DeLauro: Funding Plan Would “Cause Incalculable Damage”

Would Deeply Harm Public Health and Safety, EconomicGrowth

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro took to the Housefloor today to decry the House Majority's insistence on cutting funding fromcritically important programs like Head Start and Meals on Wheels. She alsocalled on her colleagues to pass a responsible funding blueprint that ends thedeeply harmful, indiscriminate sequestration cuts.

As Ranking Democrat on the subcommittee responsible forfunding the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, sheis particularly concerned about the impact the Republican plan would have onour health care, worker training and safety, and educating the next generationof Americans. The following remarks are as prepared for delivery:

"I rise in strong opposition to this Rule, which aims toapprove the House Majority's inadequate appropriations allocation level for2014. A level that is over $90 billion below that of the Senate and thePresident. And it violates the agreement that we all voted on, the BudgetControl Act, to increase that funding above the number that they present to ustoday.

"The budget reflects our values, our priorities, and ourresponsibilities to the people that we represent. It is our job to make surethat is the case. And yet, for the third time in three years, this House Majorityhas put forward a reckless and ideological funding level that ensures that ourgovernment cannot meet even its most basic responsibilities to the Americanpeople.

"Under the House Majority's plan, we will see cuts that aredeeper than the indiscriminate across the board cuts already in place. Thefunding for Labor-Health and Human Services-Education committee is drasticallycut and this Rule accepts those cuts for this year, and then multiplies that byfour in 2014. What are those cuts? Where do they fall?

"If enacted, the wrong choices will cause incalculabledamage. They severely weaken these critical programs that protect public healthand safety; that promote and develop our workforce; and train and education thenext generation of Americans, like Pell Grants. Programs that affect us everyday like Meals on Wheels and special education, and biomedical research, whichallows people to live. Allows people to live. It affects our seniors, ourveterans, our middle class and our most vulnerable families.

"I, along with Congressman Van Hollen, and others haveoffered legislation that cuts $30 billion from the federal deficit and replacesthe deep and indiscriminate cuts in place for the next two years with a morebalanced and targeted approach. That is the direction we should be moving in,keeping up with our fundamental responsibilities to the families who elected usto stand up for them.

"Rather than going down this path, the House Majority shouldappoint budget conferees, and do its job, negotiate with theSenate.

"Our Appropriations Chairman claims to want to undosequestration, yet rather than showing leadership, the House Majority fails toaddress the sequester and creates conditions for yet another budget crisis downthe road. We hear so much talk from this Majority about regular order.What does that mean? It means we should be working out our differences with theSenate so we can send a bill to the President for him to sign. There's noregular order here; it is autocracy.

"No more games. I urge all of my colleagues to vote againstthis disastrous funding level. Let's work together to fix the sequester and getback on the path to economic growth. This must be our top priority, and thisHouse of Representatives needs to show the American people that it can lead."