DeLauro Comments on President’s Proposed Budget

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)--Senior Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for funding the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education--issued the following statement today in response to President Obama’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2015.

“This budget proposal shows the President is serious about tackling the challenges he outlined in the State of the Union: ending the scourge of stagnant wages and ensuring every American has the chance to succeed. I am particularly glad to see investments in early childhood education and job training, two key parts of the Women’s Economic Agenda I have championed. And the President has once again proposed a National Infrastructure Bank, a public-private partnership that would create jobs and bolster the economy. I have introduced legislation that would establish such a Bank and I urge Republican leadership to give it an up or down vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.

“However I am disappointed that the President is proposing we cut the Food Service and Inspection Service (FSIS)’s budget, particularly as it is already underfunded and has a crucial role protecting public health. FSIS has serious structural problems and moving to a system where we have fewer inspectors and more strained resources is not the answer. The President proposed establishing necessary user fees to pay for food safety inspections done by the Food and Drug Administration—that is the direction we should be going in at FSIS as well.

“The President’s budget once again proposes deep cuts to the program that helps low-income families heat their homes, which is a vital lifeline for vulnerable families during the winter. I am also disappointed that his budget does not fully restore the indiscriminate, deeply harmful sequestration cuts to the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mental health services, Community Services Block Grant, Impact Aid, or programs that aid low-income schools and education for disabled children.

“I hope we can avoid the budget stand-offs that have become the norm and pass individual funding bills that put America on a strong path forward. That means debating and bringing to the House floor a bill funding the departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services. It is long past time to end the political brinksmanship and do what is right for the American people.”