognized uh for an amendment thank you thank you Mr now I have one we can all get along I would the general lady like to dispense oh I'm sorry Mr shair uh I ask Jan to consent that the reading be dispensed with the amendment uh without objection the gentle ladies recognize to explain her Amendment all right as I was saying can't we all get along here uh this this amend who said no uh I rise in support of this amendment which seeks to restore partial funding for rape prevention and education grants by reallocating $40 million from the uh very ineffective absence only sex education account now here's the thing I know we all oppose rape okay that's a given um but let me just tell you why these rape prevention programs are more important than ever since the Republican control Supreme Court overturn roie Wade stripping reproductive freedom from millions of women Nationwide 21 states have banned or severely restricted abortion uh according now listen to this this is shocking what I'm about to tell you this is shocking pay attention uh play attention according to the journal of America American Medical Association in the states with total abortion bans there were over 500,000 rapes in the 18 months following the do's decision resulting in 65,000 rape related pregnancies that that that is shocking so but listen this amendment is not about abortions uh because preventing rape should be a bipartisan nonpartisan issue just ask your favorite constituents your wives your daughters your mothers your sisters anyone who loves women uh and first be advised that the absent only as sex education doesn't work major public health UC education organizations including the American Medical Association the American Academy of pediat and the American Public Health Association has criticized these programs for failing to provide teenagers with critical information to protect their health so these are bogus these are bogus bogus programs in stark contrast we have clear evidence that rape prevention programs are effective leading to lower rates of sexual violence which I know is something we all want and these grants provide essential funding to States support supporting rape prevention education programs at Rape Crisis centers at State sexual assault coalitions in schools and other nonprofits and folks this has always been a bipartisan supporting these programs uh and you know there's bystander Pro intervention programs and other types of educational programs in fact when uh it this bill came out and The Advocates saw that the this rape uh programs that could be eliminated I we got hundreds of calls to our office from all over the country because people know that these programs are effective so uh the bill eliminates the rape prevention programs my Amendment would put it back in um let's not force rape victims look I know we don't want to force rape victims to carry pregnancy to term that's how I feel but the fact of the matter is let's not Happ the rapes in the first place let's not have the rapes in the first place join this support this amendment and let's all stop the rapes and I I yeld back Mr Laur was recognized God I can't get that um again I rise in strong support of congresswoman frankl's Amendment uh the amendment would partially restore funding for cdc's rape prevention and education program uh which has been eliminated eliminated by the majority preventing sexual violence requires understanding and addressing the factors that put people at risk and those that reduce that risk the CDC funds evidence-based prevention strategies that include promoting positive social norms providing opportunities to empower and support girls and women teaching healthy relationship skills and creating protective environments we all have a role to play in prevention um and we cannot ignore this issue you've got high-profile cases of sexual violence in the media have led to an increased awareness and momentum for change that's is a good thing we need to increase support for rape prevention programs this is a a tragic example of what happens when the majority or Republicans cut funding for the labor HHS education bill they eliminate funding for rape prevention and education programs uh I I I cannot believe that these are the the the majority's values which is why that that billions of dollars being left behind has put us in a bind on these issues now it's it's my understanding that there is an amendment I think which has been distributed it's a um it will be a a second uh da Amendment um uh uh to miss frankl's Amendment and so I think that what we are seeing is that members of the majority are having second thoughts uh they do not think that this bill reflects their values so they're scrambling to find a different offset to partially restore a portion of the rape prevention funding this is just one critical public health program program that Republicans are eliminating in this bill eliminating it as Republicans face the consequences of harmful cuts to education and health programs such as rape prevention they cannot even support the cuts in their own bills and that is what happens when Republicans cut important programs by $60 billion which is why Democrats will accept nothing less than a 1% increase in funding for labor HHS education and for each of other bills and a dollar Ford dooll parody for any further increases on the defense Side Of The Ledger I urge my colleagues to support representative frankl's Amendment and support the CDC continuing their rape prevention and education programs which will um uh be which has been eliminated as you know in the Republican majorities bill now yield back thank you are there any further speakers on this amendment that uh the chair would recognize the general lady from Iowa um Miss Henson for a secondary Amendment uh Mr chair I have a second deegree amendment at the desk and I ask consent that it be considered as red uh without objection gentle ladies recognize to explain our Amendment thank you Mr chair um I Rise to offer an amendment to the amendment offered by Miss Frankle of Florida um my Amendment would simply strike the offset offered by Miss Frankle which pulls the $40 million from the sexual risk avoidance education program and instead take those dollars from the CDC building funds that are used for construction and Improvement of underutilized facilities while I uh appreciate the intent and agree with um much of Miss frankl's Amendment we should not be slashing a federally funded adolescent pregnancy prevention initiative it supports organizations and communities that are working every day to reduce the risk of Youth homelessness adolescent pregnancy and domestic violence um unfortunately um your Amendment um would strip those funds from the program that teaches our next Generation many of the benefits associated with self-regulation success sequencing for poverty prevention healthy relationships goal setting uh Dating Violence sexual coercion education and much more so again while I support the intent of the underlying Amendment from the gentle lady from Florida I believe that we should continue to support these grant opportunities that educate Americans about sexual risks um this second degree Amendment ensures that HHS can continue to offer this valuable education while still supporting rape prevention and again redirecting These funds from the cdc's buildings and Facilities accounts that are underutilized so um I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting my Amendment and I think this is something that we can ultimately support in a bipartisan Manner and with that Mr chair I yield back thank you chair recognizes Mr chairman aderholt address the second degree Amendment thank you Mr chair uh I support my colleague's Amendment U and uh sexual risk avoidance is important to set young PE to set young adults up for the Continuum of success our support for these programs recognizes the beliefs and the values of millions of Young Americans and old alike and these programs support the development of healthy relationships I would uh ask my colleagues to support uh the gentle ladyes Amendment do any other members seek recognition to speak on the second degree Amendment it time for me to get gentle lady uh from Florida is recognize well first of all I just want to say thank you for recognizing the the necessity for the rape prevention program I really we agree on that thank well that's good we've made some progress here uh respectfully I I don't agree with the off set so in that regard I have to oppose the secondary but thank you for recognizing the importance of it I do appreciate that I think we we all do and I yield back thank you Miss Henson's recognized if there are no other speakers Henson's recogniz for one minute to close thank you Mr chairman um I think when we're looking at offsets um I think it goes without saying that um I'd much rather have those dollars go to rate prevention than um improving cubicles or buildings um I think that should be a priority for this committee so I would encourage all of my colleagues to support my second degree Amendment and with that I yield back questions now on the second degree Amendment offered by Miss Henson all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no the opinion of the chair the eyes haveit roll call has been requested are there sufficient number of hands seeing that there are more than enough hands bipartisan y uh the uh clerk will call the role Mr aderholt I Mr aderholt I Mr Aguilar Mr amade Mr amade I Mrs Bice Mrs Bice I Mr Bishop Mr Bishop no Mr Calbert Mr Calbert I Mr Carl Mr Carl I Mr Carter Mr Carter I Mr cartright Mr cartright no Mr Case Mr Case no Mr sisani Mr Klein Mr Cloud Mr Cloud I Mr Clyde Mr Clyde I Mr Cole I Mr Cole I Mr quar Mr quar no Miss Doo no Mr deloro no Mr Diaz Bart Mr Edwards Mr Mr Edwards I Mr Elie Mr Elie I Mr espat Mr espat no Mr Flashman Mr fleshman I miss Frankl Miss Frankl no Mr Franklin Mr Franklin I Mr Garcia Mr Garcia I Mr Gonzalez Mr Gonzalez I miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest I Mr Harter Dr Harris Dr Harris I Mrs Henson Mrs Henson I Mr Hoyer Mr Hoyer Mr hoer present Mr Joyce Mr Joyce I miss captor Miss capter no Mr Kilmer Mr Kilmer no Mr L Turner Mr L Turner I miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California no Miss Lee of Nevada Miss Lee of Nevada no Miss Miss Leto I miss McCullum Miss McCullum no Miss Ming Miss Ming no Mr molinar Mr molinar I Mr Morelli Mr new house Mr new house I miss pingry miss pingry no Mr poan Mr poan no Mr Quigley Mr Quigley no no Mr rashen thaler Mr rashen thaler I Mr Rogers Mr Rogers I Mr rers bger Mr rers bger no Mr ruford Mr ruford I Mr Simpson Mr Simpson Mr Simpson I Mrs Torres Mrs Torres Miss M Torres no Mr Tron Mr Tron no Miss Underwood Mr valade Mr valido I miss waserman Schultz Miss waserman Schultz present Mrs Watson Coleman Miss wexton Miss wxon no Mr wac Mr wac I Mr ziny Mr ziny are there any members seeking to vote or change their vote on The Henson second degree Amendment gentleman from Florida Mr Diaz Bart I I vot uh gentleman from Idaho did vote Mr Simpson um Mr Simpson is recorded as an I recorded Mr ziny you're recorded as a no off no and I Mr ziny sh gentleman from Arizona Mr sisani is not recorded not recorded Mr sisani I gentleman from Virginia absolutely Mr F gentleman from Texas Mr Cloud he's he's recorded as an i you're you're recorded I'm sorry you were standing up I was afraid you were seeking recognition gentleman from Texas Mr quar yes certainly can off no on I Mr quar are there other member gent lady from Florida you're reported as a president I believe iois I do not believe is recorded Miss Underwood I okay okay are there any other members on this is on just to be clear the Henson second degree Amendment any m MERS that have not voted or wish to change a vote and with that clerks will tally oh okay clerk p since get okay on this vote which is again the Henson second degree Amendment to the Frankle Amendment the eyes are 36 the nose are 19 with one vote voting uh present uh so the amendment in the second degree is adopted are there any other members wishing to speak on the original Frankl Amendment seeing none the general a recognized for one minute to close we got a little was a look first of all here's the good news we all agreed to be against rape thank you uh and really those of us who voted no on this uh sub Amendment or what what did you call that Amendment the secondary amendment was just because we disagree with the source I mean we the absence only education's not working and we didn't want to take money from the CDC but with that said we do all think it's important for the safety of our citizens that we have these rap prevention program so I would urge everybody to adopt this amendment as it is now the questions now on the amendment uh offered by Miss Frankle as amended those in favor say I I those oppos say no the opinion of the chair of the eyes haveit and the second degree Amendment uh the Frankle Amendment and the second degree Amendment are adopted okay next uh we'll go to Mr rupis bger recognize the purposes of an amendment Mr chairman uh I have an amendment at the desk the gentleman like to like it to be read or I'm asking unanimous consent to disperse with the reading of the amendment without objection and the gentleman's recognized to explain his Amendment this amendment would reverse the Bill's devastating cuts to the Social Security Administration funding look and I mean that Social Security is about Americans it's the one benefit that every American is entitled to it allows seniors to retire with dignity and makes sure people with disabilities can make ends meet for many uh it is necessary benefit that keeps them out of poverty the Social Security Administration must deliver these essential benefits quickly and accurately to 6.7 million Americans This is the most beneficiaries the program has ever had and yet this bill would cut or delay the essential services that millions millions rely on we already know that reducing the Social Security Administration funding means reduced services for the American people years of underfunding led to a customer service crisis in March 2 2023 Social Security hold times reached a record high the average hold was 40 minutes long with others reporting up to six hours on hold other services like disability determinations took months or even years now recently these wait times have started to come down to more reasonable levels but this bill would undo all of this progress by cutting the Social Security administration's budget by over $450 Bill million dollar $450 million many of the agency's most important Services would take longer if they are even providing at all with these Cuts 3 million Americans would see their social security field offices closed or reduce their hours of operation Cuts would mean it takes even longer to get a new or replacement Social Security card employers would have to wait longer to verify a new employee information and despite its serving more Americans than ever before the Social Security Administration will have the lowest Staffing level in 50 years for staff already overwhelmed by work lared stress and this is totally unacceptable the 150,000 beneficiaries in my district and the millions across the country deserve better service than this they are all waiting for essential services and cutting the agency's funding will only make this problem worse I therefore ask my colleagues to support this amendment to provide the Social Security Administration with level funding from fy4 because when the budget is cut it's the beneficiaries who pay the price thank you and I urge the adoption of this amendment Mr aderholt is recognized to address the amendment thank you Mr chair uh I rise in opposition to the amendment uh this uh Bill fully uh fund Social Security fied offices and information technology uh at FY 2024 levels despite what you may have heard uh no fied offices will be closed because of this bill the 4% cut that the Social Security Administration uh administrative account in this bill would come from the $3 billion that the Social Security Administration has budgeted for the Baltimore and Washington DC offices where 61% of the workforce is fully remote the Social Security administration's mission is customer facing and it serves America's most vulnerable population and this egregious use of telework is insult ing to them as you may remember President Biden himself promised in his 2022 State of the Union Address that the vast majority of federal workers will once again work in person and I quote two years later this goal is not yet a reality the president's own Chief of Staff recently made the statement and a quote we don't yet have the return to work levels that we should have across the federal government the Social Security Administration should bring its employees back to work in person full-time and right size its budget to make the customer service a top priority again I want to re reiterate that the cut in this bill is not to the Social Security Administration field offices but to the more highly paid bureaucrats in Washington DC area who are not directly interfacing with seniors also this amendment would put the bill above its allocation and therefore I would urge a no vote on the amendment and I yield back uh General lady from Connecticut Mr lores recognized to address the amendment thank you Mr chairman I rise in and strong um support of I've just had confused about how we're distinguishing between what offices are going to be off open and what offices are going to be closed it's really it's it's very very confusing offices are going to be closed that is the point there's not going to be people there to do the job uh Social Security is one of the most sacred social and economic Justice programs that the federal government manages this is about generation to generation it links uh me with my family and my mother and my father and so forth and my kids to me uh it's an economic Lifeline for millions of Americans it lives more people out of poverty than any other program in the United States it's not the committee's job to determine eligibility and benefit under Social Security it is our job to adequately fund the personnel and the operations of the administration uh so that the program functions properly it can support millions of Americans that rely on Social Security millions of seniors that have worked hard for the benefits they deserve Social Security serving more than ever uh more people than ever 72 million people next year um the the the Republican report claims that ssa's budget is bloated quote bloed but the agency this is the report that's that the agency's budget is bloated the agency is Staffing more is less staff in this crisis than they've had in the past it's 50% more beneficiaries with less staff than it had in 1995 and now you want to cut almost half billion dollars from the Social Security Administration budget which would result in the lowest Staffing levels in more than 50 years years they keep asking federal employees to do more with less Staffing shortages technology challenges have already led to unacceptable weight times on the ssa's national 800 number and for lengthy decisions on disability claims now seniors deserve access to the Social Security Administration one that is adequately staffed field offices that are open and accessible to the public a person at the other end of the phone line when retirees or surviv call with questions about how to access their benefits the house report notes that each day it's a quote approximately 170,000 Americans visit and 250,000 call one of ssa's 1200 field offices Nationwide for various reasons to file a disability claim to ask questions or update their information and ironically the bill chooses to cut funding necessary to keep field offices open to staff the national 800 number and to process claims this cut to Social Security impacts all of our constituencies uh the agencies need more funding not less we'll be fighting to make sure that when the Republicans finally come to the table to negotiate a final fiscal gear 2025 Bill based in reality at the spending levels agreed to last year with the fiscal responsibility act with the increases necessary to support discretionary programs funded through the labor AG bill that the Social Security Administration is funded with the increases it needs to support our seniors in the meantime I strongly support my colleagues amendment to reverse the majorities uh of misguided decision to cut funding to the Social Security Administration I urge my colleagues to support uh the ruppersburg amendment gentleman from Pennsylvania Mr cartright is recognized to address the amendment I rise in support of the amendment by Mr rers bger uh my understanding is and uh chairman aderhold you can correct me if I'm wrong there were no no hearings uh held in connection with this question of whether those Social Security employees who will be let go are necessary am I correct in that there were no hearings we had it's a yes or no question we have not had any hearings directly on this but it has been brought up numerous times in our hearings okay so having had no hearings directly on this question we don't know if there is any truth to the assertion that these employees are Superfluous the idea that these employees are unnecessary the idea that these employees of Social Security are not doing any good for any of the American recipients of Social Security Services and check um I I suggest to my brothers and sisters on this committee that this is not a good basis to make decisions if we have not had the chance to have witnesses in and question them and cross-examine them and and really delve into what they know and whether they know what they're talking about I I if we're going to make an important decision like this we ought to at least have direct hearings about the subject before we before we embark on cuts of this enormous nature I support the rers Burker Amendment and I and I urge that that we adopt it yield back are there other members wishing to speak on this amendment seeing none the gentleman from oh where oh I'm sorry a gentle lady from Minnesota is recognized you Mr chair so I'm just gonna read some information that I have and I Mr aderholdt I I believe in in in in in your heart you think that there's not going to be any delay to service I I truly believe that but I got to take a vote on this as to whether or not I think there's going to be a delay in service and here's why I'm going to vote for Mr Ru Burgers the Social Security Administration the state disability determination Services would be forced to implement a hiring freeze for low staff Staffing would be reduced to the lowest levels in more than 50 years despite an increase of more than 40 million Social Security beneficiaries so that might be the intention but without having the facts in front of me and knowing how hard my office is working and all of our offices are working on Social Security at this time I think the safest bet for my constituents is to vote for the amendment I yield back are there other members wishing to speak on the amendment gentleman from Maryland's recognized some of you talk about the free lunch Theory the free lunch theory is you can cut 453 million and it won't cost anything that means of course you think that 453 million is simply wasted um in fact at Social Security Services are better now call times are shorter in terms of Weights uh responses are more uh prompt uh and um claims are being processed more quickly now the chairman says that no field offices are going to be closed why does the chairman say that because he directs in the bill no offices will be closed Poof Magic he didn't ask the Social Security Administration whether that was going to be he just directed it in the bill if the theory is you can cut cut cut cut and nothing will happen then I get that uh but he in tones that he's concerned about whether people are working uh remotely or they're working at a site I understand that uh but ladies and gentlemen I made this argument with IRS the population keeps going up the senior population certainly keeps going up and your assumption that somehow the expenditures to service those Rising numbers is static is incorrect your math doesn't work uh social security has about a 1 and a half% [Music] overhead it's one of the Best Buys in America Geico or Liberty Mutual that you see all the answer they're in the 25 to 26% overhead to pay the benefits that they pay but the Social Security benefits that are paid the cost of doing that is about one and a half points probably a little less but but about that so this is going to have a significant effect 453 million that's a lot of people uh it's a lot of ability to answer uh the millions and millions and millions of people who are in Social Security and all this amendment is going to do is slow up response time slow up processing times and frustrate Social Security recipients so I'm a strong supporter of uh Mr ruper bger Amendment um and again Pennywise and pound foolish you're focused on a very small and it's not small it's billions of dollars of cost because we're talking about trillions of dollars worth of benefits or trillion dollars of benefits so I would urge that we not pretend that you can continue to service at a level that the social security recipients our veterans and uh our taxpayers deserve with less and less and less resources it won't work it's the free lunch Theory I yield [Music] back are there any other members wishing to speak on the amendment General lady from Florida is recognized you thank you Mr chair um I represent the state with the highest percentage of senior citizens in the United States of America and one thing I can assure you that everyone who runs for office in Florida pledges to our constituents is that we will never vote to cut Social Security so let's just be very clear and I I'll be brief because Mr rubers Berger's Amendment restores the 450 $453 million cut that is in this bill from Social Security his Amendment puts back the $453 million if you vote against his Amendment you are saying it's okay to cut Social Security you could never again suggest or be truthful in facing constituents and say I will never vote to cut Social Security because what you're about to do if you vote against this amendment is do just that so let's just be very clear clear we need to make sure that Social Security is funded administratively to the degree that we can ensure that our constituents are able to access their social security benefits and get the sometimes really intricate bureaucratic problems that they have in accessing it resolved so if you want to make sure that you are supporting our seniors who are benefiting from Social Security if you want to be truthful when you stand in in front of a group of seniors and say you would never vote to cut Social Security you'll vote Yes on Mr rbg's Amendment and if you don't want to do that if you think it's okay to cut $453 million out of Social Security then you'll vote no but don't think that you'd ever be able to represent again that you'd never voted to cut Social Security because that would be untrue thank you I yield back the balance of my time there any other members seeking to address the amendment n the gentleman is recognized for one minute to close well thank you Mr chairman first thing uh you just can't get something for nothing and you know cutting $450 million from Social Security just doesn't make sense um you know every state has Social Security recipients who rely on this program every day and if your office is anything like mine you receed more calls desperate constituents who had urgent problems with their social security benefits but they couldn't get through to anyone sometimes it was our weight and last year we passed a bill that fixed that and now we're the other side is asking to take it away you can't cut 450 million and think you're not going to get less Services it just doesn't happen it's not one plus one equals two and so uh last year Social Security was the number one casework I said issue for my constituents as much as I love helping my constituents this chronic understaffing and lack of support is what happens when we keep cutting back the social SEC security administration's budget we can't do another cut you know there are a lot of cutting I understand philosophies that different people in this room have but the bottom line Social Security is American whether you're the wealthiest individual in the world or very poor you're all entitled to Social Security so let's look at the issues here let's see what it is but 4150 million cut and you already have an example of when we put money back in and it it fixed itself so let's uh let's look at the facts and I hope you vote for this amendment questions now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Maryland all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no the opinion of the chair the NOS have it roll call has been requested sufficient number of hands have been raised uh the uh Clerk will call the role Mr aderholt no Mr aderholt no Mr agular Mr agular I Mr amaday Mr amaday no Mrs Bice Mr Bishop yes Mr Bishop I Mr Calbert no Mr Calbert no Mr Carl Mr Carl no Mr Carter Mr Carter no Mr cartright Mr cartright I Mr Case Mr case I Mr cisman Mr sisani no Mr kleene Mr kleene no Mr Cloud Mr Cloud no Mr Clyde Mr Clyde no Mr Cole no Mr Cole no Mr quar Mr quar I Mr deloro I Mr deloro I Mr Diaz Bart Mr Diaz Bart no Mr Edwards Mr Edwards no Mr Elie Mr Elie no Mr espat Mr Flashman Mr FL man no Miss Frankle Miss Frankl I Mr Franklin Mr Franklin no Mr Garcia Mr Garcia no Mr Gonzalez Mr Gonzalez no Miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest no Mr harder Dr Harris Dr Harris no Mrs Henson Mrs Henson no Mr Hoyer yes Mr Hoyer I Mr Joyce Miss Captor Mr Kilmer Mr L um Mr Kilmer I Mr lerer Mr lerer no Miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California I miss Lee of Nevada Miss Lee of Nevada I miss Leto Miss Leto no Miss McCullum Miss McCullum I miss Ming Miss Ming I Mr molinar Mr molinar no Mr Morelli Mr new house Mr new house no Miss pingry Miss pingry I Mr poan Mr poan I Mr Quigley Mr Russen thaler Mr Russen thaler no Mr Rogers Mr Rogers no Mr rers bger Mr rers bger I Mr ruford Mr ruford no Mr Simpson Mr Simpson no Mrs Torres Mrs Torres Mrs Torres I Mr trone Mr trone I miss Underwood Miss Underwood I Mr valo Mr valo no Miss waserman Schultz Miss waserman Schultz I Mrs Watson Coleman Mrs Watson Coleman I miss wexton miss wexton I Mr wac Mr wac no Mr ziny Mr ziny no uh the gentleman is not recorded are there other members wishing to record or change their vote seeing none the clerk will tally for on this vote the eyes are 23 the nose are 31 the amendment is not adopted there any further Amendment for discussion Mr wman Schultz is recognized for the purpose of an amendment thank you Mr chairman um I have an amendment at the desk and I ask unanimous consent to be considered as read without objection thank you Mr chairman recognized and um Mr chairman I uh want to make sure that we have a a hopefully somewhat robust robust debate about this um and then we'll see what happens um but as many have already mentioned this bill somehow unbelievably eliminates an entire division within the CDC focused on injury prevention programs that focus on domestic violence rape prevention Suicide Prevention opioid overdose prevention elderly Falls drowning prevention and so much more than that the cdc's sole Mission with the Injury center is to prevent death and injury to keep families and communities safe and healthy and to partner with states to raise awareness and Implement prevention programs and one of the many dire casualties of this elimination is the office of smoking and health focused on Tobacco prevention a move that would significantly harm Public Health this is yet another gift to the tobacco industry one I won't stand for and my Amendment would restore funding to this already underfunded account despite everything that we have learned about the harms of smoking tobacco use sadly Remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the US the CDC estimates that smoking causes nearly half a million deaths each year in our country half a million each year think about how many lives lost that means that figure alone is staggering that figure alone should be enough for everyone in this room to realize that eliminating this program is terribly irresponsible and shortsighted we should be doing more to prevent smoking and