DeLauro Statement on the President’s FY 2017 Budget
WASHINGTON, DC (February 9, 2016) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement regarding the President’s FY 2017 budget.
“The President’s FY 2017 budget makes investments in many areas that will move our country forward. From strengthening the middle class with investments in job training, to funding infrastructure, the President’s budget expands opportunity for Americans. I applaud the President for making a strong investment in early childhood education, which is essential to building the future of our country and our economy. The President has also made a commitment to expanding the summer meals program, which has the potential to reach 20 million low-income children and ensure their access to nutritional meals during the summer when school is out of session.
“The choices we make in allocating resources have consequences for the health and well-being of all Americans.
“While the budget expands some programs, it also makes cuts to critical programs that serve millions of hardworking low and middle income Americans. We cannot cut funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps keep the heat on for seniors and families. And we cannot cut discretionary funding for community health centers or the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program, which bring health care within reach for many Americans. The budget also cuts funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is our first line of defense for preventing the spread of life-threatening diseases.
“With the Trans-Pacific Partnership under consideration, we must have the resources to enforce the trade agreement with countries that do not engage in fair trade and this budget does not come close to the level of funding needed. Despite labor and environmental standards in current trade agreements with developing countries, our trading partners have consistently failed to live up to their end of the deal, and we have done almost nothing to ensure their compliance while they drain jobs and suppress wages in the U.S. In the face of our failure to enforce the rules in the existing agreements, TPP will only exacerbate the problem and by underfunding trade enforcement, we are shortchanging the American worker.
“While there is a modest overall increase in funding for NIH, the budget cuts discretionary funding by $1 billion, with no guarantee that Congress will provide the mandatory funding. I am also disappointed with the divestment in HIV/AIDS research, which has historically received 10 percent of NIH funding. We have made enormous strides in HIV/AIDS research and now is not the time to hold back. We have the opportunity to help end an epidemic that is crippling a continent and affecting over a million Americans. The job is not yet done and we must recommit ourselves to ending this global health crisis.
“This year’s budget allocates an additional $25 million for implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act, but full implementation would cost ten times as much. With the Food and Drug Administration taking FSMA from regulation to implementation, and the ever increasing cases of Salmonella, Norovirus, and other food-borne illnesses affecting American consumers each year, it is absolutely vital that we fully fund these necessary food safety programs. Americans deserve to know that the food they eat is safe and we must ensure that our food safety agencies and inspectors have the resources they need.
DeLauro is the senior Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for funding the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.
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