DELAURO: AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS BILL IS A DISASTER FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement after the passage of the FY2012 Agriculture and FDA Appropriations bill by the House of Representatives.

"I was proud to vote against this disastrous bill today, which I believe is a failure of Congress's responsibility to the American people.

"The Women with Infant Children (WIC) program, which provides nutrition assistance for low-income pregnant women, mothers, and their young children, has been gutted by over $650 million and other nutrition programs for seniors and those in need are woefully underfunded. Funding for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is drastically cut by more than $280 million, putting the health and safety of American families at risk. The Commodity Futures Trade Commission (CFTC), which seeks to protect American consumers and curb the excessive Wall Street speculation that drives up gas prices, is also gutted by this bill – funded $136 million below the President's request.

"The Agriculture and FDA Appropriations bill makes clear the choices my Republican colleagues have made. They have chosen to preserve the billions of dollars in subsidies to oil companies and tax breaks to the wealthy we pay each year, while cutting programs and services critical to the well-being and health of millions of Americans. This bill places the greatest burden on the middle class and on families, it is unconscionable to me."