it begins in this room through this program the CDC runs a proven media campaign tips from former smokers I'm sure everyone has seen it which has been proven to help over a million people quit smoking and has prevented over a 100,000 smoking deaths research has also shown that this campaign alone successfully saved over7 billion in healthare costs from 2012 to 2018 knowing that I have to imagine that this move by my colleagues and the majority is a handout and a green light to Big tobacco to keep eliminating our communities our children and minorities I can't imagine that this move is based on necessary cuts for your so-called fiscal responsibility which clearly is nonsensical when you consider that the program is appropriated about $ 246.50 million a year that's a far cry below the billions you're supposedly committed to saving not to mention the lives saved eliminating this program will cause more children to begin smoking will increase health disparities and would reverse Decades of work all of our states and districts rely on this funding to keep kids from smoking and vaping to help people quit smoking and to keep our community smoke free quite frankly this makes absolutely no sense so let's stop putting put more money into the pockets of big tobacco and let's work to increase funding to this necessary program so we can save lives I yield back Mr aderholt is recognized to respond to the amendment yes uh thanks Mr chairman the dental lady is proposing uh additional spending that is quite frankly beyond the resources available to the subcommittee uh quite honestly I support the activities uh conducted by this program but uh we must be responsible and live within our means I want I actually want to thank the gentle lady for raising awareness of this issue and I fully acknowledge uh that we had to make some challenging decisions um but I would look forward to working with my colleague on this issue as we move forward in the process and again I it's uh I thank you thank her for for R Rising this uh issue uh making it aware to us before the full committee but uh right now we have some challenges decisions and and uh we I would like to work with the Gent lady to see how we can move forward on this process General lady from Connecticut U Mr dores recognized to address the amendment the distinguished chair of the uh subcommittee and and probably as well to my friend of the full committee if we had the 60 billion dollars is the full complement of money which is the 1% increase which was dictated by the fiscal responsibility act it was the basis on which we we voted for bills uh last March and if you leave a $60 billion dollar behind Then There are a whole heck of a lot of programs that are going to go begging include including some that we've already mentioned today including the one that uh representative wasman Schultz is talking about now and this amendment would restore that funding let's get the money back to non-defense programs the way it was uh laid out in the fiscal responsibility act a 1% increase a total of $786 billion you leave $60 billion on the table I will keep saying that and this amendment would restore funding to 2024 level for cdc's tobacco prevention it was eliminated by this Republican majority eliminated it tells you something about where what they view about public health and kids health and and and who are we and what do we want to go with the the resources that we have or why don't we want to Short change the resources that by that have been laid on the table for us to take advantage of here each year nearly half a million us adults die die prematurely due to smoke smoking related diseases including exposure to secondhand smoke smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and compromises the immune system 2023 nearly 3 million us middle and high school students reported currently using a tobacco product including ecigarettes 10% of our middle and high school students I guess we just don't care about what's happening to them um this is another tragic example of what happens when Republicans cut funding for the labor HHS education Bill an 11% cut they eliminate funding for tobacco prevention they eliminate money for education they eliminate money for other health care programs and I can't believe that there aren't my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who understand the devastating effects of these cuts and the unwillingness to look at the non-defense side of the Ledger and say the $60 billion is there to deal with public investments in health in education and economic uh well-being of this nation I urge my colleagues to support ranking member waserman Schultz's Amendment are there other members wishing to address the amendment seeing none the gentle lady is recognized for one minute to close thank you Mr chairman I lost my mom three years ago to lung cancer from smoking I'm lit I literally have her arms around me today because I wore her jacket in her memory because I knew that we were going to be talking about this today I lost both my grandmothers to lung cancer from smoking as well and their DS lay at the feet of the tobacco industry whose profits this bill as written protects and I appreciate my friend the chairman of the committee and his commitment to work on this important issue we cannot cut the funding for this entire program we have to make sure that we can end the travesty of smoking if I took a show of asked for a show of hands in this room nearly every one of us would have raised their hand because you lost a loved one who died from smoking I'm withdrawing this amendment and trust that when this outrage is reviewed in final negotiations on this bill later this year that this critical funding will be restored as it was last year thank you for your Indulgence i y back the balance of my time may my mother and grandmother's memories you for a blessing the question is now on the amendment offered by the Gent lady from Florida all those in favor say I what oh I am so sorry Mr Carl is recognized for the purpose of an amendment thank you Mr chairman I have an amendment at the table there unanimous consent we pass on the reading of it without objection the gentleman's recognized to explain the purpose of the amendment I was beginning to develop a little bit of a complex I think now I understand you save the best for last right folks I'm going to bring up an issue that's been brought up over the last 10 years virtually every year obviously I've only been here two years I haven't been here every year but I'm going to give you a chance to vote it and get rid of it you don't have to do it again next year this bill basically what it does this amendment is intended to make permanent what has long been the Department of Labor's policy for a decade this is dealing with nothing but disaster insurance adjusters adjusters a very small piece of the world if you think about it for those of us that have lived through hurricanes uh and Ice storms and mudslides and earthquakes we understand how important those adjusters are what this bill says is the adjusters can come in and work on their own their contract on their contracted not by the hour they don't have to go on overtime at eight hours they they actually can work as long as they possibly want to work whatever hours they want to work they can work for those of us that have been through hurricane CH at 110 115 milph there's a healing process that goes along with these these storms and the healing process starts the moment the storm ends I'm thinking of Hurricane Camille after Hurricane Camille I go out in my yard and it is devastated trees down everywhere uh the birds and the squirrels are standing in the yard where do birds and squirrels hide during hurricanes does anybody know they're sing in the yard looking around days I got a I got a a a a uh Grill stuck in my garage door and on the other side of the house I got a trampoline stuck to the side of the stuck old house have no idea whose trampoline it was then you have to worry about your family then you crank that little generator up and every three to four hours you're putting gas in it you're running a box fan you're running a refrigerator you got the kids laying in the floor in front of the box fan you figure out how to survive until folks get to you and who gets to you neighborhoods when the neighborhood get out cut the trees we try to get the the the ambulance and the police in to put a little Law and Order involved the uh power companies are trying to restore power many times many times these adjusters will beat La the Lo the other First Responders in and that's important that is the last element in the healing process because you've got your investment in your home that's your largest single investment and you work worried about where that's going to go when that adjuster shows up and he's able or she's able to put those those uh those to figures to to rest and give you an idea of what kind of response you're going to get as far as money that's closure that's closure and it gives you hope because all you see is a torn up house a a trampoline stuck to the side of your house and Confused people walking around your yard so please ask on this bill let's put it to rest let's put it through it's very simple we're going to add one word to to to to a u legislature that's already written the Senate knew this was a problem 10 years ago 10 years ago and that's the reason they it's a legacy Bill T so every year it just it keeps rolling over rolling over I want to make it permanent and that's what I'm asking your support for very simple I don't know um uh any other way to put it we need to take care of these adjusters they extremely important I don't care where you live in this country and there's such a small amount of them we have to hold them to to uh be able to get them in there as quick as we can and keep them as long as we can because I promise you at the end of eight hours if they got a check out and they're at your neighbor's house and they go home you're gonna be angry sleeping on that floor another night thank you and I would appreciate your support gentlemen uh just for the purposes of clarification I'd ask my friend from Alabama she knows we've looked at several different versions this is the version of your amendment that says on page 40 line 14 insert Hereafter after shall be applied correct okay am number that's just for the record to make sure it's a very precise fix uh with that uh we' actually it'll be Mr first definely uh recognize the general lady from Connecticut Mr Del Laurel to address the amendment thank you very much Mr chairman I we have something called the fair labor standards act it was enacted during the New Deal to deliver critical wage protections for American workers including the right to overtime pay for hours work Beyond 40 hours in a given work week it's my understanding that this was when it was introduced it was about 10 years ago by a senator now retired because it was about saving money uh for Employers in in his State and it was done on a temporary basis unfortunately for the last several years my Republican colleagues have pushed to include language in the labor AG bill that erodes the protections for a narrow category of workers those who work as disaster claims adjusters I don't get it they work overtime Fair labor standards includes the right to overtime pay for hours work Beyond 40 hours in a given work week is not that the law of the land anybody say it's not the law of the land why then are we not adhering to the law of the land it's a 40-hour work week you work over 40 hours you get overtime pay this amendment what my colleague wants to do is to permanently now it's on a temporary basis we deal with it every year uh uh but now what he would like to do is to permanently amend the fair labor standards act to take the overtime benefits from workers to benefit insurance claims adjuster companies that's what is at the bottom of all of this the language is far-reaching it has no place in an Appropriations bill and it should be rejected I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment gentleman from Alabama Mr Adder Holt is recognized to address the amendment thank you Mr chair uh I uh I want to thank my colleague from Alabama uh for introducing this amendment uh this amendment would provide important legal certainty uh to ensure that American families that are looking to rebuild their lives after a disaster receive timely compensation and again the key word is after disaster this is in times of unusual times and uh when there is a disaster that's occurred in time is of essence and I would ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment from uh my colleague from Alabama are there other members wishing to address the amendment if there's no chairman yes gent lady from Ohio's recogniz yes I I didn't get this amendment until late but I don't really understand with the uh gentleman uh with all due respect to you what you just said about trampolines being stuck to the side of the house and what was on the other side of the house a trampoline What car what barbecue you know uh if you go into a place that's been damaged that is a dangerous job being a claims adjuster you may be one what you said they get there early which means they're doing their job number one number two people take for granted some of the most dangerous jobs in our country I don't know if these claims adjusters go down in the basement when there's Fallen trees uh you know you can get rolled by one of those things if you're not careful and uh so to me I don't understand and especially over time the public gets angry we had a tornado in our region and uh so it wiped out part of our city and the public was calling our office because they were worried that they couldn't get their insurance company to uh give them the money because there were so many homes that were damaged there weren't enough people to go around so the people work overtime why shouldn't they be paid for working more hours in what I would view as a dangerous job uh I don't understand why the gentleman would want to do that to these workers I don't know if you come from a workingclass family or not I sure do and I know how many injuries attend to people who work with their hands and who work with machines and so I I'm really surprised uh Alabama's a farming State you got some manufacturing down there right I don't know if you have a port or not those are all dangerous jobs and to to go in after a disaster uh a lot of bad you can step in a hole right you can break your leg a lot of things happen so I would think that the pay is warranted and that we should abide by the law I don't know why you would want to take that away from workers who do that kind of work for a living so I I don't support the gentleman's Amendment thank you very much and I yield back are there other members wishing to address the issue take down a trampoline you can break your nose not the gentleman's recognized for one minute to close thank you just just for the record these are contracted people they're not employees they're contracted to do a job they're not paid by the hour they're paid by the job to get a percentage and it is very dangerous and I make light of everything that's my way of dealing with a lot of strong issues so I apologize for my sense of humor so it's contracted individuals we're talking about it's time we put this one to rest folks we need these people we need them there as fast as we can get them and we need need them to work as long as they want to work if it's eight hours fine if it's two hours fine if it's 10 hours it's their choice they're contracted with that I return my time NOP okay been a long day and uh and it ain't over it ain't over but the worst part of it may be um questions now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Alabama all those in favor say I I those post say no the opinion of the chair the eyes have it and the amendment is adopted okay amendment is adopted uh we now recognize Miss Lee of California for the purpose of an amendment this amendment is uh lee amendment number two thank you ask for unanimous consent to expense of the reading uh without objection the gentle lady is recognized to explain the amendment okay Mr chairman this amendment what it would do is simply strike the harmful report language that blocks funding for uh the HHS office of climate change and Health Equity we've gone through this a few times now in terms of equity uh as it relates to uh people um who deserve Equity uh this directive represents yet another part of this magga extremist project 2025 agenda my Amendment mind you does not add any money to the bill it simply removes a directive in the report that blocks the Department of Health and Human Services from continuing its effort to confront how climate change is disproportionately impacting black brown and poor people in America period this unneeded downright bigoted divisive and directive represents yet another senseless assault on Americans right to health and to safety excuse me and a safe sustainable environment free of pollution environmental justice is the right to a safe healthy productive and sustainable environment for all regardless of race income class or background for too long we have overlooked the impact of environmental issues on underserved communities in our country and I mean rural and urban communities climate change represents a significant risk to all people but especially poor people and communities of color who already bear the brunt of environmental injustices the office of climate change and Health Equity aims to create an environment where every person in our country is safe and healthy especially those people and communities with the highest risk youve heard me speak before yesterday about how this issue is personal to me I grew up in El Paso Texas largely in in an African-American and in a Latino community in the Smoke shadow of the Asarco smelter plant I saw friends and family members harmed by the poison pouring out of those Smoke Stacks harms that other families living in a more affluent part of town did not have to confront climate change is worsening the threat from climate related weather events also placing chronic burdens on people's physical and mental health and introducing new health threats in many areas we also know that the communities that have long been victims of economic and social discrimination have a harder time preparing responding and recovering to climate threats EPA data shows that people of color are much more likely to live near contaminated sites and breathe polluted air for perspective asthma which particularly is a pollution which is a risk factor impacts approximately 13.4% of African-American children compared to only 7.3% of white children yet no child should have to be subjected to this with marginalized communities everywhere experiencing record pollution environmental justice can't wait the office of climate change and Health Equity aims to address the pressing Environ mental and public health issues for all Americans while working towards a cleaner future for everyone all people communities deserve to be safe from environmental health impacts we also know that people all across the country con environment excuse me confront environmental injustices so as I said earlier it's not just an urban problem it's a rural problem and it sign significantly adverse is impacted also by mining pollution and contaminated air and groundwater so I urge my colleagues to vote Yes on this amendment striking this harmful report language and remember it has nothing to do with um adding money to the Bill thank you and I you thank you chairman aderholt is recognized to address the amendment I uh rise to oppose the amendment uh this amendment would restore funding uh for the uh Health and Human Services office of climate change and health e Equity U established by the B Biden Administration back in 2021 however the role of the Department of Health and Human Services is to is not to address climate change the Department of Health and Human Services should be focused on Health Care not reducing Greenhouse emissions uh with that I would urge opposition of the amendment and I yeld back G lady from Connecticut Mr LS recognized to address the amendment I rise in support of the amendment the office of climate change and Health Equity is a small office too small in my opinion uh that is working to mitigate the harmful health effects of climate change this small office has been able to assist HHS with improved forecasting tracking and more to assist communities to combat the effects of extreme weather and climate change I know we've all seen the photos and are thinking of our colleagues and their constituents who have been severely impacted by Hurricane Barrel which the experts have said was made more dangerous because of climate change this is the only office dedicated to helping the nation's Health sector prepare and respond to increasing threats of extreme weather and climate change it is my understanding that it feels like 104 degrees outside here today and there is a heat emergency in DC through tomorrow this is not normal and it is this office that runs the only county level realtime documentation of heat Health burden the department is the health and human services department prohibited funding for the office of climate change and Health Equity is just another example of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle burying their heads in the sand climate change and extreme weather events are here this office is the only entity we have that is prepared and ready to help us through the future I urge my colleagues to support the amendment are there additional uh members wishing to speak to the amendment not the Gent lady is recognized for one minute to close thank you Mr chairman let me just say I'm talking about the um Health impacts of climate change their health impacts of a v of a variety of Social and economic determinants and we need to know how to address the health of individuals and communities which disproportionately bear the burden of environmental injustices so this is a health care issue again my Amendment doesn't cost any new money it just simply permits the Department of Health and Human Services to PO to deal with the health threats that unfairly affect black indigenous brown people poor people people who don't have a voice here who don't have a bunch of lobbyists so take that into consideration that I think um they'd want you to help them out a little bit uh you help out large corporations you help people who are privileged you help people in communities who have the resources to help themselves but this country you know has many economic and racial disparities that they just need a little help to help them live a decent life thank you and I ask for an ie vote questions now on the amendment offered by the Gent lady from California all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no opinion of the chair the NOS have it real call has been requested me a have show of hands sufficient number of hands having risen the clerk will call the RO Mr aderholt no Mr aderholt no Mr agular Mr agular I Mr amade Mrs Vice Mrs Bice no Mr Bishop yes Mr Bishop I Mr Calbert Mr Calbert no Mr Carl Mr Carl no Mr Carter no Mr Carter no Mr cartright Mr cartright I Mr Case Mr case I Mr sisani Mr sisani no Mr kleene Mr kleene no Mr Cloud Mr Cloud no Mr Clyde Mr Clyde no Mr Cole no Mr Cole no Mr quar Mr quar I Mr deloro I Mr deloro I Mr Diaz Bart Mr Edwards Mr Edwards no Mr Elie Mr Elie no Mr espat Mr espat I Mr Flashman Mr Flashman no Miss Frankle Miss Frankle I Mr Franklin Mr Franklin no Mr Garcia Mr Garcia no Mr Gonzalez Mr Gonzalez no Miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest no Mr Harter Dr Harris Dr Harris no Mrs Henson Mrs Henson no Mr Hoyer I Mr Hoyer I Mr Joyce Mr Joyce no Miss captor Miss captor I Mr Kilmer Mr lerer Miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California I miss Lee of Nevada Miss Lee of Nevada I miss Leto Miss Leto no Miss McCollum Miss McCollum I miss Ming Miss Ming I Mr molar Mr molar no Mr Morelli Mr new house miss pingry miss pingry I Mr poan Mr poan I Mr Quigley Mr Quigley I Mr rashen thaler Mr russan thaler no Mr Rogers Mr Rogers no Mr rers bger Mr rers bger I Mr ruford Mr ruford no Mr Simpson Mr Simpson no Mrs Tores Mrs Torres I Mr trone Mr trone I miss Underwood Miss Underwood I Mr valo Mr valo no Miss waserman Schultz Miss werman Schultz I Mrs Watson Coleman Mrs Watson Coleman I miss wexton miss wxon I Mr wac Mr wac no Mr ziny Mr ziny no are there uh any members uh gentlemen from Florida Mr Diaz Bart no are there other members wishing to record or change their vote uh gentleman from uh Washington Mr Kilmer I are there others gentleman from Washington Mr new house no are there any others wishing to vote or change their vote right the clerk will tally good job on this vote the eyes are 25 the nose are 31 the amendment is not adopted is there any any further Amendment or discussion seeing no further amendments I now recognize Mr Rogers for a motion Mr chairman I move to favorably report the fiscal year 2025 labor Health and Human Services education and related agencies Appropriations Bill to the house done the questions now on the motion to favor we report the fiscal year 2025 labor Health and Human Services education and related agencies Appropriations Bill to the house all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no the opinion of the chair the eyes have it roll call has been requested a sufficient number of hands having been raised the clerk will call the rooll Mr aderholt I Mr aderholt I Mr agular no Mr agular no Mr amade Mrs Bice yes Mrs Bice I Mr Bishop Mr Bishop no Mr Calbert Mr Calbert I Mr Carl Mr Carl I Mr Carter I Mr Carter I Mr cartright Mr cartright no Mr Case Mr Case no Mr sisani Mr sisani I Mr kleene Mr kleene I Mr Cloud Mr Cloud I Mr Clyde Mr Clyde I Mr Cole I Mr Cole I Mr quar Mr quar no Mr Loro Mr deloro no Mr Diaz Bart Mr Diaz Bart I Mr Edwards Mr Edwards I Mr Elie Mr Elie I Mr espat Mr espat no Mr Flashman Mr Flashman I miss Frankle Miss Frankle Miss Frankl no Mr Franklin Mr Franklin I Mr garc Mr Garcia I Mr Gonzalez Mr Gonzalez I miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest I Mr Harter Dr Harris Dr Harris I Mrs Hinson Mrs Henson I Mr Hoyer Mr Hoyer no Mr Joyce Mr Joyce I miss captor Miss captor no Mr Kilmer Mr Kilmer Mr Kilmer no Mr lerer Miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California no Miss Lee of Nevada Miss Lee of Nevada no Miss Leto Miss Leto I Mrs McCullum Miss McCullum no Miss Ming Miss Ming no Mr molar Mr molar I Mr mlli Mr NE house Mr new house I miss pingry miss pingry no Mr poan Mr poan no Mr Quigley Mr Quigley no Mr Russen thaler Mr Russen thaler I Mr Rogers Mr Rogers I Mr rers bger Mr rers bger no Mr ruford Mr Rutherford I Mr Simpson Mr Simpson I Mrs Torres Mrs Torres no Mr trone Mr trone no Miss Underwood Miss Underwood no Mr valo Mr valo I miss waserman Schultz Miss wasman Schultz no Mrs Watson Coleman Mrs Watson Coleman no Miss wexton Miss wexton no Mr wac I Mr wac I Mr ziny Mr ziny I we have members uh who wish to vote or change their vote okay the clerk will tally we're going to take a read on this vote the eyes are 31 the NOS are 25 the motion is agreed to I ask your unanimous consent that staff be permitted to make Technical and conforming changes to the bill and Report just approved seeing no objection so ordered without objection so ordered the committee will stand in recess for about 10 minutes so stretch your legs huh yeah please sort of tennish coffee I was G to say maybe you have something else you can bring drink wise the next one e e e e e e e for e e e for e for for for e e for for for h I for after e I for for e e ch where okay committee will come to order our second order of business today is consideration of the transportation Housing and Urban Development and related agencies Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 I'll now recognize chairman wac to present the bill I thank the gentleman thank you chairman Cole for your remarks uh and for your leadership on this committee uh couple of administrative notes uh as per custom a little sweetness uh product from the Great Northwest Arkansas from the famous house of Webster uh We've added a few different varieties this time and they're grouped at the corners and in the middle of the table so uh pick the one that you like the most and or like the best and uh and enjoy I I really like the pace that we're on thanks to Chairman Cole and the work of the House Appropriations Committee I I believe in my heart that uh the Senate is going to pick up its pace and I expect that next week the Senate will do all of its work complete all of its work because in my fortune cookie today it said something unusual will happen at work next week so I hope that I hope that the Senate will make that come true thanks to Doug dude demin Jones Avery Pearson Gren dobert J McCormick John onetti Joanna Dunkerton and on the minority side Christina Monroe Jackie Kilroy nor feay I wanted to make sure that I give credit where credit is due there's been a lot of work going to this bill and uh those are the people who have been down in the trenches laboring over this and and I am truly grateful um this bill Builds on work uh everybody on our subcommittee did last year under Tom's uh the Chairman's leadership so I'm grateful not just for what you achieved so far for this committee but also for the foundation you laid on this particular Bill want to thank ranking member delaro for your leadership on the committee and your long-term commitment to working across the aisle at the proper time to achieve consensus on these bills want to thank my partner in this bill ranking member Quigley I am fortunate to have worked with my friend for several years first sharing responsibility on fsgg and now on tud Mike you're a great partner thank you so much for your work the bill we're considering today meets our nation's most critical transportation and housing needs while reducing excessive spending and Regulatory burdens the discretionary allocation in the bill is just a little bit over 90 billion 90.4 that's 7 billion below fiscal 24 enacted a 7.3% reduction consistent with the fiscal responsibility act overall we have carefully allocated resources to the most critical Missions at do and HUD the bill prioritizes Transportation safety on our Railways on our roads and in the air we ensure a responsible safety net with housing support for our most vulnerable especially especially the elderly the disabled veterans and the Working Poor we've cut or eliminated 14 Grant programs at transportation in HUD totaling nearly three billion in savings compared to the enacted level I believe we best serve our constituents by making targeted Investments That create jobs and improve quality of life while meeting our responsibility to get spending under control under chairman Cole's leadership we're doing our part by writing bills to the level set by the f this bill includes both targeted Investments and targeted Cuts I believe the decisions in this bill will have a positive impact in every congressional district while meeting our responsibility to reign in spending Transportation safety is our highest priority at the department I'm proud to build on Aviation Investments made in the FY 24 bill by chairman Cole when he chaired this subcommittee airlines are expecting to expected to carry a record number of Travelers this summer 6% increase over last year and those of you that traveled this past weekend were part of a record setting weekend the bill also continues to make progress on last year's investments in the FAA Workforce in air traffic modernization the bill provides funding to train 2,000 new controllers to backfill the retiring Workforce and deploy air traffic controllers to understaff facilities I would note that funding in this bill supports advancements made by the FAA reauthorization passed in May including a $650 million increase for airport infrastructure financed through the airport and Airway trust fund the bill provides 61 billion for highways and bridges through the highway trust fund these resources are directly allocated to your state Departments of Transportation enabling state and local governments to collaborate on the highest priority road projects the bill provides 200 million for tribal transportation and 200 million for truck parking through discretionary Highway fund funding these targeted investments will