Skip to main content

DeLauro Statement on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill

June 14, 2018

WASHINGTON, DC (June 14, 2018) Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement regarding the FY2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill, which was released ahead of the subcommittee mark-up.

"Today's funding bill shortchanges workers, students, families, and everyone in between. On the heels of an overwhelmingly bipartisan spending agreement reached last year, the Republican majority has decided that programs that help people across the country with the rising costs of health care, stagnant wages, job training, and school safety do not deserve adequate funding. The Republican majority also cut critical programs that support seniors, many of whom are having a tough time making ends meet. Our constituents should get their fair share of funding increases. When you do the math, that comes out to about $5.5 billion in additional funding. Instead, the people's bill got nothing. Zero."

"To add insult to injury, there are an abundance of poison pills in this bill. Yet again, the majority is trying to block funding for the Affordable Care Act. They also want to eliminate and block funding for family planning, teen pregnancy prevention, and abortion coverage. The bill even tries to block funding for the World Health Organization's cancer agency—the International Agency for Research on Cancer—because that agency has released scientific research showing that glyphosate, the active ingredient in some Monsanto products, is probably carcinogenic. That is outrageous. Corporations should never be allowed to sabotage science through the appropriations process. We must drain the swamp—and we should not be playing ideological games with people's health."

"Earlier this year, in March, we passed a great Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education funding bill. It was bipartisan, and Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle were justifiably proud. We made smart investments in biomedical research, opioid treatment, public health, emergency preparedness, child care and early childhood education, higher education, job training, and much more. I was proud to vote for that bill. We should be doing that again—and our committee has the power to make those investments again this year. This bill unfortunately misses the mark."