DeLauro Fights For Vote On Funding Job Training, Education, Health Care

Offers Amendment to Include Funding With DefenseAppropriations Bill

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), RankingMember on the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education (Labor-HHS-Education)Appropriations subcommittee today fought for a vote on funding for thoseagencies. She offered an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill thatwould have added funding for those departments to that legislation. Theamendment failed on a party line vote.

"I offered this amendment in order to ensure thatfundamental education, health and labor priorities get a vote. Instead ofsitting idle while the Majority shreds funding for our domestic programs,Congress should be working together to fund both defense and domestic programsadequately. And further, the addition of this amendment would not alterthe defense bill in any way. I believe my colleagues are fully capable oflooking at both our defense and domestic needs simultaneously. This should notbe an either-or conversation.

"Funding the critical programs that protect the publichealth and safety, promote and develop our workforce, and educate the nextgeneration of Americans is just as important as funding our defense. We have aresponsibility to debate them vigorously and that is what I asked my colleaguesto do. This amendment was a bipartisan compromise that was already signed intolaw once, and supported by a majority of the Appropriations Committee. I amdisappointed we are passing up a chance to take that step again."

The amendment would have added funding identical to thefiscal year 2012 law for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,and Education to the Defense Appropriations bill. That funding level haspreviously won the support of an overwhelming majority of the AppropriationsCommittee.

The Labor-HHS-Education funding bill has not been debated bythe House of Representatives since 2009. DeLauro has repeatedly askedAppropriations Committee Chairman Rogers when the Labor-HHS-Education bill willbe brought before the committee and received no answer.

DeLauro also introduced an amendment that was included withthe bill passed by the Appropriations Committee. The provision ensured thatmembers of the military who are victims of sexual assault have access toaccurate records after their service. It requests all branches of the militaryinclude the steps taken to ensure the retention of, and access to, completeevidence and records of sexual assault in the annual report put out by theDepartment of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. They mustalso detail steps taken to ensure the transfer of records to the VeteransAffairs Department.