enhance safety and improve the flow of Commerce on our interstate highway system and on tribal lands the bill supports Dot's Maritime Mission with full funding for Security Programs including a $60 million increase for the tanker security program consistent with the National Defense authorization act looking at do as a whole you'll see the bill makes targeted Transportation Investments to improve the flow of freight and ensure the safety of the travel public it's a responsible approach that also reduces regulatory burdens with targeted policy Provisions that defund burdensome executive orders and overzealous regulations in housing the bill meets our responsibility to support our most vulnerable citizens who rely on housing assistance to live with dignity these housing programs are run at the local level through public housing authorities private landlords and many faith-based organizations the bill supports self-sufficient efficiency programs so that families can move up and out of rental assistance I've heard from members on both sides of the aisle on the importance of Community Development block grants so we provide the FY 24 enacted level at 3.3 billion cdbg supports decision-making at the local level to meet critical Economic Development needs the administration proposed a 500 million doll cut to cdbg formula program instead proposing to prioritize program s where decisions are made in Washington we disagree with that approach we have restored this critical funding I'm pleased that we're able to continue to make progress on tribal Housing Programs building on the work of chairman Cole in FY 24 when he chaired this subcommittee the bill rejects Biden Administration proposals to expand housing programs with emergency designations and mandatory spending we are obligated to make tough choices and we've done that by maintaining rather than expanding housing support for our most vulnerable we've included funding prohibitions in this bill that will scale back the Biden administration's regulatory overreach the bill prohibits Dot from imposing executive orders and regulations that add burdens to rural States and small towns that don't have the luxury of spending Millions on consultants and grant writers and the bill scales back Hud's ability to impose bureaucratic requirements related to uh climate and fair housing I want to thank the members of the committee for your input thanks again to Chairman Cole for your leadership and moving appropriation bills down the field this gives us a shot at completing our work without endless continuing resolutions and while the Senate has yet to act I'm pleased that we're doing our job in the house to have the best possible position at the negotiating table we couldn't ask for better leaders than the people seated at this on this Das uh uh in uh in search of those Solutions so I ask each of you to support this legislation and I yield back the balance of my time thank you Mr chairman thank you I'd now like to recognize Mr Quigley for remarks on the bill thank you Mr chairman um and I also before we begin want to thank the extraordinary staff uh who have helped put all this together our friends on the Republican staff who have been very helpful and Cooperative uh and on the uh minority staff Christina Jackie Nora and for my own staff Charlie thanks for your great work I also want to recognize those of you who uh this is your last T HUD markup we're going to try squeeze this one in under 6 hours see what we can do uh there is a proud tradition in Chicago for those who are leaving office at the end of the year there's only three ways they leave the city council uh a Ballot Box a pine box or a jury box I'm glad that you haven't chose at least two of those uh that's progress uh we're going to miss you all but you know I want to acknowledge someone who uh I believe is an inspiration to us all uh this is the last tud markup for our friend uh congresswoman Jennifer wexton uh you have been an excellent colleague uh an unwavering advocate for expanding housing resources for youth aging out of foster care investing in Washington Union Station and metro metro transit and Community projects that improve roadway safety and congestion among many other critical issues on which we will miss your perspective perspective hard work and perseverance it has been an immense privilege to work with you and we all greatly appreciate your hard work on behalf of your constituents and the American people most of all your perseverance and courage [Applause] the gentleman yield just for a second Mr chair Mr chairman am I allowed to yield during the opening all right please thank you so very much for this moment but I wanted to say that as we have walked and served with uh congresswoman wexton how each of us has been so inspired by her grit and her Valor and her dignity and I hope she knows how much each of us thinks of her and when I think of uh President Kennedy's Book profiles and courage we walk with that courage in her every day thank you Jennifer for who you are and from what you've meant to the country and to each of us God bless you thank you thank you for your [Applause] service I also want to thank uh my subcommittee chairman Mr wac for his continued friendship and for all his hard work here as the chair of the subcommittee uh we did have a a very strong and helpful bipartisan partnership during our times as chair and ranking member on the fsgg subcommittee and the fact that we flipped uh roles during that time and still had that uh great relationship encourages me that when we flip again uh later on that we'll still have that strong relationship um I know you care about getting things done that's what Mayors do and we while you may not be surprised to hear that I have concerns with the bill today it's my true belief we aren't there yet but we will get there um throughout America people are concerned about issues like homelessness in the economy nearly every district is faced with a rise in the number of people living in the streets and in shelters as families are forced to earn more money just to keep Pace with the cost of housing travel to and from work or school is often met with congestion on our roads at airports or bottlenecks at train stations low slow not only our ability to get from point A to point B but the efficiency that keeps our economy moving and growing but the work of this subcommittee can improve the daytoday lives of every person in this country whether investing in new technologies to advance the movement of people and goods from one place to another or expanding Innovation and housing this bill has the ability to transform communities while this bill would Advance the safety of our Airport Skies expand Community Development and tribal communities and support community-led Project funding for both sides of the aisle it would also undercut necessary Investments for Amtrak and Transit projects with shovels already in the ground push tens of thousands of low-income families out of that stable housing slow new housing construction and ignore the impacts of climate change to make matters worse there are several controversial policy writers that unnecessarily attack High speed rail roll back Trans Safety and weaken civil rights protections for most Americans as a committee that holds the power of the purse members in this room know how Government Can Work across jurisdictional and party lines to find balanced and measured approaches that meet the needs of the American people the subcommittee uh I was probably the first in Congress to quote Toby zegler as I contemplate how this committee should operate quote government no matter what its failures in the past and in times to come for that matter it can be a place where people come together and where no one gets left behind appropriators know that and I think members of this subcommittee Know It Best in the final analysis I should care just as much about a tunnel from New Jersey to New York as you should about extending the Red Line in Chicago or locks on the Mississippi River or a regional airport in Arkansas or High-Speed Rail in California I think that bipartisan tour a lot of the people in this room took led by the chairman of the FK committee to visit the Baltimore Francis Scott Key bridge after the collapse was a great example of this local infrastructure has Regional and National importance the shipment of goods whether transported by water rail or road from Baltimore to Pennsylvania Ohio and beyond that an investment in one district is the lifeline for another District's economy we need each other as Baltimore and the rest of the country recover from the impacts of that tragic incident we should be showing the American people and the rest of the world that we here in washing Washington support all communities rural and urban large and small young and old and that we are not only able but are willing to invest in all of our communities so that we can withstand the test of time or disaster Mr chairman I understand the challenges ah Hadad of you and trust your ability to govern again I believe that in the end we can come to a compromise on a final product that addresses the concerns we have all raised and shared I respectfully cannot support the bill in its current state thank you and I yield back the balance of my time thank you very much I now recognize myself for remarks on the bill before I get to my prepared remarks I want to thank my friend uh uh from Illinois for that very gracious statement uh the only critique I would have is you forgot to mention the absolutely CR critical national projects in Connecticut and Oklahoma so you might want to rethink that going forward if you want Arkansas and Illinois taken care of so seriously that it was really well done America's always been a nation of Builders from our transportation infrastructure and operable Supply chains to the support of strong communities the bill before us prioritizes these core missions funding is directed towards the Safety and Security of vital transportation systems air traffic control operations are fully funded and resources to hire thousands of new air traffic controllers to replace a rapidly aging and retiring Workforce are provided we keep America's highways moving with truckers vital to Commerce ensuring that our shelves are stocked the bill also emphasizes our National Defense needs through the funding for crit critical Maritime security tanker program uh and security and cable ship Security Programs there is responsible uh safety net for our most vulnerable including the elderly disabled and Veterans is supported housing assistance programs will help those experiencing Hard Times avoid homelessness and engage produ productively in their communities I also commend the work to ensure our trust and treaty obligations are fulfilled through appropriate funding for Native American Housing Programs I would also note that this bill continues to assert the power of the purse held solely by Congress Congress members engaged in the needs of their constituents and secured 2,315 projects requested by 368 members to better communities Across the Nation finally it's also important to note what this bill does not do it rejects calls by the Biden Administration to vastly expand climate change and green New Deal style programs and rolls back efforts by the Biden Administration to impose a controversial ideological agenda through executive orders and regulations this bill makes targeted Investments to support infrastructure safety and the movement of people and goods Across America I want to thank chairman wac ranking member Quigley and certainly my good friend and partner ranking member of the full committee Miss deloro for their hard work on this measure and I urge all members of this committee to support this bill I now recognize the ranking member deloro for her opening remarks thank you so much Mr chairman for yielding and and again thank you for your friendship as we make our way uh through this process I would also like to say a thank you to Chairman wac and ranking member Quigley and subcommittee staff on both sides of the aisle and and I want to shout out especially Christina Monroe Jackie Kilroy and Nora Fay housing and transportation are two of the largest costs for American households people across our districts and America are asking for sound Investments that lower housing and transportation costs instead this bill will raise costs for struggling American families make it harder to build sustain and connect affordable thriving communities across the country More Than 650,000 People experience homelessness On Any Given night despite an escalating homelessness crisis and the and the Supreme Court's shocking and cruel decision to allow localities to criminalize people experiencing homelessness this bill guts the home program the sole Federal program dedicated to affordable housing construction by 60% to levels that predate 1992 that translates to thousands of affordable homes that will not be built or rehabilitated and housing opportunities stripped from thousands of renters and home buyers we are facing a historic shortage of nearly 8 milli ion affordable homes Nationwide and coupled with higher borrowing costs housing is less affordable than ever for home buyers and for renters yet this bill will delay livable wage construction jobs make it more difficult to build new housing at the same time the bill strips eviction prevention measures for struggling families which will inevitably drive more vulnerable people into homelessness the bill eliminates the yes in my backyard program which help helps Mayors and governors fund locally driven solutions for land use affordable housing and Transit oriented development the bill also eliminates the choice neighborhood initiative a neighborhood and housing revitalization program that helps communities redevelop housing and attract Economic Development and while the people of Hawaii are still recovering from devastating wildfires this bill eliminates investments in native Hawaiian Housing and Community infrastructure that must be addressed and that must be changed at every level this bill is putting the American dream of home ownership further Out Of Reach for millions of people at the same time the bill Cuts Investments that keep a a stable roof over families build homes and make our communities more affordable it reverses progress rebuilding our transportation infrastructure making travel and commuting worse for the American people American families deserve safe Dependable affordable and worldclass transportation options but instead of making wise Investments to lower cost for families connect our communities and make our transportation infrastructure more resilient and reliable the bill threatens to damage our nation's economy make commutes longer cause service delays and site cancellations to Major and desperately needed Transportation infrastructure Improvement projects the bill Cuts Amtrak funding by more than 12% with over $300 million in investment stripped from the Northeast Corridor of the national network this forces Amtrak to make unnecessary tradeoffs between cutting service and jobs making critical improvements to ensure travel is safe for all passengers the Northeast Corridor rail service is the lifeblood of the $6 trillion doll economic region spending 12 States from Virginia to Maine Business Travelers and commuters by self-included rely on this service to get to work thousands of there are thousands of across the region are employed directly or indirectly by rail service and the Commerce it drives there are 7 million jobs within a five mile U radius of a of the northeast of a Northeast cor Corridor station communities of every size line in the route from rural towns to suburbs to Urban destinations and those communities rely heavily on rail travel for connectivity and for Commerce communities like Aberdine Maryland Rowan Oak Virginia they have stops on an Trak northeast regional service rail is one of the most critical resources in our nation's most populous region and the national economy will suffer if we do not make vital investments in Amtrak to round it out the majorities again included poison pill riders that strip basic protection for tenants obstruct rail development undermine our efforts to lower utility utility costs and combat climate change instead doubling down on on greenhouse gas emissions and pollutions Americans cannot keep up with the cost of housing and transportation and this committee has more power than than most to do something about it but regrettably the majority have chosen a path towards chaos and division they have put forth a bill that will make housing and transportation even more expensive for families we are at the table we're ready to pass legislation that lowers housing and transportation costs for American I implore the majority to join us it is time to govern thank you and I yield back thank you Miss Watson Coleman is recognized for General remarks about the Bill thank you to Chairman wac thank you to my ranking uh member Mr quickley and to all the staff who work so hard on this bill Mr chairman I rise in opposition to this bill which drastically Cuts important funding to transportation and housing projects I firmly believe that our budget is a reflection of our values and this bill as it stands tells the American people that we don't really value supporting and providing Equitable and Safe Transportation and housing infrastructure for all once again this committee is falling short in providing necessary investments in housing infrastructure the bill is no less than disastrous for the vast majority of Americans that find themselves unhoused unstably housed or those in financial pinch this bill guts the home investment partnership program the sole Federal program dedicated to new affordable housing rental and Home Ownership housing construction by 60% this is in despite of a 12% increase in homelessness nationally and these cuts are consistent with the same extreme right-wing ideology that the Supreme Court used to criminalize homelessness although this bill contains fun continues funding for homelessness grants at the same time it makes massive cuts to housing policy that would eventually lead to more people becoming homeless in order to combat this epidemic we need to fully fund housing programs and homelessness grants we cannot continue putting Band-Aids on problems that need fundamental fix let me make it clear that if Republicans have their way next year and Implement project 2025 they will abandon the most at risk Americans and restrict eligibility for firsttime home buyus which is not right dog whistle to exclude low income people from achieving the primary Financial tool Americans use to build generational wealth any decrease in the home appropriation is simply shaking the literal Foundation of affordable housing this will result in a decrease in the number of affordable housing units that are produced in communities across the country if this committee decided to fully fund this program at the requested level that could fund over 10,000 units of affordable housing for next for new home buyers but creating affordable housing units simply is not a priority for my colleagues on the other side along with the incredulous amount of poison pill riders in this bill which heightens political polarization this bill also eliminates legal aid assistance for eviction prevention we know that lowincome single mothers and children are most susceptible to eviction do we not value them this bill also puts pulls back on funding for health hazards and low-income housing which includes lead base paint that over two million of our nation's children are living with in their homes do we not value them too additionally the bill eliminates funding for the yes in my back R program which provides funding for affordable housing and Transit oriented uh development yet again another dog whistle against our lowincome brothers and sisters now let's talk about the DraStic cuts to our transportation infrastructure the committee fall short of providing the necessary Investments for public transportation though the Federal Transit Administration is receiving 15.3 billion that is $1.3 billion below fy2 24 levels or nearly an 8% cut while this bill provides 14.3 billion for Transit formula grants it guts Transit capital investment grants by 66% perc paralyzing new Transit routes Nationwide the bill Cuts Amtrak operations by more than 12% compared to fiscal year 2024 the funding amount puts forward put forward by the majority are $578 million do below amra requests of 1.6 billion for the Northeast Corridor and 1.3 billion with a B below Amtrak's 2.4 billion dollar request for the national network this will undoubtedly harm Amtrak's ability to serve many of the constituents that members in the majority claim to represent our nation's rail system is hampered even further in this bill with the elimination of the federal state partnership for inner city passenger rail program while also making significant cuts to the Consolidated rail infrastructure and safety Improvement program in the wake of delays and issues plaguing the rail routs like the Northeast Corridor the last thing we should be doing is cutting funds to make the necessary repairs and upgrades this bill truly does a great disservice to the promise we made the American people on improving our nation's transportation and infrastructure we simply cannot turn our back on our most vulnerable who will be disproportionately impacted by these Cuts I cannot support this bill as it is currently written and I encourage my colleagues to do the same thank you I yield back thank you Mr Hoy is recognized for his uh thoughts on the bill thank you very much Mr chairman uh this committee and this Congress need to devote attention and resources to the multiple disasters that we're experiencing around the country both natural and man-made that have devastated American communities recently uh Dutch rers bergger represents the northern part of our state I represent the southern part of our state we had a tragedy in the northern part of the state that affects our part of the state as well whether it's uh Wilderness wildfires in Maui throughout the American West tornadoes that tore through the Midwest floods that raged through Vermont in California the typhoon in Guam or the train derailment in Ohio as a marylander I am particularly concerned with the efforts to replace of course the Francis Scott Key bridge many of you saw that Calamity some saw it in real time or saw it on tape as that giant tanker of almost 1,000 ft in length stacked high with 10 or 12 High cargo and weighing thousands and thousands of ton ran into that bridge and took down the bridge that bridge is a major thoroughfare from Boston uh to Richmond or even further south no matter what caused these catastrophes where they occurred these disasters affect our entire country and red and blue States alike responding to them Mr chairman shouldn't be a political issue in fact for the most part it has not been I think most of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle share that view they all know that we are all vulnerable it is essential that we work together on supplemental legis to provide these urgently needed funds for Disaster Recovery I commend the administration and the Congress for its request for towards that effect the OM director shaland young who used to run this be the executive director of this committee requested 27.3 billion in supplemental funding for Disaster Response in her letter to speaker Johnson on the 28th I was also pleased that she reiterated the administration's commitment to a 100% federal cost share for rebuilding the Francis SC Creek Key Bridge uh I want to thank my colleague on the Republican side of the aisle Mr Harris my colleague Mr rers bergger we all believe that precedent and necessity uh would lead us to 100% reimbursement or or payment that commitment aligns with the precedent that federal government set when it covered the full cost of Minnesota's 35 bridge collapse it falls to this Congress Mr chairman to authorize the cost share however not the administration we need to secure this funding expeditiously in this fiscal year because these disasters aren't going to stop happening just this week hurricane barel made a landfall in Houston Texas flooding entire neighborhoods destroying houses and leaving 2.3 million Texans without power when we are slow to address past disasters The Strain on the programs and systems we have in place to respond the new ones only grows the hardship of the American people becomes greater as well they should not have to wait until October at the earliest for Congress to act the bill before us today may not be the proper vehicle for these additional resources and therefore we're offering no amendment to this bill but we need to remind our Congress of the urgency of this issue the ranking member has informed me we still do not have a cost estimate obviously that is essential before uh we act Democrats and Republicans however have come together to keep our government open we've worked together secure aid for our allies let's find that cooperation again to secure the funds necessary to address these disasters not just in Maryland but in other parts of our country and I thank the chairman for giving me the time and yield back thank you uh chair recognizes gentle lady from Ohio Miss capter for her thoughts on the bill thank you thank thank you Mr chairman uh chair wac and ranking members doloro and Quigley I'd like to associate myself with uh ranking member uh doloro and Quigley's remarks uh first of all overall I really want to vote for this bill because it's so important to our country and our region but really it shorts the American people and it prends more congestion from coast to coast and it ignores the serious affordability crisis we have in housing from coast to coast um the net result is that by not investing in these systems at the level we should we are going to stall economic growth it's happening everywhere when we we can't move cargo when we can't accommodate people uh in decent shelter it really has a downward draft uh on the whole country now in terms of the housing crisis itself uh the the bill as proposed guts the home investment partnership program which is the sole Federal program devoted to affordable housing construction and it underfunds it by 60% 60% despite a rising level of home lessness across this country including in places we never expected to see it before um so we can't pretend like it isn't there um the affordable housing crisis is largely due to the fact of a low inventory and I won't go into all the financial practices that are going on that are um undermining a normal housing market at the regional level but we know that the lack of affordable housing also costs our economy believe it or not about $2 trillion doll a year and lost economic benefit because people are just not able to be secure in their living environment in terms of Transport I wanted to say that I believe that this bill really uh puts our nation's long-term economic Vitality on The Chopping Block because what you're seeing here in The Proposal is slashing investments in ports in shipyards in passenger Rail and public transit infrastructure the livelihoods of more than 30 million Americans depend on us ports and the goods and passengers that move through them and despite the fact that many of these ports including those in the region I represent in the Great Lakes are in dire need of infrastructure improvements the bill cuts the port infrastructure development program by 40% 40% that is a recipe for economic stagnation and it slashes funding for over 300 smaller shipyards in the United States that build and repair more than 40,000 military safety and Commercial vessels in the American Flag fleet last year we dedicated for the first time in 40 years the first ship commercial ship built on the Great Lakes first time in 40 years should have taken that long meanwhile what we're seeing is China trying to wipe out and displace free markets and free market Carriage okay all over the world including here and the other side of the aisle seems to be sleepwalking into China's shredding machine in terms of our ability to compete marit on the maritime side I would urge you to relook at your bill since passage the infrastructure investment in jobs act the United States has begun making real progress on passenger rail but this bill takes a massive step backward by underfunding Amtrack and the Federal Railroad administration's federal state partnership Inter City rail a passenger rail the bill will force Amtrak to choose between improvements to train stations and platforms as well as cutting services and jobs so I would just say both on the housing front and the transportation front I hope that the majority Rooks at this bill and as we offer amendments and as we go to conference with the Senate that we can actually produce something that will help grow the economy and not stall it thank you so very much I yield back thank you Gentle lady from Minnesota M culls recognized for reactions to the Bill thank you Mr chairman today I'm going AR rise to express a deep concern with the exclusion of nonprofits in the community profit funding eligibility in this bill now I'm proud to work with thousands of nonprofits in my district in fact Minnesota is a leader of nonprofits and we do that uh in our state working with local County uh federal government to save taxpayers money and to deliver services in a more meaningful way to our constituents on a personal note I grew up around nonprofits I'm a girl scout yes I'm still a card caring Girl Scout my first paying job was as an adult as a YMCA Camp counselor first aid counseler I have a great first aid kit in my office if you need one um but uh I want to talk about how nonprofits kind of help our communities this summer right now there's children learning and exploring um with parents sometimes who are at work work uh they're learning how to swim some of them are going to Camp some of them are learning how to code they're learning how to do lots of things that nonprofits all throughout our districts and they also help them wise widen their Horizons at the same time as they're growing up expose them to uh career paths and job opportunities now this committee made it clear that Economic Development initiative account in this bill should be used to fund projects with clear Economic Development benefit to our community like Workforce training I'm going to give you an example of something that happened last year I'm so grateful it happened last year this committee granted a million dollars to the Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities and help them construct a Workforce Development training center and is fabulous this Center will help underserved teens in the east side of St Paul build skills that will help them in the workforce identify a plan for the future explore career paths and yes want to do better in school sadly these types of projects became ineligible in 2025 we know why and I'm not the only member in this room who was disappointed by that but the nonprofits in my districts like the boys and girls club they're working for the Next Generation to be as successful as they can be in fact when we were debating renaming Army Corps sites yesterday one of our colleagues even brought up how important Boys and Girls clubs are in their Community nonprofits are Community Partners and they leverage Federal funding we had approved in this room to get the job done I know the committee is proud of the projects that it funded in the past nonprofits so let's not cast them aside in the future I'm sure we've all heard this from worthy nonprofits who wanted to know why they couldn't apply for funds this year I personally saw some of the possible harm that caused in my district by not being able to do what I could for them I look forward to working with the chairs the ranking members with members and with all of our colleagues on the house floor that we need to talk to about the importance of funding nonprofits in the future Mr chair thank you so much for the consideration thank you chair recognizes Mr quar of Texas for his reactions to the bill chairman thank you so much for yielding uh chairman wac thank you for the work that you and uh the ranking member Mr gly did this bill I want to thank your staff also uh as you know uh we still need a little bit of work to get to a bipartisan Bill we'll get there but I do want to point out three bipartisan Provisions that got added uh the first one is what you mentioned uh Mr chairman and this is something that you and some of us worked on and that was the adding $200 million for the uh commercial truck uh parking uh projects uh in my town I think everybody knows about trucks in my town uh you have your trucks in our area we are the number one Porter in the whole country get more trucks than any other place we get 17,000 trailers a day and we're about to expand the bridge from eight Lanes to 18 Lanes so you can imagine what's going to happen with a number of trucks coming through Laredo so this project Mr chairman they go up to Laredo they end up in Arkansas and Oklahoma also uh and beyond that to Minnesota uh this is very important so thank you so much for those $200 million a great project uh the second one has to do with something that Tony Gonzalez and I worked on in a bipartisan way and that is a funding that we added to the San Antonio Via Advanced Rapid Transit North South corer which is very important it goes through your District it goes through my district and through other members uh but that adds uh 10.3 miles of a rapid bus transit system that connects the airport all the way down to South uh the southern part of San Anton which is your district and my district uh 26 stations on the way 17 new uh low emission or no emission Vehicles again thank you Tony uh working on this in a bipartisan way the third provision that I want to talk about is something that folks might not be aware of I know chairman cter knows about colonias colonias are those what I call third world conditions that we have along the border uh we have about 2200 uh of those colonias uh California New Mexico Arizona and Texas the majority of them like 90% of them are in Texas third world conditions which means that there is uh no water no sewage sometimes no electricity they have to haul their own water you know the students that that are from the colonial because when it rains they have to walk to the road because the buses can't go in and they're the ones with uh with uh mud on their shoes so what we did there is we were pushing uh make sure that the department provides technical assistance to the 10% State cdbg money for the Colonials because again they might not have the expertise they have the needs but they don't have the expertise so this allows the technical service so they can draw down the money so they can get some assistance so with that uh we're having what I call real world impact on folks that need that so whether it's on commercial trucks parking whether it's on the uh rapid bus or the colonias uh Mr chairman and to the ranking member I want to say thank you for having an impact on this by the way also The Crossings on trains uh loredo's also number one uh trains in the whole country and I know we added monies for that to make sure that when you have trains crossing through cities you have safe Crossing areas and I don't know you added extra money so thank you on that chairman thank you for your time thank you chair recognizes Miss wexton of Virginia for her reaction to the [Music] Bill thank you Mr chairman as you know last year I was diagnosed with Progressive superclear py or PSP it's basically Parkinson's on steroids and I don't recommend it it's affected my ability to to speak so I use an app to make it easier for you and our colleagues to hear and understand me for those of you who heard me speak before PSP robbed me of my full voice you may think your ears are deceiving you right now I assure you they are not I'm using a new AI model of my voice today I know it's pretty cool as we wrap up the FY 2025 markups and with it my time on the Appropriations Committee I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for the opportunity to serve alongside all of you and for what I've been able to accompl Lish on this powerful committee when I first came to Congress in 2019 securing an appointment to the Appropriations Committee was a top priority at that time Virginia did not have any representation on the committee for the first time in over a century a predecessor of mine representative Frank Wolf built a lasting Legacy in our community for his many years of bipartisan work he and his Democratic counterpart Jim Moran performed for our Commonwealth on this committee over the past four years I've been proud to build on that long Legacy of advocating for Virginia on on issues like robust Metro funding standing up for our federal Workforce by working to improve Child Care access and to examine launching a returnship program and expanding resources for AGR tourism businesses I've also been a leader on topics such as investing in Childhood Cancer Research ensuring the safe and healthy usage of technology for our kids and enhancing Mental Health Services for Capitol Police through the creation of the Howe see lean good Center for wellness thanks to the Democratic Leadership last Congress reinstituting Community Project funding I'm proud to have delivered a total of more than $46.3 million for local projects including new mental health care resources for those in crisis improvements to local roads to reduce traffic and improve safety support for local law enforcement and domestic violence survivors and more one of the reasons I've enjoyed this committee so much is because of the unique and increasingly rare here in the house the bipartisanship at Fosters as appropriators we have the significant and meaningful task of allocating American taxpayers dollars to the programs that will bring the most benefit back to the people and I'm proud of how we have worked together to fulfill that task personally it has also been a great comfort to have such supportive and accommodating colleagues here who have allowed me to continue to do this work despite the challenges my health condition has brought over the past year I want to thank leadership on both sides of the aisle particularly the leadership of chairman Cole and ranking member Doro as well as the chairs and ranking members of my my subcommittees as well as committee staff for these accommodations none of our work here is possible without Those Behind the Scenes to the staff especially on the subcommittees I have served on T HUD legislative branch and sfops thank you for your tireless work on behalf of this committee and the American people finally I'd like to share a special thank you for our fearless leader Rosa deloro you have been a friend and mentor to me and I am forever in awe of your Relentless commitment to the well-being of our nation's kids and families together we've worked to deliver some of the greatest investments in our children's future in a generation and that is a legacy for which I am most proud it has been an honor and a privilege to serve alongside all of you I look forward to keeping up our work together on the FY 2025 legislation and being a voice for Virginia throughout the rest of this term thank you and I yield back [Applause] very well said my friend uh chair recognizes uh Mr Garcia of Texas for his thoughts on the bill I'll take that as a compliment Mr chairman but being from California the reason I actually stand uh Mr qu is that one down but uh I want to first of all thank the gentle lady from Virginia Miss wxon for uh her strength being a true inspiration on this committee and and serving our beautiful Nation thank you for everything you've done uh it truly is inspirational uh I Rise uh in support of this bill I want to thank the chairman for languaging this bill that actually prohibits the federal government from supporting and funding uh California's highspeed rail which you've heard me refer to as uh California's Franken rail it doesn't know what it is it's made of disparate Parts uh it's Meandering through towns and Villages and scaring the hell out of our constituents as they build it uh it's neither high speed nor actually rail at this point uh they spent about 73 billion doar on a program that was meant to be only $30 billion was meant to be finished in 2020 and as of right now now has no actual estimated completion date uh but the estimated actuals to complete are about $128 billion to go so the re the the unfortunate reality of these numbers as bad as those numbers and shocking as those numbers are is that to date they have yet to lay a single mile of rail there's these massive concrete structures that have a carbon footprint that's probably unfathomable that are being being built in different parts of California but they haven't actually laid a single track uh excuse me a single piece of rail not a single mile of mail uh rail has been laid so uh we should not be supporting this California itself is not paying the line share of this bill Federal taxpayer dollars are uh we have other projects in California like freeways that to add capacity metr link and other uh local trains that would benefit from this money this is where we should be investing the federal dollars and not continuing to invest in Franken rail that frankly uh deserves to die so I urge support of the bill and especially defunding California uh slow speed rail thank you thank you Miss Lee of Nevada is recognized for her initial reactions to the Bill thank you Mr chair I want to thank uh the chair of the committee wac and uh ranking member Quigley as well as ranking member Doro uh and I want to thank my colleague Jennifer wexton for her incredible bravery and showing us the good things that AI can do uh if there's one thing that I hear um no matter where I go in southern Nevada it's the rising cost of housing and this is a crisis that we're fighting on multiple fronts on one hand we have corporate landlords who are buying up existing homes from working families and jacking up the prices we have a bill for that on the other hand we have government bottlenecks uh that slow down the permitting process and keep us from building new homes uh uh representative Joyce and I uh co-sponsored a bill that in fact was just passed out of the house the other day um but remember this is at a time in southern Nevada where there are only 14 affordable units per 100 100 Southern Nevada families that need them so if we care about inflation as we all claim to do I'm wondering why this bill guts the One Federal program that is solely dedicated to building new affordable homes and that's the home investment partnership program this bill would gut it by 60% to the tune of $750 million that's 60% less support for a single parent who's working two jobs to give their kids a room to sleep in 60 % less support for the veteran who risked their lives to protect our freedoms but now live in their car 60% less support for seniors who just retired living on fixed incomes dealing with uh affordable housing issues since 1992 the home program has helped my state build nearly 5,000 affordable housing units over 3,000 rental units and reh rehabilitate nearly 10,000 household holds for Working Families seniors and Veterans that's thousands of people's lives changed by having a roof over their head and it could be more and that's why one of my top requests for this Appropriations bill was to double the funding for the home program and clearly I'm deeply disappointed that we've done just the opposite because in southern Nevada affordable housing is not a priority it's a necessity no matter where you live everyone deserves a roof over their head and for that reason plus many others I will be opposing this bill and I urge my colleagues to vote no and I yield thank you are there other members wishing to make General comments about the bill where oh uh gentleman from Maryland is recognized Mike Mike Mike mic down okay uh Mr chairman and uh the the chairman and ranking member of the the committee um the first thing Jennifer uh we all love you um you you will bring us together uh and we really respect the way you're handling yourself during this very difficult time and we're all behind you and we're going to support you whatever we can um well Mr chairman and ranking member again uh of the transportation housing and an urban development Appropriations bill I Rise unfortunately in opposition to this bill on March 26 2024 the Port of Baltimore was struck with a terrible tragedy when a cargo ship leaving the port struck the Francis Scott Key bridge causing a total collapse the port act acts as an economic hub for Baltimore and the entire state of Maryland thankfully just 11 weeks after the collapse Crews were able to quickly clear the channel and bring the port of balore back online however the work is not done due to the collapse traffic in and around the city has increased significantly trucks that once took the bridge are now forced to take the Beltway or through through the surrounding suburbs thankfully the Administration has committed its support for the full funding to rebuild the Key Bridge quickly safely and stronger than ever before I cannot underestimate the importance of the port of Baltimore and the Key Bridge for the American economy I believe this horrible tragedy can be an opportunity to come together and put politics aside to replace the B Bridge Mr chair for the good of Maryland and our nation's economy we must provide full funding to replace the bridge I yield back are there other members wishing to make General comments at the bill Mr espot is recognized espat excuse me thank you uh Mr chairman um clearly uh this committee is uh such an important committee for uh housing Across America and there is uh a housing tsunami striking America um anywhere that you go you'll see uh the homeless crisis affecting Urban cities the dream of owning a home a co-op a condo continues to go further away from average American families young people saddle with student loans young couples sadle with student loans are practically uh unable to be be able to uh get their home and raise their families uh affordable housing many people in my district are paying over 50% of their income for rent we have in the district the 13th congressional district the highest concentration of rent stabilized privately owned apartments a Skyrocket every year and people cannot make ends meet in addition to that we have a significant number of units of uh public housing units that continue to face great challenges Capital needs new boilers new roof new elevators the conditions are horrible they're inhumane and the federal government really for a long time walked away from the housing business in fact the federal government is an absentee landlord and we see how uh this major housing crisis in America Still Remains unresolved this uh proposal does nothing in my opinion to begin to address it in a serious way for that reason um Mr chairman I am compelled to vote against it and I yeld back thank you again are there other members wishing to make General comments about the bill seeing no other members wishing to make opening remarks I'd like to recognize chairman wack to offer a manager's Amendment hey thank you uh Mr chairman and before I do let me um let me just say I have the enormous respect for my colleagues on both sides of the out particularly my friends on the left uh for their comments about this bill and on more than one occasion this afternoon reference has been made to the home partnership program most recently I think by the gentle lady from Nevada does anybody in this room are you willing to admit how much money is sitting in that account thanks to the America rescue plan now we we we put 500 million in this home program I realize that's down nearly 800 million from a year before but there's 5 billion dollar of unspent money thanks to the America rescue plan sitting in that account now at some point in time this committee has to recognize that we also need to lead by example and in this particular case to speak down about this bill reference this program is not recognizing the fact that there is adequate money in that program and there are other needs across the span of the federal government to include Mr Hoyer the the the collapse of the Key Bridge and I couldn't agree more with you that we do need an answer to that and this is not the vehicle with which to do that so it pains me to be the chairman of a subcommittee when we've done this great work and and yet we get criticized for not adding more money to a program that is flush with money we need to do better homework and we need to hold these agencies accountable that's the job of an appropriator and we can do a better job of that so I'll get off my soap box here just a minute and um tell you that Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk and I ask ask unanimous consent that my Amendment be considered as read without objection and gentleman's recognized to explain his Amendment thank you Mr chairman the bipartisan managers Amendment includes Bill and report changes to the underlying Bill other technical fixes on both that both sides have agreed to I think I think my ranking member Mr Quigley and other members from both parties who have worked with us in drafting this amendment and I'd ask my colleagues to support the amendment you'll back the balance of my time Mr Quigley's recognized to address the manager's Amendment uh and I appreciate that I just want to reference um on that program 5 billion was appropriated 4.98 billion has been allocated to the states at least that that's my understanding but always room for clarification uh on this amendment the amendment makes technical Corrections of the bill and adds some Bill and Report language I worked on this amendment in a bipartisan way with my friend Mr wac which accommodates requests from both sides of the aisle and I ask my colleagues to support the amendment and and I Y back gentle lady from Florida Miss wasman Schultz is recognized to address the amendment thank you Mr chairman I rise in support of the manager's Amendment and I thank Mr wac and Mr Quigley for including my language directing HUD to assess the harmful impacts that mass burn incinerators can have on our local neighborhoods for far too long marginalized communities bore the brunt of environmental degradation and climate change these communities more often suffer from poor air quality lack of Green Space and face heightened vulnerability to climate disasters that isn't just a talking point either in my home District in Broward County the city of myamar has a majority minority population coincidentally or perhaps not so much when you think about it Miami D county is proposing to build a mass burn incinerator facility less than 8/10 of a mile from a residential community in myamar with hundreds of families who are overwhelmingly people of color the same facility has been known to emit pollutants that cause cancer resp problems and reproductive health risks city leaders in Miramar have vly opposed placing such a dangerous facility so close to our constituents constituents and children a report from HUD will confirm everything that we already know it would be bad for the environment and bad for our neighborhoods environmental justice needs to be prioritized and if it isn't then we may need to go further and prevent any federal permits from being issued for the facility but this will give us an opportunity to take a good hard look at uh what we know the dangerous impacts would be of this facility thank you Mr chairman i y back thank you do any other amendments seek recognition to speak on the amendment seeing none I recognize chairman wac for one minute to close recommend approval of the manager's amendment I yeld back question is on the amendment all those in favor say I all those oppos no the opinion of the chair the eyes have it the amendment is adopted okay Mr Quigley is recognized for the purposes of an amendment thank you Mr chair I Rise to offer an amendment and ask un consent to dispense with the reading without objection and the gentleman's recognize this amendment strikes uh what we would consider controversial writers uh instead of focusing on investing in affordable housing and the safe efficient Transportation infrastructure that powers our economy the bill today uh before us today includes several harmful controversial policy writers that won't become law anyway so let's get rid of them now uh they make our roads less safe by blocking Dot's ability to address preventable fatalities through sensible safety regulations uh it limits our ability to address the accelarating threat of climate change despite clear evidence the Wildfire smoke life threatening heat waves and extreme weather we Face daily in this country can be remediated by addressing greenhouse gas emissions it includes extreme culture War uh agenda into the infrastructure Bow by prohibiting funding related to critical race Theory and blocking implementation of President Biden's executive order on advancing racial equity and support for undeserved communities this amendment would strike the harmful restrictions controversial writers and partisan attacks on a critical programs that I hope we can agree on are not necessary in a tud bill uh I urge your support and yield back Mr warmac is recognized to address the amendment thank you Mr chairman I Rise to oppose the amendment uh frankly I'm proud of the policy writers we have in in this bill I'm going to break them down into three categories and then ask for your support first or ask you to oppose the bill as I will or the amendment first the thud Bill stops the Biden Administration from imposing unreasonable environmental mandates second the thud Bill upholds the rule of law and thirdly this bill uh this uh Bill scales back the Federal government's overreach I can go into detail detail on each one of those three categories uh but in the interest of time I'll just uh leave it there and I urge a no vote on the amendment thank you Mr chairman thank you uh M Tores is recognized to address the amendment thank you Mr chairman I rise in support uh of this amendment I want to express my concerns with the provision in this bill that prohibits any funds from being used for High-Speed Rail um Corridor development project in California the bill already undercuts rail infrastructure Investments and Republicans want to take it a step further by excluding a single project that already has shovels on the ground and workers on site no one project should be singled out from competing with other projects through annual funding competitions that are fairly managed under the law my district is a gateway for highspeed rail we will be welcoming the first highspeed rail from Las Vegas which will boost the economy and create jobs in my community don't please do not stand in the way of progress if you don't like a project that's your opinion don't get in the way of good jobs thank you Mr chairman and I yield back thank you are there other members wishing to address the amendment seeing none if there's no further debate uh the gentleman is recognized for one minute to close Mr chairman I can't help myself I I think the chairman of the subcommittee might be right there's three categories of writers which we will never ever ever agree on but why put them in all the bills I suppose that we should just find one bill as a sacrificial lamb next year and just beat the hell out of it just have all those arguments on that one bill and and we'll address it that that way I put it it's being suggested I won't have to worry about that but uh we'll see uh look I strongly I strongly encourage uh your support for this amendment and I appreciate your Indulgence you should actually pass one bill all together that'd be great um there's no uh further debate the questions now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Illinois all those in favor say I I all those oppos say no no opinion of the chair the NOS have it the amendment is not adopted okay Mr ran ther is recognized for the purpose of an amendment thank you Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk ran ther Amendment one I ask unanimous consent to dispense with its reading without objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed with the member is now recognized to explain the amendment thank you Mr chairman I really appreciate it my amendment is simple it would prohibit Pennsylvania from utilizing Federal funding to toll existing roads or bridges on the Federal Highway System that are not currently told in 2021 pend do Pennsylvania Department of Transportation proposed tolling nine existing Bridges across the entire Commonwealth including one that would negatively negatively impact hundreds of thousands of people in southwestern Pennsylvania these tolls would have cost the average commuter an additional $11,000 a year under President Biden blueco collar Americans have seen their wealth decrease significantly gasoline is up 55.3% car insurance is up 23 % used cars are up 21% Americans are spending nearly $113,000 a year just to buy the basics to be honest the last thing pennsylvanians need is a new tax for that reason I urge support of my Amendment and I yield back the balance of my time you Mr Quigley is recognized to respond to the amendment thank you Mr chairman I rise in opposition to this amendment you know we all struggle to be consistent here um and sometimes we're for State's rights and sometimes we're not for State's rights sometimes we're Federalist and sometimes you know not so much this amendment would preempt the Commonwealth authority to make decisions on the issue at the local level where the authority currently lies prohibiting any state from exercising that authority to toll roadways is outside the purview of the federal government and it's a top-down approach without regard for local Regional and State decision making furthermore to the extent that there are certain circumstances for the federal government to impose tolls on federal a highways that Authority would reside under the jurisdiction of the transportation and infrastructure committee not an issue for our committee here to debate I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and I yield back are there any other members wishing to speak to the amendment seeing none uh gentleman's Rec recogniz for one minute to close thank you Mr chairman you know the federalism argument is cute we're spending federal federal funds right here so of course we can say how they can be spent and how they can't be uh so just complete nonsense but the amendment is very simple you either stand with blue caller workers or you stand with yoke woke yuppies who sit on Zoom all day and don't have to travel to work uh if you support blue color workers vote Yes if you don't vote no thank you you back questions now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no the opinion of the chair the uh eyes have it and the amendment is adopted uh recorded vote has been requested don't raise your one got a whole bunch down 11 recorded votes been requested efficient number of hands have been raised the clerk will call the RO Mr aderholt Mr aderholt I Mr agular Mr agular no Mr amaday Mrs Bice Mrs Bice I Mr Bishop Mr Bishop no Mr Calbert Mr Calbert I Mr Carl Mr Carl I Mr Carter Mr Carter Mr Carter I Mr cartright no Mr cartright no Mr Case Mr Case no Mr sisani Mr sisani I Mr kleene Mr kleene I Mr Cloud Mr Cloud I Mr Clyde Mr Clyde I Mr Cole I Mr Cole I Mr qu Mr qu I Mr Loro Mr Loro no Mr Diaz Bart Mr Diaz Bart I Mr Edwards Mr Edwards I Mr Elie Mr Elie I Mr ASAT Mr ASAT no Mr Flashman Mr Flashman I miss Frankle I miss Frankle I Mr Franklin Mr Garcia Mr Garcia I Mr Gonzalez Mr Gonzalez I miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest I Mr harder Dr Harris Dr Harris I Mrs Hinson Mrs Henson I Mr Hoyer no Mr Hoyer no Mr Joyce Mr Joyce I miss captor Miss captor no Mr Kilmer Mr Kilmer no Mr ler Miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California no Miss Lee of Nevada Miss Leto Miss Leto I miss McCullum Miss McCollum I miss Ming no Miss Ming no Mr molar Mr molar I Mr mlli Mr mlli no Mr new house Mr new housee I miss pingry miss pingry no Mr pocan Mr poan no Mr Quigley Mr Quigley no Mr rashen thaler Mr rashen thaler I Mr Rogers Mr Rogers I Mr rers bger Mr rers bger no Mr Rutherford Mr Rutherford I Mr Mr Simpson Mr Simpson I Mrs Torres Mrs Torres no Mr trone Mr trone no Miss Underwood Miss Underwood no Mr valo Mr valido I miss waserman Schultz Miss werman Schultz no Mrs Watson Coleman Mrs Watson Coleman no Miss wexton Miss wxon no Mr wac Mr wac I Mr ziny Mr ziny I any members uh Mr Franklin the gentleman is not recorded Mr Franklin I any other members wish to vote or change their vote not the clerk will taling the yeah what's next we have how long will it on this vote the eyes are 34 the NOS are 22 the amendment's adopted is there any further Amendment or discussion Mr Case is recognized for an amendment thank you Mr Speaker I have an amendment at the desk and ask unanimous consent to consider it as R without objection and the gentleman's recognized to explain his Amendment thank you again this amendment would correct a glaring error in the treatment of native Hawaiians under this bill's formula funding to the Native American housing and self-determination act or nahasda now as a refresher to everybody native Hawaiians are the indigenous peoples of our country whose ancestral Origins are Hawaii and whose ancestors lived in Hawaii before Western contact in 1978 uh they have been recognized specially in federal law for well over a century especially in the last couple of decades dozens of federal laws uh that um have covered them specifically like other indigenous peoples including many of the uh laws that are funded here today now howda itself assists native Hawaiians and other indigenous peoples across our country with their often unique and compelling housing needs uh through two block grant programs one is a Native American housing block grant program which was uh enacted in 1996 and the other is specific to native Hawaiian native Hawaiian housing block grant program added in 2000 now last couple of years we've seen a funding to the native Hawaiian housing block grant program funded at about 22 plus million per year and that has been used by the native hawaian Community to build up a solid reserve and to spend on critical housing projects yet this bill for some reason um affected two major changes first of all the good news the Native American block grant program was increased 10% from 1.1 billion dollar up to 1.2 billion however the native Hawaiian block grant program was zeroed out actually zeroed out why the 10% increase went through uh most of the indigenous peoples of our country and yet one indigenous group was zeroed out I can't find any reason my myself the only explanation that I've really been able to come up with which uh was mentioned to me is a concern that the native wine block grant Reserve is up around 60 million at this point today but that's exactly how these funding programs uh work uh they are not funded on an equal equal basis on a yearly basis contracts uh come up when they come up uh projects come up when they come up sometimes you got to save up money for a few years in order to handle a big project and in fact that's the situation right now um in Hawaii where we now have a reserve of about 60 million but about 50 million of approved projects by Hud uh that are in process right now leaving a very small balance at the end of the years and obviously no funding this year would lead to crippling future um CR uh project uh fundings um and uh not be able to continue the momentum that has been so important to native Hawaiians in any event this doesn't seem to be a pretty very good issue uh to uh a program since um the Native American housing block grant program from my understanding is carrying very large carryover reserves for exactly the same purpose and so I can only come up with an answer that this is somewhat inadvertent and my Amendment proposes to correct this it would remedy this by adding back the 22.3 million to the native um Hawaiian housing block grant program now the required offset for this is a portion of the 10% increase for Native American formula funds which of course is a problem for the Native American formula funds because they want that increase now I support this increase for the American Native American housing block grant funds but I do not think it should come at the expense the complete expense of native Hawaiians um the indigenous peoples of our country including Native Americans native Hawaiians Alaska natives for some decades now have all been in this together they've risen together and they have fought for these programs together and so the distinctions uh that have been put forward in this bill uh create a division between them uh and what this would do would be to restore to the native Hans um the uh full funding they're not going to get a 10% increase under my um my my Amendment but they will be restored uh and hopefully um this will return some parity uh to the handling of these very worthy programs with that I yield back Mr Warmack has recognized to respond to the amendment thank you Mr chairman I'll be very brief uh as and and I've spoken with uh my friend from Hawaii and and I have pledged to him that I would love to be able to work with him on this particular issue wish we'd had a chance to work on it a bit sooner uh because he understands my concerns about the pay for in it but uh he does have my uh my full uh promise to to work on the issue because we too are sensitive to the native Hawaiians so with that i' I'd yield back Mr chairman thank you Mr Quigley's recognized to respond to the amendment U Mr chairman I also support my colleagues fight for critical Investments for native Hawaiian housing the Housing Community Development needs for native Hawaiians are no doubt dire and important to the work of this committee and so are the needs of Native American communities under chairman Cole's leadership on the tud subcommittee last year I had the opportunity to learn more about the historical inequities across indigenous communities and witnessed his commitment to changing those realities through this bill and I would like to work with you ranking member deloro chairman wac and chairman Cole as well as our colleagues in the Senate to come to a compromise as we reassess funding priorities this year you have my commitment that we will continue to fight for the needs of your constituents in native Hawaiians and appreciate your highlighting this critical issue today and I yield back thank you very much much I want to recognize myself quickly to respond to my friend from y's concerns I want to assure you I will work with you and we will get this problem taken care of I think you hit hit it exactly right I've seen this problem before where folks that are not familiar with the some of these things don't recognize how you have to let money build up we had this problem with the navajos a few years ago where they accumulated what seemed to be a rather large balance they really hadn't they were working on a much larger project and it just took time to develop them and I'm sure housing in Hawaii is probably if anything more expensive than most places in the United States I want to thank my friend for bringing this to the committee's collective attention we certainly are going to work with him and deal with the inequity and get this fixed before we have a final agreement so I look forward to working with my friend with chairman wac with Mr Quigley and of course my ranking member Mr Delora this will get taken care of so yield back uh gentle lady from uh Connecticut's recognized advocacy for his constituency and for native Hawaiian housing uh we failed to provide critical support uh for this program um and and really whatever the reason no need to eliminate the program and I I just will go back to say if we have the 1% increase in defense and in non-defense and that we could have the opportunity to do this and so forth but I think we have a commitment uh amongst everyone that we will work uh will work with chairman wac with ranking M quickly with chairman Cole and yourself to restore the funding so thank you thank you for for fierce advocacy that's the way things get done thank you any other uh members wish to address the amendment seeing n oh excuse me my friend from New York is recognized thank you Mr chairman I just want to also rise in support of Mr case's Amendment to restore funding to this uh native Hawaiian housing block grant program as Vice chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American caucus I understand the unique impact that Federal programs like these have for historically underserved populations for almost 25 years this grant program has provided crucial support for the housing needs of low-income native Hawaiian families who confront the highest medium home prices in the nation placing a massive obstacle in the way of a affordable living in their Homeland and building generational wealth it's disappointing that this funding was eliminated less than a year after the tragic Maui wildfire that killed over a 100 people left countless injured and wiped out billions of dollars in housing I'm heartened to hear that there could be uh collaboration between the majority and Mr Case uh on this issue and um offer my support and making sure that we're not abandoning the low-income Americans who rely on this program thank you are there any other members that wish to address the amendment if not the gentleman from Y is recognized for one minute to close thank you Mr chair and from my native Hawaiian Community I just want to say it's emotional to see that it that this uh committee is responsive um I know that they would want to say Mahalo uh and we really look forward to working with all of you on this particular issue and on on the issues uh that impact indigenous peoples all across our country um I definitely believe that um to the two macademia nuts that I've left on your tables are insufficient given your response so I do have a couple of really big boxes for you I I'm I it's not a bribe it's just a gesture from my you know my homeland uh but um thank you again and with that I I withdraw my amendment I want to again thank my friend for bringing it to our attention and look forward to working with him to make sure that we get this problem fixed to his satisfaction uh with that obviously a few of us missed a vote so we're going to go into recess and head vote please come back as rapidly as possible after the last Amendment because we are going to go through until we get done tonight oh yeah we come back because we are finishing tonight it won't take us long e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e for e e spe e e e e e e e e e e e e e e committee is going to reconvene let me just uh make a couple of quick remarks and then we're going to go right into considering um uh amendments we're not too far away we will just keep driving through we obviously have members over uh in the other room eating but we are working in cooperation with our Democratic colleagues so we'll be proceeding in a in a bipartisan way so uh Mr Zin is recognized thank you Mr chair it's on thank you Mr chairman I ask I have an amendment a desk and ask for unanimous consent to dispense with the reading without objection uh the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and Mr zeni's recognized for opening remarks on the amendment uh members this and Mr chairman this is about the AM radio and while Montana has really big sky I can tell you we don't have very good reception either in satellite or otherwise and just so you know Montana is the same size as from Washington DC to Chicago plus 45 miles and AM radio in Rural America is important because often times that's the only source of information whether it's weather etc etc uh so the automobile industry I understand they want to monetize everything but monetizing the AM radio when we move it from from the automobiles adversely affects Rural America and it's not just Montana it's it's Minnesota it's Texas so there may be a time but the time is not now to remove the AM radio so in coordination with the authorizing committee uh and thank you Mr chairman and also the chairman of the ENC for working in coordination I am going to withdraw this amendment although we have enough support to pass it uh here with the Democrat side as well as those over 200 sponsors and and without objection uh my good friend from Michigan would like a a short comment and I yield to without objection my friend from from uh Michigan Mr chairman thank you gentleman controls the time all right thank you uh appreciate uh gentleman from Montana and appreciate his thoughtful approach on this I know in the uh authorizing committee they're working through some issues relative to some of the electromagnetic uh interference concerns as well as FCC involvement uh and uh but I share the interest in making sure that Rural America has access to AM radio so I appreciate the thoughtful approach uh the gentleman is using on this amendment I'm Mr chairman also the gentle woman from Minnesota was going to make a few few comments but she's not here with that I withdraw the amendment and Mr chairman thank you for uh your Indulgence before it's quite withdrawn let me Mr quickle do you want to make a comment on this I like AM radio it's important I hope we get this done okay and I know Mr wac wanted to comment on this as well yeah thank you Mr chman and U I'll just take a a brief moment many of you probably are unaware uh and I will Enlighten you if you are unaware that on November the 9th of 1979 I flipped a switch that established an AM radio station for the very first time and a week ago this past Monday um at about 5:20 in the afternoon I presided over the retirement of my father whose radio station it was who had been in broadcasting for 72 years the last 45 almost 45 of which managing owning his own operation the station that we founded in 1979 and about 5:20 that afternoon he retired and we turned it off another indication that as Time Marches On And as consumer choices march on AM radio stations are dying all too frequently and we do not need to accelerate that we get a lot of information as the gentleman from Montana has just artic cated we get a lot of information uh through that Medium an amplitude modulated radio station AM radio station gets its power basically through a low frequency and the conductivity of soil which is what distinguishes it from the frequency modulated the FM channel and uh and I'm a co-sponsor of the bill now sitting before ENC uh to mandate that we keep am radios in these cars as I say consumer choices have changed people are getting their information from a lot of different sources we do not need to cause the demise of one of those AM radio stations by uh allowing these manufacturers to not have this medium in these automobiles so I support the gentleman's objective here uh I uh am going to continue to work with him and work with the authorizing committee to ensure that the right thing happens and that this Congress is accountable for it so I thank the gentleman for the opportunity to speak here this afternoon on that subject now yeld back now recognize Mr wac for the purpose of an amendment uh Mr chairman uh I have an amendment at the desk it is uh an unblock Amendment uh for three particular amendments uh that want to ask that the reading be that we seek unanimous consent that the read uh that that the Amendments the on block amendments be considered as read without objection and the gentleman's recognized to explain his Amendment thank you uh I will yield uh sufficient time to the author of The three amendments cons uh contained in this on block Mr Clyde thank you Mr chairman arise today in support of the Republican unblock Amendment and I thank chairman warmac for working on very important issues uh first this endblock includes an amendment to prohibit the use of the Biden administration's disastrous and fabricated estimate of the social cost of carbon or Greenhouse gases in any cost benefit analysis rulemaking guidance or other agency action as we all know President Biden's Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency have proposed new emission standards for light and medium duty vehicles that amount to a de facto electric vehicle mandate on everyday Americans severely limiting consumer choice and exorbitantly increasing the costs on hardworking families I'm thankful that the bill we're considering here today prohibits taxpayer dollars from implementing this disastrous Department of Transportation Cafe standards rule however we must also strip unelected bureaucrats of the tools they use to justify these costly and overreaching regulations and one such tool is the inflated social cost of carbon for those unaware this dollar value represents the cost of emitting an additional ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere President Biden's EPA has covertly increased the estimate to $190 a ton in its latest meth regulation nearly a fourfold increase over the previous estimate of $51 globally I guess Biden inflation is hitting the EPA as well mind you the Trump Administration recalculated the cost of carbon only in the United States and not globally and the US cost is only $5 a ton so this significantly inflated cost estimate of $190 a ton can now be used by every Federal agency to justify their over Bur burdensome costly and illegitimate energy regulations claiming trillions of dollars more in economic benefits for disastrous regulations such as the Dot's deao electric vehicle mandate or the epa's clean power plant 2.0 regulations the Biden administration's continued weaponization of the social cost of carbon estimate will hurt consumer Choice exacerbate already raging inflation and waste hard-earned taxpayer dollars on disastrous overburdensome regulations that promote green New Deal policy furthermore this n block includes an amendment that would simply prohibit funds for the air travel by the Secretary of Transportation in other than economy class on a commercial flight I hope we can all agree that we have a responsibility to expose and eliminate government corruption waste and abuse in December of last year the department of transportation office of Inspector General a nonpartisan government Watchdog found that the Secretary of Transportation and his staff spent more than $58,000 on travel aboard a private f a jet given this administration's radical climate change policies and green New Deal agenda which includes forcing pricey EVS on the American people you would think the administration's own cabinet especially the transportation secretary would want to reduce their carbon footprint however the secretary chose to waste over 58,000 taxpayer dollars on funded trips on an exclusive private jet despite a recent report indicating that private jet travel produces 10 to 20 times more carbon commissions per passenger compared to commercial flights so this amendment will also help the secretary reduce his passenger his per passenger carbon footprint and I yield back gentleman has a minute remaining if you wanted to talk about the third amendment I will but may I do it on on I have a little more than a minute that I need so can I do it on my own this is considered as part of the on block yes absolutely the three you have to do now okay all right finally this unblock includes an amendment that would prohibit funds for the purchase installation or operation of automated traffic enforcement cameras for the purposes of red light speed or stop sign enforcement my concern is that these cameras provide a presumption of guilt to the registered owner of the vehicle and not to the driver who may have caused the violation the cameras don't provide any information on the driver just the vehicle therefore they just pick the person who owns the vehicle as the guilty party in short this is guilty until proven innocent which is a major violation of due process now I was also notified that um the president's motorcade on July 1st trigger triggered a red light camera on South Capital Street no word yet from the White House on the impact of the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision however I'm sure that really won't matter as I'm rather positive that the vehicle is not registered to the president but it is registered to someone else so currently 18 states have banned automatic traffic enforcement with many being banned by their state stes High Courts for lack of due process for example the Minnesota Supreme Court seems to agree with my Logic for they prohibited minneapolis's automated traffic enforcement system in 2007 ruling that and I quote it eliminates the presumption of innocence and shifts the proof the burden of proof from that required by the rules of criminal procedure so these camera systems shift the burden of proof to the accused it's guilty till proven innocent to the registered vehicle owners they are presumed guilty and with that I back I thank the gentlemen Mr chairman just for clarification purposes I think there may be some confusion on the other side the amendment we were offering was amendment was an unblock Amendment Clyde one Clyde one so just to clarify to make sure everybody's singing out of the same Himel okay and I yeld back uh Mr Quigley's recognized respond to the amendment and this amendment is in Block it's all three correct correct all right very that's correct it was an effort actually you to save time so we wouldn't have three separate amendments to consider love to be the co-chair of the save time caucus right about now Mr chairman I rise in opposition to this amendment we should all be concerned that the gentleman from Georgia wants to use the Appropriations process to prevent the use of evidence-based data to inform Federal funding decisions and in the same breath seek to use taxpayer dollars to over regulate issues that are already regulated something of an oxymoron something block would prohibit any agency funded in this bill from considering in any form the impacts carbon or greenhouse gas emissions have on the American people climate change has a tangible measurable economic impact on a myriad of aspects of the economy from agriculture to health care to infrastructure to energy use when heat waves drought or extreme storms affect crop yields that loss costs our economy and disrupts our food supply when smoke from wildfires and extreme heat or cold cause illness and death or homelessness increases due to extreme weather displacing people from their homes that cost our health care and emergency service systems when hurricanes flooding and mudslides destroy critical infrastructure Supply chains are disrupted and time and money must be spent to rebuild in 2023 the cost of climate and weather disasters in the US total more than $94 billion this Amendment would prohibit agencies from considering measurable tangible economic costs when making policy and spending decisions it would literally prohibit accounting for reality the gentleman from Georgia also proposed to take aim at Transportation secretary Budaj a dedicated and responsible public servant to overregulation Federal travel regulations singling out one cabinet secretary in this manner places sweeping and impractical limitations that do not address real policy concerns and that hamper efficiency and safety Last and certainly not least concerning is the gentleman's attempt to prohibit fums from being used to purchase install or operate Traffic Safety cameras traffic enforcement cameras are an effective way of deterring dangerous behavior on our roadways and have been proven effective in reducing speed and crashes according to the national highway traffic safety administration there were over 12,000 deaths and more than 300,000 speeding related crashes in 2022 and another 1,000 people were killed in crashes as a result of running lights half of those killed were pedestrians bicyclists and people in other vehicles who were hit by the red light runners and these cameras are safer for law enforcement too in-person law enforcement has limitations and risk to law enforcement officers are able to stop only a small portion of speeders and Road and traffic conditions can make roadside stops difficult and dangerous for both the driver and the law enforcement officer automated traffic enforcement cameras systems can monitor thousands of cars an hour and do not put drivers or law enforcement officers at risk during the ticketing process a 2020 review by the Congressional research service found that speed cameras alone resulted in a 19% reduction in the likelihood that a crash resulted in a fatal or life-threatening injury and according to the study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety cameras reduced the Fatal red light running crash rate in large cities by 21% and the rate of all types of fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 14% cameras do not violate privacy red light cameras safety cameras are a way to catch people who break the rules just like traditional enforcement the reality is that these enforcement cameras as they exist today are an effective means to deter dangerous Behavior they reduce crashes they reduce injuries and they save lives States cities and localities can argue about where to put them but let's let the federal government stay out of this this is another anti-s safety provision the bottom line is that it would make our communities less safe if this language were enacted for all these reasons I oppose this amendment and urge my colleagues to vote no thank you very much a gentle lady from California Miss Lee recognized for her remarks on the amendment thank you very much Mr chairman let me just say um on this amendment um couple of things first of all again it speaks to um restricting funding for many purposes that relate to safety and to uh our environment uh prohibiting funds um with regard to the cost of carbon consideration in Ru making and agency actions once again takes us backwards not forwards this Bill constantly throughout uh speaks to restricting funds for an agency or agencies that should be funded which relate to Transportation the environment Public Safety uh and um environmental justice fair housing you name it uh as an example the defunding of the California High-Speed Rail um this project was was endorsed by voters of my state and seeks to bring our transportation options simply in line with what people in other countries have decided for decades again uh when you talk about a transportation agency defunding projects these uh this project is necessary to reduce congestion in our skies on our roads as well as to support uh our transition to a a green economy that's what the trans department of transportation should be doing the California highspeed rail Authority is seeking Federal funding not as a directive but as a federal competitive Grant and yet again this year Republicans on this committee have uh chosen to single out this one project and seek to thwart the will of the boers of California we're not seeking an IM Mr chairman and I just have to say throughout this bill and with this amendment once again we're restricting funding for what um the American people deserve as it relates to their transportation agency as it relates to their housing HUD and uh this is an example of what we're trying to do in California that this committee is trying to uh restrict in terms of funding so I urge you no vote on this amendment as well as on the entire Bill thank you very much is there any member that wishes to address this amendment if there's no further debate and the gentleman is recognized for one minute to close thank you Mr chairman I appreciate the words of my colleagues on the left but uh red light and speed cameras also have limitations and it's called do process of law I know my Democratic colleagues also like gun free zones which I oppose but these cameras create due process free zones and that violates our constitutional rights and with that I strongly encourage all members to vote in favor of this and I yield back questions now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia and Arkansas uh all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no the opinion of the chair the eyes have it recorded votes been requested may I have a show of hands please sufficient number of hands having been raised uh the clerk will call the role Mr adderholt Mr agular Mr agular no Mr amade Mrs Bice Mr Bishop Mr Bishop no Mr Calbert Mr Calbert I Mr Carl Mr Carl I Mr Carter hi Mr Carter I Mr car right Mr cartright no Mr Case Mr Case no Mr cisman Mr sisani I Mr kleene Mr Cloud Mr Cloud I Mr Clyde I Mr Clyde I Mr Cole I Mr Cole I Mr quar Mr deloro no Mr deloro no Mr Diaz Bart hi m Mr Diaz Bart I Mr Edwards I Mr Edwards I Mr Elie Mr Elie I Mr espat Mr espat no Mr Flashman Mr Flashman I miss Frankle Mr Franklin Mr Franklin I Mr Garcia Mr Garcia I Mr Gonzalez Mr Gonzalez I miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest I Mr Harter Dr Harris Dr Harris I Mrs Henson Mrs Henson I Mr Hoyer Mr Joyce Mr Joyce I miss captor no Miss captor no Mr Kilmer M Mr Kilmer no Mr lerer Miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California no Miss Lee of Nevada Miss of Nevada no Miss llo Miss Leto I miss McCollum Miss McCollum no Miss Ming Miss Ming no Mr molar Mr molinar I Mr mlli Mr Morelli no Mr new house Mr new house I miss pingry miss pingry no Mr poan Mr poan no Mr Quigley no Mr Quigley no Mr Russian ther Mr russan thaler I Mr Rogers Mr Rogers I Mr rers bger Mr rers bger no Mr ruford Mr ruford I Mr Simpson Mr Simpson I Mrs Torres Mrs Torres no Mr trone no Mr trone no Miss Underwood Miss Underwood no Mr valo Mr valido I miss werman Schultz Miss waserman Schultz no no Mrs Watson Coleman Mrs Watson Coleman no Miss wexton Miss wexton no Mr wac Mr wac I Mr ziny Mr ziny I have all members voted um would any care to change your vote Mr Klein Mr Klein I Mr adle Mr udol I miss Vice Mrs Vice I uh General lady from Florida Miss Miss Frankle no do we have other members wishing to vote or change their vote seeing none question um the clerk will telly gentleman from Maryland's Mr hoer no on this vote the eyes are 31 the nose are 20 the amendment is adopted is there any further Amendment or discussion seeing no further amendments I now recognize Mr Rogers for a motion Mr chair I move to favorably report the fiscal year 2025 Transportation Housing and Urban Development and related agencies Appropriations Bill to the house questions now on the motion to favorably report the fiscal year 2025 Transportation Housing and Urban Development related agencies Appropriations build of the house all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no the opinion of the chair the eyes have it recorded vote has been requested may we see a show of hands please sufficient number of hands having been raised uh the clerk will call the role Mr aderholt Mr aderholt I Mr agular Mr Mr agular no Mr amaday Mrs Bice Mrs Bice I Mr Bishop Mr Bishop no Mr Calbert Mr Calbert I Mr Carl Mr Carl I Mr Carter Mr Carter I Mr cartright Mr cartright no Mr Case Mr Case no Mr cisman Mr kleene Mr kleene I Mr Cloud Mr Cloud Mr cloud Mr Cloud I Mr Clyde Mr Clyde I Mr Cole I Mr Cole I Mr Quay R Mr quar no Mr deloro no Mr Doro no Mr Diaz Bart Mr Diaz Bart I Mr Edwards Mr Edwards I Mr Elie Mr Elie I Mr espat Mr espat no Mr Flashman Mr Flashman I miss Frankle Miss Frankle no Mr Franklin Mr Franklin I Mr Garcia Mr Garcia I Mr Gonzalez Mr Gonzalez I miss Granger Mr guest Mr guest I Mr Harter Dr Harris Dr Harris I Mrs Henson Mrs Henson I Mr Hoyer Mr Hoyer Mr Hoyer Mr Hoyer no Mr Joyce Miss captor Miss captor no Mr Kilmer no Mr Kilmer no Mr lerer Miss Lee of California Miss Lee of California no Miss Lee of Nevada Miss Lee of Nevada no miss llo miss llo I miss McCollum Miss McCollum no Miss Ming Miss Ming no Mr molar Mr molar I Mr mlli Mr melli no Mr NE house Mr new house I miss pingry miss pingry no Mr poan Mr poan no Mr Quigley Mr Quigley no Mr rashen thaler Mr rashen thaler I Mr Rogers Mr Rogers I Mr ruppersberger Mr rers bger no Mr ruford Mr ruford I Mr Simpson Mr Simpson I Mrs Torres Mrs Torres no Mr trone no Mr trone no Miss Underwood Miss Underwood no Mr valido Mr valo I miss waserman Schultz Miss wasman Schultz no Mrs Watson Coleman Mrs Watson Coleman no Miss wexton Miss wexton no Mr wac Mr wack I Mr ziny Mr ziny I are there any members who not voted or any members who wish to change their vote Mr camani a gentleman's not recorded Mr sisani I Mr Joyce uh gentleman is not recorded joice I are there any other members again wishing to vote or change their vote you're recording the clerk will tally you know you could you could have just stay here and voted oh yeah on this vote the eyes are 31 the nose are 26 the motion is agreed to I asked unanimous consent the staff be permitted to make Technical and conforming changes to the bill and Report just approved seeing objection so ordered without objection so ordered thanks all all right we're uh going to just where's yeah move here as quickly as possible where's Mr Harris Mr Harris Mr har could you come forward we'd like to begin the next bill sure I just just for informational purposes we are not taking a recess we are moving to the next bill no no that's what I'm saying I want you up here let's get started and all h for for for h for e e h e e for e for e for e our third order of business today is consideration of the Agriculture Rural Development Food and Drug Administration related agencies appropriation bill for fiscal year 2025 I'll now recognize chairman Harris to present the Bill thank you chairman Cole and I want to commend your leadership as you wrap up the committee's work on the fy2 Appropriations process with the agriculture Appropriations bill I also want to recognize the ranking member of the full committee Miss Doro and the ranking member of the subcommittee Mr Bishop for their help getting us to this point I especially appreciate the conversations Mr the bishop and I have had and while I know we don't agree on everything in the bill we do agree on the importance of the agencies this bill funds As Americans know all too well our country continues to Grapple with inflation driven by the uncontrolled spending in the Biden Administration in their latest report just last week the Congressional budget office projected that cumulative deficits will reach $22.1 trillion over the next 10 years which is 10% higher than their projections just four months ago we simply can't continue down this path of spending large sums of borrowed money with little accountability this bill takes the same approach American families take every day they have to do more with less under the Biden economy for the fiscal year 2025 Agriculture Rural Development Food and Drug Administration and related agency subcommittee's discretionary allocation is 25 873 billion a 355 million or 1.35% decrease from FY 24 the bill maintains funding to support usda's efforts to protect our producers from foreign plant and animal diseases and makes important investments in critical agriculture research that will keep our producers on The Cutting Edge of technology and production practices the legislation continues to invest in the delivery of farm programs Disaster Assistance and crop insurance to farm farmers and ranchers by maintaining funding for the Farm Service Agency and the risk management agency the bill provides $ 7.23 five billion for Wick a $25 million increase over fiscal year 2024 and 1.2 billion above the FY 23 enacted level to account for the rampant inflation caused by the Biden economy participation rates have been steady in recent months and the program still has significant carryover balance B es I believe the increased funding level in this bill will be able to serve all eligible participants USDA also has a $150 million Wick contingency fund to meet any unexpected demand the legislation continues to make critical investments in rural development programs including $100 million for reconnect to compl existing funds to deploy Broadband to the most underserved rural areas despite false claims that this bill Cuts rural energy programs and Loans to help Americans buy homes the bill actually increases funding for these programs above FY 24 levels but only in Washington is it considered a cut when the increase requested by the president's unrealistic budget is not provided for the Food and Drug Administration the bill provides 3.5 billion in direct Appropriations and with increased user fees FDA has a total budget of $6.75 billion to keep our nation's food drugs and medical devices safe and effective the bill includes $345 million for the commodity Futures Trading commission to continue to oversee and ensure the Integrity of us derivative markets at the same time this legislation Reigns in the bid administration's out-of control spending and overregulation the bill provides $1 billion for the food for peace program a 619 million doll decrease from fy4 enacted but before my colleagues on the other side of the aisle denounced this as a heartless cut let's not forget that USDA recently transferred $1 billion do from the commodity Credit Corporation for the same purpose of providing international food Aid the food for peace program also has $300 million in carryover balances the funding provided in this bill plus secretary vac's unauthorized transfer of funds from the uh commodity Credit Corporation results in a program with more than sufficient funding on the regulatory front this legislation Reigns in harmful regulations that increase the cost of doing business and make it harder to live and work in rural communities for example this bill puts a stop to usda's regulations under the Packer and Stockyards act that dictate how poultry and livestock producers raise and Market their animals and that would raise the cost of food even more it also blocks revised energy standards for newly constructed home finance by USDA regulations that would increase costs for Rural lower inome households in an already constrained housing market the bill also Builds on efforts to prevent the purchase of Farmland by companies owned by our foreign adversaries by once again adding the secretary of agriculture to the committee on foreign investment in the US for agriculture transactions and it also provides funds for the Farm Service Agency to fulfill its duty to track foreign ownership of agricultural land the bill also prioritizes the health and nutritional needs of snap recipients by allowing a very limited a number of states to voluntarily participate in the pilot program to restrict unhealthy food purchases with SNAP benefits let me be clear this pilot program does not reduce funding for the program or reduce household benefits in any way this does not make a nationwide change to the program we know some states and cities have been interested in restricting unhealthy Foods in the snap program so this allows them to Pilot the concept this pilot would free up SNAP benefits to purchase healthier foods like fruits and vegetables and encourage USDA to prioritize pilot programs that actually pair nutrition incentives with non-nutritious restrictions we should allow states to Pilot this idea evaluate the results and see how healthy eating makes a difference in the lives and health of snap participants as I said earlier this bill takes the same approach American families take every day they have to do more with less under the Biden economy you know we're not appropriating Monopoly money it's either harder in tax dollars or billions of borrowed dollars and it's our responsibility to make tough decisions while supporting core agency functions in conclusion I want to thank the staff on the subcommittee for their efforts Pam Miller Justice masuchi Elizabeth D Jud Gardner Mary Hubert and Sheila Corley as well as Martha Foley Alex Swan and Tyler Co on the minority staff I look forward to working with all of you as this bill moves forward and I ask for your support for this legislation Mr Mr chairman I yield back thank you very much I now would like to recognize Mr Bishop for remarks on the bill thank you very much Mr chairman um chairman Cole ranking member Del uh and chairman Harris subcommittee chair uh the majority staff as well as the Democratic staff let me thank you all for your hard work in preparing this bill for markup here today as as I said in the subcommittee markup I appreciate the efforts and the trajectory of the FY 25 Bill compared to last year's Bill however I remain very very disappointed that for the second year in a row the bill contains poison pill Riders like the prohibitions on hiring and training for diversity Equity inclusion and accessibility or Flying Flags over Federal buildings and it contains such severe cuts to Rural America as a ranking member of the agriculture Ro development FDA and related agency subcommittee I cannot vote against the interest of American families Farmers our rural communities by supporting the bill before us today both sides of the a agreed to the fiscal responsibility act funding levels in fact the Senate will use these bipartisan funding levels in the agriculture Appropriations bill that they will mark up tomorrow however this FY 25 funding bill before our committee today rigs on that agreement for 2025 the bill provides $25.9 billion nearly 4% below 2024 this does not meet the needs of today farmers are selling off land lenders are turning away established producers and food insecurities at the highest level in more than a decade America deserves better and we can do better the Agriculture Rural Development Food and Drug Administration related agencies funding bill impacts every single American every single day this bill is responsible for our nation's safe food supply access to Cutting Edge research Future Farmers and agriculturalist resilient Farmland strong rural communities we should should ensure that USDA FDA cftc and other agencies have the resources needed to continue providing America with the highest quality the safest most abundant and the most affordable food and fiber medicine and medical devices anywhere in the world we should not hamstring their ability to do their jobs yet this bill forces USDA to choose between programs and the people administering those programs we already asked USDA to cut into their program funds to pay their staff last year and the majority has the same song stuck on repeat this year mandatory pay raises with no funding also means that agencies are forced to hire fuer staff to serve farmers and families it means that they cannot even provide today's Services tomorrow because they will have fewer resources for the upcoming fiscal year for example our Farmers rely on the Farm Service Agency as a key resource yet this bill Cuts FSA salaries and expenses at a time when our Farmers need their help the most Commodities future trading commission oversees a multi-trillion dollar Global derivatives Market upon on which American Producers rely the agency faces threats from foreign and domestic cyber criminals who seek to disrupt markets at a time of increasing uncertainty for American farmers and businesses a cyber breach at cftc would be nothing less than catastrophic for the Global Financial system yet this bill guts their staff resources while our Dom domestic nutrition programs are better off with this bill than last year's proposal the USDA staff implementing the nutrition programs are being cut by 21% unfortunately the areas where we find bipartison agreement in the bill are overshadowed and even the programs maintained at reasonable funding level are propped up by Deep funding cuts which would hit hardest those who are most disadvantaged at home and abroad we cannot Rob Peter to pay paa by cutting basic needs for R rural Americans like water and housing or by killing Services upon which our Farmers reli everyone must have clean reliably accessible and affordable water Rural America recognizes the challenge it can be to provide access to clean water especially with low rate payer and taxpayer base in our rural communities however this bill Cuts Rural Water funding for the second year in a row reducing the usda's water and wastewater programs by $99 million below last year the majority is also cutting the technical assistance for water and waste programs which means that the most vulnerable cities and towns across Rural America will have a much lower capacity capity to apply for federal resources to get the lead out of their drinking water Oklahoma would be most impacted by the decrease with over $20 million going to help distress local governments last fiscal year for the second year in a row majority has cut funding for the rural housing assistance grants program this program provides grants to help low and very lowi income rural residents remove health and safety hazards from their homes last year it was cut by 27% unfortunately this year this bill cuts the program by 40% that means 300 low and very lwi income seniors in Michigan will be unable to repair their homes for their health and safety in Kentucky 300 seniors will be unable to stay in their own homes in Alabama 250 seniors and in Tennessee 200 130 the majority is also cutting the value added producer grant program to the lowest point in over 20 years Mr chairman America can't afford to lose any more farms at a time when so many of our farmers are struggling to stay in business why would you want to destroy such an important resource for our agriculture producers last year the majority forced cuts to the the national agricultural statistics service and this heard our farmers and ranchers ability to compete in a challenging Market the FY 25 Bill continues to underfund Nas and I have an amendment at the desk to address this the data collected by Nas is also used by the economic research service to produce farm income forecasts and other Farm business reports this bill Cuts funds to ERS for the second year in a row I've heard from Farmers and families in my district all year long and they are hurting they are really really hurting they're working to sustain their businesses and to keep feeding you me and everyone in this room their communities and every single American who eats unfortunately this bill is a anemic at best and hurtful to them at worst it continues to underfund vital programs and underpay staff and it is weighed down by CTIC culture War policy writers like marriage discrimination and critical race Theory they don't have anything to do with Rural Water rural housing food safety Child Nutrition or any of the programs that Americans need to thrive as we debate this bill and work to improve it we must make the necessary Investments again we cannot rob Peter to pay paal and we definitely cannot fund 21st century agriculture needs with 20th century funding levels so I look forward to coming together with the members of this committee and our colleagues in the house to craft a true bipartisan bill that will fully meet the needs of all Americans and that will reject partisan riters which will divide us and distract us from Faithfully discharging our trusted responsibilities as appropriators thank you Mr chairman I look forward to working with you and I you back thank you I now recognize myself for remarks on the bill our final bill for fiscal year 2025 is the agricultural rural development Food and Drug Administration and related agencies bill for Rural districts like the one I represent in Southwest Oklahoma agriculture is not merely a commodity it's a way of life across the country us farmers and ranchers exemplify the Cornerstone values of our nation including Innovation resiliency and hard work it's no exaggeration to say that American Farmers Feed and clothe the world today's Bill recognizes the critical contributions these stewards of the land make to the nation and the world domestic food production is critical to both our own security and well-being and that of our friends and allies around the globe the bill continues critical investments in research rural broadband and animal and plant health programs providing for the continued development of rural communities across the country it ensures that vulnerable populations have access to nutrition and health programs it also takes steps to shield and preserve American Farms and farming communities including addressing the P repurchasing of agricultural land by foreign countries which is a critically important issue in my district the bill also provides an appropriate level of funding for Food and Drug Administration uh ensuring that it can fulfill its primary responsibility of protecting and promoting the safety of America's food Pharmaceuticals and medical devices importantly the bill also rolls back ill-advised Biden Administration regulations that make farming more difficult policy should always help not harm our ability to feed fuel heal and connect Americans I thank chairman Harris and ranking member Bishop as well as the ranking member of the full committee for their hard work uh and I look forward uh to working with them and the process going forward I would urge all members to support this bill I now recognize ranking member deloro for her opening remarks thank you Mr chairman for yielding and my thanks go to Chairman Harris ranking member bishop and to the majority and minority subcommittee staff for all of your work especially Martha Foley Tyler Co and Alex Swan after the majority's failure last year to pass their agricultureal rural development FDA bill on the floor of the House of Representatives I had hoped that we would mark up a bipartisan bill for fiscal year 2025 that responsibly and adequately funds the bill programs and which discards divisive and harmful Riders out of the gate unfortunately that did not happen the majority is once again dragging us down a path to chaos with bills that do not adhere to the law and cannot become law leading us to squander another summer rather than completing our work and passing Appropriations bills on time with bipartisan and by Camal support this bill increases costs on workers and fam Ames in Rural America for basic necessities like water energy and housing this bill puts food assistance at risk for the most vulnerable Americans and people around the world and this bill jeopardizes Pediatric and Community Health across the country a host of cuts in this bill promised to raise the cost of living for Rural Americans cuts to clean water and waste disposal grants threaten access to Cle clean and reliable water for Rural households and businesses short changing the rural energy for America program reap by 90% And A pittance for the rural Energy savings program will make it harder for small businesses and agricultural producers to keep up with soaring energy costs and cuts to Direct Loans that help rural Americans buy homes and the elimination of grants for Farm F labor housing will make it even more expensive for people in rural America to keep a roof over their head while rural Americans are contending with Rising food costs and an elevated cost of living increasing energy and housing prices would be disastrous for their households bottom line the majority has told us that they are looking across the federal government for where they can responsibly reduce spending for this bill the majority is applying their supposed exacto knife approach by taking food from the mouths of hungry and vulnerable people here in America and around the world at a time when conflict on nearly every continent and climate change are drastically increasing Global hunger this bill levies paternalistic restrictions on Americans in the supplemental nutrition assistance program the food stamp with the snap program by including the extreme quote snap Choice pilot program snap choice is a misnomer as this program eliminates choices for those on food stamps with restrictions on the types of food that can be purchased which would effectively reduce benefits as the eligible foods are often more expensive furthermore the majority proposes cutting the food for peace program by $688 million below last year which would be the lowest level since 2002 at a time of heightened conflict humanitarian catastrophe and the escalating risk of famine around the world to deny basic nutrition assistance is to say that while we send American made arms and Munitions around the world we have nothing left for Hungry Children and Families left reeling from war and destruction and disorder in their communities I worry what it conveys about America's values if bombs are falling while food support and other aid for civilians dries up I worry what the innocent families and children caught in the crossfire in those regions will most remember a America for ensuring people do not go hungry in our country and around the world is not a problem of growing enough food we grow enough food hunger is a political problem one that we share the rare and awesome power in this committee to meaningfully address but this bill says hunger is not our problem and that should bring supporters of this bill great shame as if the cuts in this bill were not bad enough the majority continues to load up Appropriations bills with harmful policy writers that divide Americans and yes divide the Congress one writer is particularly barbaric a provision in this bill would prevent FDA from stopping the use of an inhumain electrical shock device on young people at risk of hurting themselves or others despite the well documented dangers and cruelty of this practice additionally this bill prohibits the FDA from finalizing rules on dangerous flawed tobacco and nicotine products taking the side of big tobacco over the health of our children and our communities and reversing the decline in tobacco use one of the greatest Public Health successes in history the bill favors the interests of major meat industry over those of the individual producers and small businesses and once again we have the usual list of culture War writers which have no place in this bill and that we will oppose in short this bill demonstrates the majority's misguided priorities short changing assistance for Hungry women and children raising costs for Rural Americans jeopardizing public health is not a responsible fiscal path so I cannot support this bill I urge the majority to abandon this strategy join Democrats at the table so that we can work together on bipartisan funding bills that support the American people's needs thank you and I yield back thank you the chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia Mr Clyde for his remarks on the bill thank you Mr chairman um in light of the time I just will note that um I support the bill in every way and you'll back I appreciate the gentleman's brevity uh chair recognizes gentle lady from Maine Miss bangry for her remarks on the bill thank you very much Mr chair uh I'm very pleased to be a member of this subcommittee and I appreciate working with the chair and ranking member particularly when we have things that we agree on uh unfortunately right now I'm going to rise in opposition to this bill uh in my opinion this bill hurts Farmers it hurts rural communities like the ones I represent in Maine and it puts nutrition programs at risk and so much more I'm sorry to see that it also feels a little bit like Groundhog Day with harmful Riders from the initial FY 24 Bill many of which we removed in that bill eventually but they are appearing again once again it hurts our ability to fight the climate crisis by slashing funds for climate hubs and climate research it cuts a sustainable agriculture research and education program which is known as s by 3 million since n 2019 main has received over 3.5 million in funding from s critically important to many of our small farmers benefiting more than 5,000 farmers in my state these funds have supported such things as wild blueberries which I know you all love uh hemp potatoes seaweed aquaculture and more the bill also zero out funding for the office of urban agriculture which supports so much including composting and food waste reduction projects last week they announced a $5 million Grant to enhance Urban Agriculture and Innovative production methods zeroing out funds for this office stifles Innovation it hurts urban and rural communities alike I'm also very disappointed to see an $8 million cut to the value added producer grant program farmers in my district have used These funds to help extend processing and marketing of their products from goat milk to Blueberry crisps these grants play a crucial role in increasing in increasing farmer income and this cut will impact Farmers bottom lines once again there's a rider to prevent the USDA from implementing the rules to protect farmers and ranchers from anti-competitive behavior in the meat and poultry Industries these are common sense changes to ensure fairness and competition such as requiring ptry companies to be transparent with Growers about how their pay is calculated this was attempted in FY 29 we blocked it and we will continue to fight to stop this again I do have concerns that uh while the bill uh increases the wick funding from fy4 that the proposed 7.2 billion falls short of the president's budget request of 7.7 billion at a time when food prices have risen dramatically we must ensure all eligible Wick participants can access nutritious food I'm most deeply concerned that the $37 million cut for the food nutrition service to carry out nutrition Assistance programs these funds are critical Services uh they're used for critical Services required to deliver the usda's 16 nutrition assistance program services like financial and Grant Management this includes this new summer EBT program which relies on this funding for implementation and over site and the snap program relies on this fund to deter and prevent SNAP benefit and frog snap Integrity is something I think both sides of the aisle find important and when people are stretching every dollar to count at the grocery store when SNAP benefits are just $6 a day why would we tie the hands of the USDA and why would we hamper their ability to ensure snap Integrity the bill also provides only 80 million for the emergency food assistance program $15 million below the requested level in Maine food insecurity grew nearly 3% from 2021 to 2022 and these tfap accounts tfap accounts for nearly 20% of the food our food bank of the Good Shepard Food Bank distributes and in 2022 only 35% of good Shepherd's cost to distribute T fat were reimbursed that forced the food bank to divert already scarce resources to fill in the Gap we can and must do more to attempt to end Hunger in this country and this is going in the wrong direction last I was appalled to see the incredibly concerning writer to allow the use of electric shock devices as treatment for people with disabilities in the language that passed at the subcommittee level I'm glad the language was removed from the bill in the manager's Amendment and I'm committed to ensuring that the FDA has the ability to regulate these dangerous Dean devices the hour is late I will yield back my last 22 seconds and uh again thank the chair for recognizing me thank you chair now recognizes gentle lady from Iowa Miss Henson for remarks about the bill um I'm rising tonight in support of this uh a FDA fiscal year 2025 Appropriations bill I think this really prioritizes the most important Federal programs to a state like Iowa that support our American Farms and our rural communities while still at the same time making key targeted Investments to ensure that we continue to have the most abundant and most importantly the safest food supply in the world uh we know that food security is National Security and we have so many threats um on our food supply specifically coming from adversaries like the CCP so I think this includes some common sense measures to help ensure that our supply chains are protected for both food and agriculture against threats from foreign adversaries and it includes several Provisions to crack down on Chinese purchases of of our agricultural land ensuring that our secretary of agriculture is a member of cifas to be able to re review those sensitive transactions and it includes my language to require the USDA to report on our dependency on China for critical agricultural inputs like animal feed crop protection chemicals and Veterinary drugs uh we know China already controls 90% plus of Global Production of several key vitamins and amino acids so it is absolutely critical that USDA is able to Monitor and respond to these threats um I think we're also leveraging a research and extension to combat emerging threats like animal disease we're seeing a lot of that in Iowa right now unfortunately and this bill does support our livestock and poultry producers by including robust funding for Animal Health initiatives um including coordinated approach funding to address the spread of Aven influenza which as we know is threatening both um livestock and poultry operations um this bill does deliver for Iowa farmers and our rural communities and I hope all my colleagues will join me in supporting this bill tonight thank you Mr chair I yield back thank you the chair recognizes gentle lady from California Miss leave for remarks on the bill of course I rise in strong opposition to this um really Dreadful and inhumane Bill and first um let me just say it's been an honor uh serving on this subcommittee and I want to thank um our chairman and our ranking member for attempting to make this bill every year a bipartisan bill now across the country um too too many people are struggling to get access just to basic human needs healthy food water life-saving medicines this Republic can build guts critical Federal resources to keep American families fed and to keep our food and Health Care Systems safe and the people who will be impacted the most are communities of color poor Rural and underserved communities once again like in the fiscal 2024 funding bill this bill eliminates funding from the office for the office of urban Agriculture and the healthy food financing program both critical tools to address food deserts and reduce rates of food insecurity these programs provide jobs fight climate change and increase regional and local food production including within tribal communities the bill also slashes funding and makes harmful policy changes to the snap program it includes two Provisions that are highly Pro problematic for people experiencing poverty and insecurity one would create a pilot program to restrict snap purchases and the other would collect snap purchasing data with the goal of eventually restricting snap purchases let me be clear restricting snap choice will impose new unnecessary administrative costs for USDA and harm and struggling it will harm actually struggling families research has shown time and time again the restrictions to snap have proven to be discriminatory burdensome to people who need it the most and will do little to improve Public Health worse they simply punish people for being poor and I know for a fact that poverty is not a crime I once had to rely on SNAP benefits for several years as a result of some challenging times that I faced uh let me tell you I know that poverty is not a crime this is a bridge over troubled water so I urge my colleagues to stop treating people struggling within poverty like um like cheats because they're not they deserve to be treated like human beings that's what they are they need our help not our attempt also I'm outrage that this bill ties the hands of the FDA to engage on Tobacco section 733 of this bill is really a giveaway to the tobacco industry prohibiting FDA from considering a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars fda's proposed rules limit menthols that would save millions of lives including a disproportionate number of black lives this bill also aims to block much needed access to cannabis uh and also multiple report language Provisions aimed at impeding efforts around moving marijuana to schedule one the most stringent drug classification of the control substance act to schedule three in recognition of the plant's medical value according to HHS though cannabis use is associated with fewer adverse outcomes than alcohol marijuana remains in the most restrictive schedule creating severe penalties for cannabis users and businesses including for criminal records immigration status employment taxation Health Care public housing social services and more as long as marijuana remains scheduled our communities will face severely severe penalties for something that is now legal in 30 States and so as co-chair of the Cong cannabis caucus I urge this committee to not tie the hands of FDA as they take their first step to remove marijuana from schedule one and begin addressing more than 50 years of failed racially discriminated marijuana policy lastly I'm very disappointed but not surprised that this bill is also rejecting president's budget request to adequately fund the usda's office of civil rights and and instead it cuts the office I believe by $14.2 million so these writers are divisive and seek to further disenfranchise diverse and underserved communities from accessing the resources at the USDA FDA and Farm Credit Administration so to our chairman and to uh my ranking member I want to thank you for your leadership but also I want to make sure that these that members on this committee know that the uh Department of Agriculture and this subcommittee has a wide and Broad jurisdiction and many my constituents didn't realize that uh FDA even has um we have jurisdiction over parts of FDA and so it's a very important bill and uh I wish that I could vote I on it but I strongly oppose it thank you Mr chairman thank you uh chair now recognizes General lady from Ohio Miss captor for any remarks she has about the Bill thank you very much chairman Cole and uh chairs uh Harris ranking member uh bishop and ranking member deloro um it's kind of I represent e counties and most of them are agricultural and there's no question that American Agriculture and freshwater are our nation's lifeline and we must strive harder for food security here at home and uh not keep Outsourcing across our borders elsewhere and not keep importing our wealth but we have to raise our wealth and agriculture is fundamental to that this bill has traditionally been a vehicle for gradual improvements in support of our nation's backbone our producers our Farmers our ranchers our Growers who often rely on guest agricultural workers uh we haven't figured all that out in a seamless manner shame on us I just wanted to make about four points the first one is at a time when our colleagues across the aisle call for spending reductions it bewilders me why there are Cuts in this bill that Target essential services such as rural electrification that support so many of our needy counties while large electric corporations receive tax incentives we seem to be withdrawing from our commitments to rural electric cooperatives that provide such an important resource across this country and symbolize a direct investment in Rural America serving definitely all the counties that I represent we got to fix that now uh another point I wish to make is there isn't a county that I represent or a town that I represent or a Township that I represent that isn't asking me for water and wastewater improvements and this bill slashes the opportunity for them to obtain that these are critical for helping our communities obtain safer Water Services I won't go into all the details but believe me some of it isn't very pretty so I don't think funding Cuts in this account make much sense and they really are a direct blow to the livelihood of Rural America number three several people have talked about food inflation we feel it directly in our area even though the country is a part of what we are the countryside inflation is so nagging uh but this bill has a harmful Policy rider to block all of usda's Packers and Stockyards act regulatory updates it has been clear for decades that lack of enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards act along with unchecked mergers of meat and poultry Giants have allowed large buyers to exercise extreme Market power at the expense of livestock producers and contract Growers and people that live close to where the local market is they are just snuffed out and I'm ashamed of our country that we have been a not been able to treat our local farmers much better over the tenure of my service it isn't for lack of trying and then F uh fourth uh to address systemic problems in extremely Consolidated livestock and poultry markets producers need a comprehensive set of regulatory updates and clarifications to the Packers and Stockyards act currently being promulgated by the Agricultural Marketing Services Packers and Stockyards division we need to do that um I wanted to turn because I wanted to invite any member of this uh committee to help me help me with the Department of Agriculture this is kind of I don't know if you can see it the blue represents the food expenditures we make over 75 about 77% of the budget this is food that we buy and then we use for seniors and for people who uh operate food banks and so forth to reach the hungry but let me give you an Insight been working on this for years and I thank those who have stood up and supported the urban agriculture Provisions um you understand an agency usually by the year in which it was founded so the Department of Agriculture was founded in 1862 during the presidency of President Lincoln at that time we were a royal Nation today we are we are an urban Metro nation and we have the capacity to produce with new technologies even in urban areas but we're still operating in 1862 as a country and what I'm very interested in and invite all of you to read the book last child in the woods the US Department of Defense tells us that 77% of young people are not qualified to go into the military physically there's a reason for that because of the way so many of them now spend seven or eight hours in front of a blue screen every day we have an unhealthy population including on our young people and we have to talk about it in this committee now what do you do about that well one of the things you can do is you can help youth Embrace nature again think about your grandchildren think about your children how much time do they spend outside you know it's happening in this biggest city I represent I used to take my bike and ride way out to the forest way out to the countryside now because of fear of all kinds of things if you ride in front of your house or down to the end of the block and back that's about as far as you go people don't go into nature they are situationally unaware of where they are we have to change that as a country and our kids I love Future Farmers of America I love FFA I think they do a great job but Urban kids have a right to those experiences too and we don't make it easy and I do think that the urban Agriculture and Innovative production programs can help lead us in that direction Mr chairman I would love to talk for an hour about this but I won't but I invite you to read the book I invite you to read read the book by Robert laav last child in the woods anybody that even reads a summary of it let's have coffee someday thank you so very much I look for improvement of this bill as it moves forward and I might support it at that point I yield back thank you I thank the gentle lady for her commendable restraint I'm trying now I'm serious U I recognize the G lady from Florida Miss wer m for comments on the bill thank you Mr chairman I also rise an opposition to this bill that undermines America's food security and fails to protect our rural communities let's start with a statement many in this room on both sides can agree with the FDA must do more to address youth vaping I think we could get Universal consensus on that I would hope the dangers of vaping particularly with products not approved by the FAA include including a lifetime of health problems lung and other organ damage asthma and other breathing problems addiction and more you might be surprised to hear this but there are currently only 23 lawfully FDA authorized ecigarette devices but you walk into a gas station or a convenience store and you see a wall of different devices all with colorful labels and clever fruity names all purposefully directing directly targeting kids some stores find the current situation so confusing they formally petitioned the FDA to clarify which ecigarettes they can sell as appropriators we have a chance to keep ageny feet at a fire so they finalize vital rules that keep Americans safe not condition defund or push ill-advised ways to block the FDA from doing its work as big tobacco routinely does with Republican sellouts in this chamber I was very disappointed by the majority's decision to not include language that I requested urging the FDA to finalize rules Banning Menthol cigar and all non-tobacco flavored cigars again but not only does this bill fail to protect young people it actually takes us backwards by reversing legislation that prohibited the use of shock therapy despite well-documented instances of brain injuries and other damaging effects from its use this bill also takes food for peace back to its lowest level of funding since 2002 at a time when Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine and other Global conflicts threatened the world's food supply now is not not the time to give in isolationist magga impulses and Seed our claims to Global Leadership in addition to being morally odious these Cuts will harm Florida Farmers and Growers who are denied the chance to supplement earnings by feeding the hungry this bill also threatens the health and well-being of our children back home as well by proposing $1 billion dollar in cuts to key nutrition programs including snap and Wick and as if these Reckless spending cuts weren't enough this bill even eliminates funding for the pause act which provides short-term assistance to the animals of domestic violence victims I I truly do not understand how my Republican colleagues can abandon survivors of domestic violence and fail to provide them with support in their time of need other than perhaps the cruelty is the point it is absolutely shameful I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in voting no on this bill and I yield back thank you the chair recognizes Miss Watson Coleman for remarks on the bill thank you Mr chairman I too rise to strongly oppose this bill which makes significant cuts to food assistance program slashes overseas food assistance and prohibits funding for racial Equity efforts let me be extremely clear as we stand here today more than 44 million Americans are facing hungry hunger one in five of those are children this does not even include the millions of people in the United States that that do not have access to healthy food while we have the privilege of eating while we sit here and work today we have constituents that don't have that ability this bill is a slap in the face to those people my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are are committed to threatening access to food for hardworking and vulnerable Americans like the egregious cuts that were made to affordable housing in the tud bill decreasing funds in food assistance is synonymous with punish punishing those in greatest need I cannot fathom why Republicans could defend this these cuts to these benefits we know that single mother households with incomes below the poverty line face the highest levels of food insecurity we should be increasing funding for programs that support them not decreasing them on another note my colleagues is despite humanitarian crisis happening on nearly every continent on Earth decided to slash the food for peace program to the lowest level since 2002 I'll conclude by again emphasizing my belief that this budget should reflect our values and by my estimation this fails to show the American people and indeed those around the world what our government can and should do for them they deserve far better than what they are demonstrating today and I uh pray that my colleagues will reject this thank you chair recognizes the gentle lady from Illinois Miss Underwood for comments on the bill thank you Mr chairman I rise today in strong opposition to the fiscal year 25 Agriculture Rural Development and FDA Appropriations Bill we're considering today with this bill Republicans are once again turning their backs on Rural communities public health and hungry families this bill raises costs ignores the needs of our Farmers threaten food access for hardworking Americans and endangers the health and well-being of our children and communities as our nation continues to confront challenges such as rising costs Global conflicts and food in security this bill slashes overall funding by 4% severely underfunding essential programs that support our Farmers reduce costs and help families put food on the table this isn't just about numbers on the page it's about real people and real lives throughout this Appropriations process we have heard so much about using federal dollars wisely controlling costs and supporting everyday Americans yet this bill fails to deliver on those goals and puts hardworking Americans and Rural communities in Jeopardy for example by imposing an extreme Policy rider restricting what snap recipients can purchase with their benefits it makes it more difficult for families in need to buy food in addition to imposing harmful restrictions on hungry families and children this bill also ignores the very urgent realities of climate change whether my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to acknowledge it or not climate change seriously threatens farmers in our communities as climate change accelerates and energy costs rise renewable energy has become an attractive option for Farm Farmers yet this bill fails to adequately support the rural energy for America program to address these challenges and that's not all the bill that we're considering today ignores the reality of rising food costs growing food insecurity and a worsening maternal Health crisis I especially concerned that this bill includes uh Provisions undermining usda's ability to maintain a sufficient science-based Wick benefit package and the funding provided for Wick does not account for unexpected increases participation or Rising food costs this limitation threatens Wick's ability to handle sudden demand surges and jeopardizes access for vulnerable populations this is concerning because Wick plays a vital role in ensuring healthier outcomes for women and children it's stability is crucial as a nurse and health Advocate I am also alarmed by the tobacco Provisions in this bill which threaten the lives of kids and families in my community the bill includes dangerous policies that would effectively block the FDA from using its existing authority to prohibit menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars even though Menthol tobacco products have had devastating effects on public health especially in communities of color preventing and delaying the FDA from taking evidence-based actions on Menthol tobacco products will result in more young people getting addicted to nicotine more diagnoses of cancer and heart disease and more families left mourning due to the nearly 500,000 th deaths per year in the United States caused by smoking millions of lives now and in the future depend on our government taking Swift action to protect kids and adults from the dangers of tobacco addiction if today's Bill and Report were to be enacted with these dangerous anti-science and anti-public health Provisions we would lose generations to senseless preventable and premature deaths colleagues this legislation is deeply flawed the current bill and its accompanying report prioritize corporate interests over the well-being of the American people the numerous policy Provisions blatantly cater to corporate demands undermining Fair competition and consumer interests not to mention the attacks on diversity Equity inclusion and the lgbtq plus Community these are cheap cruel Antics that ignore the promises of equality fairness and freedom for all this bill does not just fail to support American agriculture it actively undermines it and that is why I cannot support it I urge my colleagues to reject this misguided bill and I yield back thank you thank you are there any other members wishing to make General comments about the bill seeing none uh I would like to recognize chairman Harris to offer a manager's Amendment thank you very much Mr chairman I have amendment number one at the desk and I uh ask unanimous consent that the reading be waved without objection and gentleman's recognized to explain the amendment this is the bipartisan manager Amendment which includes Bill and Report language additions from members on both sides of the aisle I appreciate ranking member Bishop working with us on this amendment and I ask for your support you'll back thank you uh Mr Bishop is recognized thank you Mr chairman uh I support the B partis manager's amendment I don't want menu members uh as well as those watching to know that the manager's Amendment withdraws the Chairman's Bill language that would have barred FDA from Banning the use of electroshock devices at a single institution in Massachusetts had the language remained in the bill there would have been an amendment to strike it and it would have passed the removal of this language will come as a great relief to the disability Community which has worked so hard to make sure that every member of the committee heard their opposition otherwise the managers amendment makes technical Corrections and includes bipartisan items on which there is agreement I thank chairman Harris for his collaboration on these and I support the manager's Amendment and I urge our committee members to support it I you back Mr chairman thank you do other members seek recognition to speak on the amendment General lady oh excuse me General gentleman from Washington thank you Mr chairman uh let me say I appreciate the uh hard and diligent work of the chairman subcommittee staff the members of the committee some very difficult decisions were made to write this bill this legislation I think makes critical investments in agricultural research and Animal Health specialty crops as well as increases funds to improve the tracking system of foreign land ownership which is vital to ensuring foreign adversaries do not control uh any uh part of our food supply chain this this language also includes excuse me this legislation also includes my language to ensure that the secretary of agriculture is included in the committee on foreign investments in the United States or cfus to review agricultural transactions and requires this body to be cfus I mean to be notified of agricultural land transactions of National Security concern including purchases made by countries like China or Russia or North Korea however I would be remiss if I did not relay some of the concerns that I have heard from constituents regarding the production of hemp my district I don't think it's unusual for many of yours perhaps has over 100 licensed Farms that have worked to bring hemp back into our country's agricultural portfolio based on the 2018 Farm Bill authorization in fact the majority of members on this committee have hemp licensed producers in your districts these farmers are concerned that language included in the underlying Bill while well-intended make several arbitrary and Industry crushing changes that would put them out of business they're concerned that the language also preempts individual states who have engaged their perspect respective Industries to properly regulate hemp derived products I can tell you from experience that maintaining a farm is hard enough nowadays and we should support all agricultural producers particularly those who rely upon a redeveloping agricultural Market such as hemp I do appreciate CH the chairman including report language in the manager amendment that directs the FDA to work on these critical issues that support hemp farmers in all our districts and certainly look forward to working with the chairman on the underlying Bill language as we move forward in the fiscal year 25 process so thank you Mr chairman I'll you back GLE lady from Ohio Miss captors recognize for remarks on the manager's Amendment thank you uh Mr chairman and members well you know I'm motivated on this subject so I'll do a PS uh here and that relates to the urban Agriculture and Innovative production program programs just to put on the records so we become familiar with these various USDA programs since its Inception over 230 places in America have received the benefit of this program and what has happened what's happened in one school is because of something we call hydroponic technology kids can have raise their own lettuce and the kitchen can prepare fresh salads for lunch wouldn't that be great if that was in every school in America technologically we can do it now including in the urban School we can teach kids how to grow carrots i w on raised platforms we can actually bring agriculture back into the city uh as I mentioned we want to go beyond where President Lincoln was when he established the department and recognized that the majority of people live in cities and a Suburban areas now there is just so much that can be done technologically to bring agriculture right into the classroom and I think that uh this particular program offers such opportunity for Innovation also we are growing short on individuals who want to go into agriculture well where do the people live yeah they some of them live in the countryside but there's nothing like watching a Child in the City have to tend a goat I'm telling you their life changes and I was in one place where some of the chickens got out one morning it was great they were chasing them all over the city streets but anyway the point is you can do wonderful things with kids and agriculture in the cities and Suburban areas and frankly they need it they need it um I have seen children's lives changed in urban communities because of their exposure to agriculture which is something they've never ever thought of there's nothing like a child pulling a carrot out of a out of a garden and not an understanding that it comes from the earth there is and the majority of those kids live in cities if anybody from FFA is hearing me today please know I want you in the cities too I want you in every city in America I want you in every suburban area of America this program can help us do something that is revolutionary in our country and let all of our young people understand the power of the earth and how precious it is and give them that experience not virtually not by saying the food's in the store no they can grow some of what is vital for their own sustenance and it's direct and it's lifechanging in so I thank you uh I'm hoping that as this bill moves forward and as people hear our voices over the years that maybe we can do much more to reach the majority of America's children just not the minority of the children of this country thank you so very much and I yield back thank you gentleman from Pennsylvania Mr cartright's recognized for remarks on the manager's Amendment uh thank you Mr chairman I at this point I'd like to associate myself with the remarks of Mr newh house um and and thank him for those remarks the importance of hemp uh is growing every day in this country uh in including in Pennsylvania in fact in northeastern Pennsylvania we are creating a hemp Hub it used to be that Pennsylvania was the nation's leader in the production of hemp back when we used hemp to to to produce Maritime lines for oceangoing vessels nothing is stronger than hemp that you can grow nothing will will uh uptake heavy metals out of soil to clean up brown Fields like hemp nothing will store carbon pound forp pound like hemp uh and hemp ends up being a wonderful way to uh uh to shore up concrete uh you probably heard of hemp cre uh so hemp can be used in building materials it's it's a terrific product and uh it's time for us to stop being a afraid of it uh because they're better things to smoke anyway Mr chairman I yield back all right gentlemen may be prepared for questions when he leaves the chamber um any other members seek recognition to speak on the amendment uh if not I recognize chairman Harris for one minute to close thank you very much I want to thank the gentleman from Washington and Pennsylvania for men it you know what we want to do is and we'll we'll continue working on this is get the Bad actors out the ones who are not using it who are who are converting some of that to Delta n Delta 8 which is a dangerous substance it's a psychoactive substance so we'll continue to work on that uh we do not want to harm the people who are the good actors and most of them are the good actors so uh be assured of that and with that uh I will ask uh people to support the amendment and yield back questions now on the amendment all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no the opinion of the chair the eyes have it and the amendment is adopted Mr Bishop is recognized for the purpose of an amendment thank you Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk and ask you un animous consent that the amendment be considered as read without objection the gentlem recognized to explain the amendment Mr chairman the restrictions outlin in the snap Choice pilot program tell poor people what to eat but it does little address the underlying challenges we face in fighting hunger researchers like those at the center on budget and policy priorities have already demonstrated that one of the greatest hurdles snap participants face in purchasing healthy foods is the modest amount of support that snap provides a healthy diet C more restricting what Americans with the greatest need can purchase with SNAP without providing sufficient funding for them to afford a healthy diet is really more about trying to undermine snap and that increases the likelihood that American families will go hungry simply put the majority's proposal fails to consider the best ways to encourage health the eating such as the Gus nip fresh fruits and vegetables program the local food purchasing agreements for schools and others that's what will help our fruit and vegetable Growers and will allow those on Snap to stretch their dollars with bonus bucks to buy fresh produce I'll say that I and many others here are old enough to remember when SNAP benefits were provided in the form of stamps hence the name food stamps anyone could tell who got food SNAP benefits when they saw their food stamp cards coming out people who were better off would get irritated at the delay at the checkout counter it was a painful and unpleasant thing to witness with a snap Choice pilot the person at the checkout counter and in a rural District like and the person at the checkout counter is very likely your close neighbor will have to split the items on the good list from those on the bad list this is recreating the stigma of food stamps where people can tell who is on the program we heard from representative Gwen Moore during our member day hearing this year about the dignity issue associated with these restrictions she reminded us as members of Congress we would not have the committee to police our shopping carts and we shouldn't want that for anyone on Snap either singing out those Americans just because they're having a hard time in life and need supplemental benefits to feed their families this bill would burden 262,000 small and Rural grossers and I know every member on this Comm committee has grossers who would be affected and forced to undergo expensive Technologies and renovations to innovate to implement this snap Choice pilot program it would also further delay the state agencies that administer snap I imploy each of you to support this amendment that are you back uh chairman Harris has recognized to respond to the amendment thank you very much I rise in strong oppos position to the amendment which would remove a pilot program designed to improve the health outcomes of snap participants this is a small voluntary time-limited pilot program and not a permanent change to the snap program it only allows up to five states to implement a three-year pilot program to restrict unhealthy food purchases with SNAP benefits it does not cut program funding or cut household benefits in fact the language prioritizes proposals which in incentivize the purchase of fruit and vegetables nothing prevents a household from using their own money to buy whatever unhealthy items they want under this proposal now snap is usda's largest nutrition program where participants can buy almost any food item from sugar sweetened Beverages and salty snacks to Lobster yet the other smaller nutrition programs namely Wick and School meals greatly restrict the foods provided to healthy items targeted to the participants they serve and Studies have shown that both Wick and School Meal programs which limit non-nutritious food improve the health of their participants now snap participants do in fact experience significant disparities in diet quality and disease risk children participating in snap for instance have a higher disease risk and consume 44% more sugar sweetened beverages than income eligible nonparticipants for example Le now as this chart demonstrates the US spends more per capita than any other country when it comes to the burden obesity places on our Health Care system and just for the figures USA's tops we're number one we spend 644 billion dollars on the treatment of obesity the and have the highest perc of GDP spent on it than any of the oecd countries so these are the first of the first world this is not something we should be proud of this is something we should be dealing with because if we can make and again not taking money out of the snap program but encouraging nutritious Foods perhaps we can bring down that $644 billion dollar a year cost now with the rise in obesity and chronic health issues this pilot will evaluate will allow the evaluation of the impact of limiting snap Foods to to healthy foods to see if we in fact enhance the health of snap participants now those of you who wondered by the way and thanks thanks for the chart I think we got the message we all we all know this is what's going on now for those of you who wonder if we had a hearing we did have a hearing on this and the main person speaker was a professor of Pediatric Endocrinology at UCSF who who told us about the problems with sugar addiction in our youth again it's a pediatric endocrinologist the trends in childhood obesity we're all aware of and the fact that if we could limit non-nutritious Foods we might be able to attack that epidemic and that's what it is it's an epidemic now by the way the Thrifty food plan because remember that's what SNAP benefits are based on doesn't include non-nutritious Foods it's it's it's a it's the pl it's what you should be eating what's a family should be eating with their SNAP benefits now usda's received proposals to do this in the past but they've never approved one Maine Minnesota New York City have previously expressed interest in limiting snap purchases now I know a straw man when you see it although you may hear otherwise with the advantages in technology today retailers can readily implement the changes necessary they already have systems in place in their stores to determine what products are eligible for instance for uh purchases with SNAP because they're products you can't buy with SNAP in every grocery store and Wick now again this is not a permanent or Nationwide program change a small voluntary program now look I get it your offic has got the same call my office has got from the big boys from the companies with huge corporate profits that make money on selling non-nutritious food in the snap program the largest retailer I'm not going to name names they made5 billion dollar not last year last quarter the largest sugar sweetened Beverage Company in the United States made3 billion do not last year last quarter the largest sugar sweetened beverage and snack food company made $2 billion not last year last quarter now we going to stand up for the health of the snap who need our help we in fact it was said in the opening comments snap beneficiaries need our help yeah they do need our help we need to see to it that they get the best chance they can and it's not with non-nutritious Foods we also heard in the opening comments about corporate demands that's what you've heard about you've heard about corporate demands the big guys they like this program they like not you know 10 billion dollars a year spend for instance on sugar sweetened beverages in the program they like that goes to the bottom line in fact the profitability of the largest sugar sweetened Beverage Company in America has a 28% profit margin 28% I urge my colleagues to vote no on this amendment um Mr Loro is recognized for comments on the amendment thank you very much Mr chairman just I'll say a couple things before I um move on with with my comments if we were to listen uh to the chair of the subcommittee it's only people who on Snap who are obese only people on Snap who are obese in this country and the issue about you can buy anything you can buy Lobster does anybody how many people here know how much you get a day from snap anybody want to take a guess $6 a day the people who are buying Lobster are the corporations who are paying no tax to this nation and the industry that is price gouging with high prices of nutritious food $6 a day and we want to say that they're buying Lobster it's pejorative that's what that is if anybody would like I believe I still have a piece of legislation that I introduced years ago that my staff told me not to introduce it's a tax on sugary beverages anybody in this audience here today want to put a tax on sugary beverages I do and the profits go to health not to the corporations it's a big guys that the chairman talked about that we would tax how many folks in the this room do you think would be supportive of that effort I doubt that there would be very many indeed the other just piece of information here is that snap is actually linked to to better uh access to preventable health care and reduced health care costs low-income adults on Snap occurred 25% Less in medical costs than other uh lowincome individuals who are not just a few facts here I Rise support of Mr Bishop's Amendment strike the poorly designed and needlessly confusing snap restriction pilot program this is not the time to be Reinventing the wheel with SNAP food stamps a proven and effective program that is kept millions of Americans from growing hungry now over the the the just to say hardworking Americans we know today are struggling to get by wages have not kept up with with inflation and food costs are on the rise we we we we know that over the last four years food prices have risen over 25% this is according to the Consumer Price Index that means a grocery trip that used to cost $100 would now be $125 as I said families Nationwide are living paycheck to paycheck they're being hammered by Rising food costs and how why are these prices going up why are there high prices in grocery store why is mayonnaise $9 a jar why it's that a supply chain problem it's not a supply chain issue here what is what is what is driving the price and the other piece is that is there a shortage of food in the United States anybody here believe there's a shortage of food in the US we have an abundance of food so no shortage then why are the prices High Why why don't we talk about the prices being driven by price gouging from huge corporations that dominate the food and the grocery markets these companies have earned record profits in recent years they're taking bigger and bigger chunks out of household budgets we got Mega grocery stores large corporations as I said record profits in 2022 Vox report said that Cargill brought in a record $1 165 billion dollar doubling what they did from 2020 and but they paid $1.2 billion to their shareholders in dividends record amount of money for dividends the same corporations 55 of the biggest corporations in this nation pay no tax at all another 39 don't pay what they owe now let me just say this one might regard what they get in tax breaks as a subsidy why don't we tell them what they should eat hell they're living fat on the hog here they're getting three squares a day and more snacks in the morning noon and night and they are buying Lobster folks on food stamps are not buying Lobster $6 a day they are barely making it you want them to buy more nutritious food increase $6 a day increase the benefits for food stamps and better still crack down on price gouging price gouging corporations who willyn can raise their prices because they can get away with it and no one is going after them which is what we should do Target in the last month lowered prices on 5,000 food items why they could do it and they did they decided to do it why aren't others doing it because the money is too important the greed is too important that's what we should be talking about here instead of saying to this group of people we're going to tell you what you can put in your food basket and what you don't have to put in your fo food basket let's get every group in this country who gets a subsidy and let's tell them what they should eat or not eat you know Republicans claim to oppose big government but the proposed snap anti- Choice part would put government between hung Americans and the checkout line likely using small town local grocery store workers as the food police limiting snap recipients dietary choices snap was designed to reduce hunger by providing recipients with a broad range of food choices that allow them to address dietary religious or cultural needs the government should not be dictating the diets for Americans just trying to put food on the table to survive especially when we know the choices that snap recipients make very little in comparison to non- snap recipients this would wreck havocs as as the ranking members said a havoc on groceries and both small and large businesses adding needless red tape forcing grocery store cashiers to tell parents in their communities what they can and what they cannot buy to feed their families you know at the end of the month with food stamp recipients there's hardly any money left take the food stamp challenge sometime see if you all can live and eat on six bucks a day try it many of us have done it many of us have done it I suggest everybody do it and see what it's like for these folks you know the House Republicans tried similar language in last year's 2024 funding bill and you know what they failed their extreme agriculture bill could not even pass on the floor of the House of Representatives should have learned your lesson and not doubled down on a reckless attempt under the guise of healthy choices to take food out of people's mouths and you know as I said at the end of the month there's hardly any money left and so you can't go in and buy fresh strawberries and you can't go in and buy all kinds of salads and so forth no you buy what you can afford so you can feed your kids and it's not the nutritious food you buy at Whole Foods or some other place order Snap exists for a specific purpose to help people who are hungry when they need it the most it does well it did quite well for over 41 million Americans in in fiscal year 2022 let's focus on how we can increase funding and choices for Snappers participants not debating restrictions I urge my colleagues to support this amendment uh that the ranking member has offered and I yield back Mr speaker thank you Mr chairman the chair has been exceptionally generous with I appreciate the chair and the time and I would ask members going forward it's late but I'm prepared to stay here as late as all of you want to stay so um gentle lady from Oklahoma is recognized to speak to the amendment Mr chairman I offer a point of order I ask you name's consent to limit debate moving forward to two minutes no no no we have an objection I would [Music] assume fine look I I'm serious I am quite prepared to stay here as late as anybody wants but but in exchange for that I will enforce the clock fine well that was not the attitude earlier so I will enforce the clock going forward okay Mr chair I call for a recorded vote no no no that's a waste of time you know look it's been a long day I understand if you guys want to get into Fun and Games on both sides we can do that but we are this close to being done and have an important accomplishment I would just ask you not to limit your time but to operate within the time we've all agreed with that's uh and I would ask you to treat one another courteously and with respect and restraint uh and let's finish our business we're pretty close you have a lot to be very proud of what you've accomplished and I appreciate it very much much but I will be strict on the time going forward that I recognize um my friend Miss Lee from California uh for the purpose of speaking to the amendment thank you very much Mr chairman I I won't take this personally I know our ranking member doesn't I I know y'all be glad when I'm gone but I have to tell you no I won't this is unbelievable I know you will I said earlier and mentioned that um I was on food stamps for many years and I know that this is a misguided snap pilot Rider in this underlying bill but let me tell you and Mr chairman I'm going to try to be um as quick move forward as quickly as possible I know what it's like to live on $6 do a day since I've been a member of Congress several of us took the food stamp challenge for a week then I believe the allocation was about $540 was it and uh let me tell you I was sitting here in this uh committee uh during that week we had markups and let me tell you what um I bought for breakfast I had maybe a dut for lunch I race down then there was a McDonald's right down the road had a small hamburger when went to the grocery store when we got out of here I would buy canned um vegetables and beans high sodium and I journaled the content of those canned vegetables high in sodium high in sugar high in calories and the cans were bent I ended up going to the section of the store that had expired food that was bent in these cans okay uh I bought Top Ramen high in sodium split it for two or three days so I could eat that in the evening I know one day I found some um chicken chicken breast and I chopped it up and put it in some rice full of carbs and ate that for three days by the time I got back to my district which I did I flew back took some uh crackers with me on the plane landed went to my house and I had some box macaroni and cheese I think it was about 65 cents then because I got it at the uh Discount Food Store the grocery store and this was probably Friday Night by Saturday I had about $3 worth of SNAP benefits left so I was trying I had to try to figure out how I was going to manage until Monday because this was a I think Sunday to Sunday or Monday to Monday food stamp challenge several of you were on this challenge with me finally on Saturday I had to determine what I was going to do and I decided that I was going to go to a food bank which I did so I went and had lunch I didn't eat breakfast because I had this $3 left so I went to a food bank and I ate there and that evening I bought a can of tuna fish and ate and I had some macaroni and I made it well it was really a tuna macaroni salad and put some canned peas in it okay the next morning was Sunday I had another dut and a small cup of orange juice and by Sunday evening I think I had about seven $5 cents left and with that 75 cents I went to the grocery store and bought another bent up can of mixed vegetables I figured I could get away with that and that was healthy enough now all along this entire week I wrote down the number of calories and the amount of sodium the amount of sugar the type of food the expiration dates how far over the expiration dates that these canned food Foods were that I had to buy because they were cheaper and so that's what happened on $540 a week a day for myself and I share that with you because here in this committee we allowed the Pentagon to flunk six Audits and we still increase its budget and we don't really give a darn about them flunking six audits we don't penalize them we don't police them we just let them go rampant with taxpayer dollars and so Mr chairman I supp support your Amendment and I hope all of you think about these people who have to survive off of $6 a day raising kids now my kids are grown and I didn't have to do this but when I was in food stamps I think I had to pay $80 a month for four or5 worth of food stamps so my children are grown now so I didn't have to worry about them but think of all the families now who are struggling to survive with children on this measly meager amount of money each and every and it's really a shame and disgrace that that we're even talking about this thank you again and I yield back gentleman from Arkansas Mr wac is recognized to speak to the amendment thank you Mr chairman and I'll be very brief uh I I just want to correct the record most of you know that I represent uh a small five and dime up in Northwest Arkansas uh that's present in most every state represented in this room today and in many cases the largest employer in uh a lot of the States represented in this room today Miss Doo just questioned why mayonnaise is $9 a jar and I just want to correct the record because I just went to the Walmart app and it's not my purpose in life to give an ad for Walmart but I can tell you right now you can buy Great Value mayonnaise for $3.38 that's a 30 ounce jar you can get helmond for a little more expensive $4.98 but that's with 100% cagefree eggs that's probably what's driving up the price there on the craft side of the house it's 3.98 and $4.98 if you want the squeeze bottle and the best part about it it can be delivered tomorrow free somebody's I I think we've railed against the big corporations enough but there are uh big food store conglomerates out there I represent one that are doing everything in their power to bring value to the Discerning families of America today so to basically rail against them and to to kind of hang them as the the reason why uh these SNAP benefits don't go very far is I think just a little bit Rich so and with that Mr chairman I'll y back thank you gentleman from New York Mr espat is recognized to speak to the amendment you Mr chairman I rise in support of this amendment uh back in my college days I read the book The Other America which is the blueprint to fight hunger in America during the Kennedy administration it was written by Michael Harington and it was the the role map to address hunger and start the fight against hunger in that era and yet hunger still exists in America and we already know that snap helps improve health outcomes for 41.4 million people that rely on the assistance snap participants are more likely to report excellent Health than lowincome nonparticipants so if you're lowincome and you don't participate in snap you're you're less healthy than if you do access to snap for pregnant mothers improve birth outcome for both mothers and their newborns so it is clear that Americans can make their own productive choices about the dietary needs so why are we proposing legislation that will restrict the family's freedom to choose how they feed their family $6 a person we already heard from from some of our colle colleages what six less than $6 used to be able to buy imagine now I don't know if this strawberry preserve is $6 I doubt it it was free it was free okay there's no free lunch in America and so I support this amendment as we argue on the floor on the alleged uh fight to keep our refrigerator aters and our washing machines and dryers and yet we want to tell people what to eat a mom we want to tell a mom how to spend $6 I I mean it's it's it's such a contradiction um we should increase uh funding for for SNAP so that uh it goes further out you ought to see the lines you have see the lines in in New York City and across this country in the fu pantries they go around the block and it's no longer you know the homeless or people that are having a rough day it's families now and seniors seniors that often have to bring a folding chair because the lines are so long that they can't stand up for that long waiting for a bag of fresh produce so there's real hunger out there there's need out there and the way to approach this is to increase snap to make it accessible to more people to feed our country that is hungry and to make sure that our families remain uh healthy for that purpose I Str I standing strong support of Mr Bishop's Amendment and a yield back thank you Gentle lady is Miss Watson Coleman is recognized to speak to the amendment thank you Mr chairman thank you for recognizing me I'm listening to all these conversations particularly my friend that I lovingly called b b and I'm thinking but for the grace of God that could be me could have been me it could be me today and so when I see that we are engaging in 45 minute discussion about what to do about the minuscule SNAP benefits that women and and and families get and children get to eat from as opposed to all the other issues that uh we should be trying to figure out such as how to ensure that there is no poverty so we don't have to deal with a snap or a wick how do we ensure that there's suff housing so that there's no unhoused or unsteadily housed individuals how do we ensure that our communities are safe and secure and that we don't have the guns in the hands of the wrong people so the children that we're trying to feed even if it's a pilot program will be able to live long enough to eat this food and so instead we are having a discussion on what to do with something like $6 a day well you know what we should do with $6 a day we should minimally quad duplate that's what we should do this is ridiculous that we should have to have this debate and this discussion on this issue I support my um my uh colleagues Amendment on this issue we shouldn't be eliminating food options we shouldn't tell women or anybody else government doesn't need to tell them what to eat any more than it need to tell them how to take care of their reproduction issues so we can pick and choose what we want to do with government intervention this is the wrong time you want to do something quadruple the SNAP benefit and then have a discussion about healthy eating mothers want to feed their children healthy food I yield back in support of this amendment [Music] are there any further members wishing to uh address the amendment seeing none the question is on the I don't worry you're going to be recognized questions uh on the gentleman's Amendment he's recognized for one minute to close thank you very much Mr chairman um this is about practicality you've heard the human cost of this provision but the Practical matter is something we all want to look at you hear the other side always talking about government overreach well my position is that policy should be based in sound science it should be subjected to cost benefit analysis and it should make Common Sense the provision they have in this bill is based in sound science I concede that but if you subject it to a cost benefit analysis and common sense it fails 262,000 small and Rural Grocers don't have the technology to comply with this the national grocer Association sent a letter to the complaint to the uh committee and they had a witness at the same hearing the chairman talked about who testified to what it would cost them and what it would the inconvenience and the burdensome uh manner that it would impose on them there are 325 small grocers in Maryland Mr Harris has got 45 of them in his district Mr valo Mr maror all of them have these in their districts it's not practical to enforce one minute to close as I said I will back thank you very much it's not common sense and it's impractical and it would put a burden on all your groceries of RA of price I'll Year [Music] back I took your word at your word the first time um questions now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia all those in favor say I I all those opposed say no no P the chair the eyes have it any you chair the eyes have it the eyes have it would you like to call for a vote thought you might I was advised by the gentleman to my left Mr Bishop is recognized for the purposes of an amendment Mr chairman gentleman's mic I think and I ask that um unit consent that it be considered as read without objection and the gentleman's recognized to explain the amendment okay this is an amendment on the national agriculture uh statistics Service uh I'm offering it but I intended withdraw it which would restore the funding for the national agriculture statistic service America Farmers ranchers Growers rely on commodity reports from the national agriculture statistics service the reports help those who feed our country to run their businesses and compete in a challenging market yet your bill underfunds Nas for the second year in a row Nas data directly impacts commodity markets provides the basis for CRP payments and serves as the nation's official estimates for the production Supply price inventory stocks and farm financials for the agricultural economy last year Nas received 22% less than what was needed to continue their survey reports to pay the staff conducting those reports as a result our Farmers University researchers and other data users were unable to receive the most upto-date numbers for cattle inventory cotton production or county level estimates of crops and livestock which were needed to help estimate the economic impact and losses associated with natural disasters that drastic cut last year hurt our farmers and ranchers ability to compete in a challenging market now the bill before us today would underfund Nas yet again who knows what survey or report will be cut this time will it be milk production hog reports the floriculture survey that's why I urge my colleagues to support my Amendment and increase funding for this key USDA agency thank you and uh you're back Mr Excuse me Mr Harris has recognized to speak to the amendment I rise in opposition to the amendment this Bill provides $187 million for the national agricultural statistics service or nass this is equal to the fy4 level we believe this level of funding is both fiscally responsible and enables n ass to carry out their core Mission additionally this amendment would strike a new bill provisor that limits nass's discretionary research and development Contracting authority to $1 million in fiscal year 2024 nass spent $1 million on these discretionary contracts while simultaneously cancelling several critical agricultural market reports this Proviso ensures that nass has at least 10 million in available funding to reinstate all the cancelled agricultural market reports for fiscal year 2025 I share Mr Bishop's support for nass but his amendment is not offset and puts the bill above the subcommittee's 302b allocation therefore I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment are there other uh members wishing to speak to the amendment seeing none the question is now uh the excuse me the gentleman is recognized for one minute to close last year because of the underfunding these reports were not able to be completed and it had a devastating impact on our producers even though the amount that was cited has been included it was still a cut from last year and they didn't have enough to do it last year and they will have even less to do this year because they have to pay the salaries for the people that are doing the work and of course they cannot pay the raises and add to their work product so for that reason I urge the adoption of this amendment these are necessary uh data collection processes that need to be funded and we need to add it to this bill and I urge the adoption of the amendment questions now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia all those in favor say I I do I do wish to withdraw the amendment the am the amendment has been withdrawn Mr Klein is recognized for the purpose of an amendment thank you Mr chairman I have Amendment at the desk ask to be considered as R uh without objection the gentleman the gentleman's recognized to explain the amendment thank you Mr chairman I'm offering an amendment to this bill to address a critical issue in Child Nutrition and public health the amendment would require the inclusion of peanut containing foods in Wick food packages one and two specifically for the purpose of early introduction or EI of potentially allergenic Foods the change will align with the recommendations in the dietary guidelines for Americans and represents a significant step forward in preventing food allergies early introduction refers to the practice of introducing potentially allergenic foods like peanuts into an infant's diet alongside other nutrient-dense complimentary Foods beginning at four to six months of age this approach allows infants developing immune systems to recognize these Foods as safe thereby lowering the likelihood that they'll develop these food allergies as they at age recent scientific evidence particularly The Landmark leap study has shown that early introduction of peanut containing foods can reduce the risk of developing peanut allergies by up to 86% in high-risk infants despite this compelling evidence the current Wick infant food packages do not include any potentially allerg allergic foods for the purpose of early introduction like peanut butter peanut allergies affect approximately 1.5 million children in the US and their prevalence has more than tripled over a 20-year period these allergies can be lifethreatening and often persist into adulthood causing significant physical emotional and economic burdens for families and our Health Care system as one study has calculated that the annual cost of food allergies to the US economy is approximately $25 billion with the inclusion of this amendment we can utilize a proven and cost-effective method to lower not only the rate of peanut allergy diagnosis but also healthc care spending as well as a member of the Congressional food allergy research caucus I'm glad to offer this amendment and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to uh support it I yield back thank you Mr Bishop has recognized to respond to the amendment thank you thank you Mr chairman I rise in opposition to this amendment uh I acknowledge my colleagues good intentions and I've supported research in this field and support the promotion of early introduction of allergens as the science dictates however the report accompanying the bill already includes language directing the secretary to include recommendations for the early introduction of potentially allergenic Foods the report language is a reasonable step toward the promotion of early introduction without directly dictating the inclusion of specific Foods in the wick food packages many members may not realize but participants have to have a medical finding of need to be in the program and their benefits are specifically tailored to their own situation parenthetically I would note that the wick program prescribes about 1.8 million jars of peanut butter a month of participants if we direct the inclusion of this food even if well-intentioned it puts us on a path for food groups to push for their specific product to the detriment of those who benefit from Wick inserting Congress into these decisions for the wick program will ultimately only get in the way of sound science and the effective application of the program for the benefit of Americans in need I also want to make my colleagues aware of the fact that the national Wick Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics both oppose this amendment I hope to work with response of the amendment moving forward to find an approach that we can all agree upon on this issue um but at this time I respectfully ask my colleagues to oppose this amendment and I yield back thank you Dr Harris is recognized to speak to the amendment thank you very much I rise in full support of this amendment I find it a little intriguing that we just discussed about how people on these programs should actually have some Choice what the gentleman's Amendment does is says look put it in the for in the wick formulary and a mother who stands the latest literature can give it to her infant and for those of you who Fly Southwest Airlines you might wonder like why don't they have peanuts anymore as the gentleman suggested over the past 20 years peanut allergies have tripled in children and within the last two years they discovered that a way to avoid peanut allergies in children is fact just as gentleman suggests give small amounts of the otherwise allergenic substance so that your immune system doesn't recognize it as a foreign as a foreign allergen when you grow older it's exactly what needs to be done now the fact of the matter is is that the experts on this aren't at USDA they're in the health care sector This research wasn't done in USDA that looked at this so I'm not sure I shall I say trust the USDA to get this right this is an urgent issue we will save literally thousands of children from getting a peanut allergy which besides from being inconvenient can be life-threatening this exactly what we need this this amendment is exactly what we need it's well thought out this is the right place to do it I urge adoption of the gentleman's Amendment thank you the general lady from Conneticut Mr Lor recognized to uh address the amendment thank you very much uh Mr chairman um I I rise in opposition of Representative Klein's Amendment but it's it's a well-intentioned Amendment very very well-intentioned um I think the early introduction of allergy issues has really promising science behind it and really would love to have that conversation I don't really think that this is the time and the place to add additional mandates or red tape to the to the wick program um uh I I I I note as the ranking member did that U um a number of the associations who deal with this that the um National Wick Association the Center for Science and the public interest the American Heart Association pediatricians the center for budget and policy priorities have come out in opposition and USDA this spring issued its final rule um updating the wick food package uh it's going to implement evidence-based recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences engineering and Medicine um and it's what they're going to do is um uh really look at what kinds of of of of of uh uh allergens can be uh Incorporated uh in the in the in this process because the report urges the department to include recommendations on early introduction of allergens in the next food package uh review as the ranking member also pointed out the wick also supports peanut Farmers 1.8 million jars of peanut butter each month it's not for infants is where the direction that that you you want want to uh uh uh to go in um and it it would appear that there there are a number of independent based studies which are being reviewed for this effort and I think it merits you know more conversation and to look at uh how this uh this may may be in in Incorporated so I I I think potentially the amendment here would open the door to a flood of additional changes to Wick causing delays or budget issues uh when the program is under more demand than ever you know we had to do a billion dollars for the wick shortfall program in the last in the last bill but I I would encourage my colleague to pursue the idea uh through a number of avenues and would love to do that with you I spent a lot of time on nutrition and food safety issues ETC um uh uh we've got a very successful program do we this junct you want to add more mandates when the the when the rule is under review to see where we were going and not wanting to reinvent the wield at this time so I asked my colleagues uh to oppose Amendment and I yield back um uh uh and again I think it's a very uh well-intentioned U uh um Amendment going forward I just I do have I'm looking at the shot clock uh Mr chair and I thank you for the earlier time and I would just say to my colleague Mr wac if if I'd been uh I I couldn't do it on the last one you spoke about Walmart and I might just say to I wasn't addressing Walmart Walmart Walmart like target has reduced its prices in order to be competitive and allow people the in go I looked up or someone looked up for me there's and I don't know what this operation it's called BOGO but a jar of the mayonnaise is $9.90 I don't make it up I'll show it to you afterwards so you can see it but wmark has worked to reduce uh their costs that I yield back thank you are there other members wishing to address the amendment Mr chairman uh gentleman from Maryland's recognized just briefly I have a granddaughter who has a severe P she's now 20 years of age she almost died at age three um and I agree with the uh the ranking member I think this is a good thing for us to consider it's my understanding that the language in the bill or the report does that um but I am reluctant to vote for this because as I say I almost lost my granddaughter uh she was in the emergency room uh threee times with life-threatening uh episodes of shortness of breath and all that antic shock anaphylactic shock is is a risk so I'm I'm reluctant to vote for that but I I agree with the ranking member I'd like to pursue that and I've heard about this now she's she's still very careful of what she eats and it's not just peanuts it's eggs and some other things as well but I think I'm not going to vote for it but not because I think it's a bad idea but because I don't want to risk it at this point till all of us are really sure and I understand there is still controversy about it but I thank the gentleman for bringing it up it's a real problem which is why airplanes don't you get pretzels now you get pretzels on airp because they're afraid of the liability they may have peanuts it's that sensitive she was at just might be interesting I'm said I was going to be short I'm not she was at Disney World with her parents uh she was four years of age she was walking down the pathway she walked by a popcorn popcorn pis she didn't get any popcorn she didn't didn't touch the popcorn run and about 50 yards later she went into severe uh shortness of breath and so it's that it's that serious but thank you for bringing it up Mr Clyde is recognized to address the amendment thank you um I stand in strong support of this amendment uh if uh introducing U peanut products like peanut butter at an early age is a way to uh significantly limit peanut allergies then I think this is a fantastic idea as someone who comes from a very friendly a very peanut friendly State I think that um I I I I disagree with the the gentleman over here um but I I think it would be um a good thing if uh allergies across the board were reduced and if this can do it then I'm all supp I'm all into to support it I thank you and I yield thank you are there other members wishing to address the amendment seeing none the gentleman's recognized for one minute to close thank the chairman and I thank the ranking member of the full committee and the ranking member of the subcommittee and the gentleman from Maryland for their remarks um I I would agree that uh this is something that deserves further study uh but as the gentle lady indicated the ranking member of the full committee indicated the recently finalized update to the wick infant food packages does not contain any foods for the purpose of EI so um if the federal government is going to spend money on the wick program it would make sense to spend money on Foods uh that will lower the rates of food allergy diagnoses down the line along with healthc care spending so I'd urge my colleagues to support the amendment and I yield back questions now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Virginia all those in favor say I I all those oppos say no no uh the I eyes have it amendment is agreed to Mr Franklin is recognized for the purpose of an amendment Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk and request unanimous consent to disp without objection and the gentleman's recognized to explain the amendment thank you Mr chairman uh my Amendment uh will address a trade issue that has allowed certain foreign producers to skirt trade laws established by Congress uh specifically in this case the amendment we're referring to it as a molasses Amendment but um it appears and allegedly there are some bra Brazilian importers who are evading tariff rate quotas by shipping their goods to Canada and then having them enter Northern ports of Entry uh specifically into Buffalo under the guise of molasses and it's a line item in the tariffs um the day is long the night is is late and um I've got a graph that'll kind of demonstrate a little bit about what we're talking about here but um it's hard to see from across the room but this shows the the level of imports of uh molasses into the into the port of Buffalo going back to 2020 or so if you go back to 20120 there's basically nothing on the graph at all nothing was coming in through Buffalo started to trickle up around 2021 2022 and then suddenly has exploded in 2022 2023 uh what's Happening Here is these sugar producers in Brazil have figured out that if they um if they can convert their raw uh sugar cane to this form of molasses supposedly molasses bring it under under that tariff line uh it's it's um taxed at a tariff that's extremely low almost negligible in fact if you look on the far right side there where we've seen the spike the entire tariff on that amount of um molasses would be about $270,000 the reason that's important is had that come into the country as raw sugar cane and uh treat it and tariff that way it would have produced a tariff of about $15 million converting that into the raw sugar cane that our us producers are having to abide by that'd be about $40 million worth of sugar cane so it's it's it's U placing our producers at a significant disadvantage the concern we have here is not only is it spiking it's continuing to increase the specific company uh in Canada is now requesting of the USDA to start importing into Chicago they found a loophole here they're going to continue to exploit it and if we don't stop it here it's going to continue uh I've got plenty of backup detail to go along with that but there's a reason we have these tariff laws in place