Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006 -- (House of Representatives - November 17, 2005)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong opposition to the ill-conceived Conference Report for H.R. 3010, the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill for fiscal year 2006.

This bill is flawed in so many ways and is a disservice to the American people. It is the latest move in the steady drumbeat of a Republican legislative agenda that makes working and middle class Americans pay for the tax cuts that benefit the ultra-wealthiest Americans. And it comes at a time when we are confronting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the huge costs of waging the ongoing war in Iraq.

Overall, this conference report cuts education, health care, and human services by $1.5 billion below what was spent on these efforts last year. Meanwhile, Republicans plan to spend $11 billion this week on a capital gains and dividend income tax cut that will provide 53 percent of its benefit to people making more than $1 million. Overall, Republicans will spend more on tax cuts this week alone, $70 billion, than on both the Department of Education and the Department of Labor, $68 billion, for an entire year.

These are just a few victims of the Republican bill.

No Child Left Behind funding is cut by $784 million, the first time NCLB will have been cut since the law was enacted. Title I, which is the core of NCLB's efforts to improve reading and math skills, receives the smallest increase in 8 years--only $100 million--which means 3.1 million low-income children will be left behind.

The maximum Pell grant is frozen for the fourth straight year, and no new funding is provided for all other student financial aid and support programs, even though college costs have increased by $3,095, 34 percent, since 2001.

Consumers are expected to pay 46 percent more for natural gas and 28 percent more for home heating oil this winter, yet Republicans refused to increase funding for

LIHEAP home heating assistance, which helps keep the heat on for low-income seniors and children.

Nearly 46 million Americans are without health insurance yet Republicans provide virtually no funding for new Community Health Centers beyond those approved last year. Republicans also eliminate the Healthy Communities Access Program, $83 million, and state planning grants to improve health care coverage, $11 million.

The conference agreement does not include the $8.1 billion in emergency funding provided in the Senate bill for pandemic flu preparedness, or any part of the $7.1 billion requested by the administration for that purpose.

The conference agreement freezes or cuts most programs below their FY 2005 levels, including the following:

International assistance grants to eradicate child labor and protect worker rights through the Bureau of International Labor Affairs are cut by 21.4 percent.

Community college training grants are cut by 50 percent in each of FY 2005 and FY 2006.

Unemployment insurance and employment service offices to help the unemployed are cut by 6.7 percent.

Health professions training grants are cut by 69 percent.

The Healthy Communities Access Program is eliminated.

The Centers for Disease Control is cut by 3.9 percent.

Comprehensive school reform state grants are eliminated.

Even Start family literacy services are cut by 55.6 percent.

Education technology grants are cut by 44.6 percent.

The education block grant for local initiatives is cut by 49.6 percent.

Safe and drug free schools grants are cut by 20 percent.

Under the conference agreement, only a few programs receive modest increases over FY 2005 and--in most cases--even these increases are below the amounts sought by the administration. While the conference agreement restores many of the 50 programs proposed for termination in the House bill, these restorations were made at the expense of funding for priority programs, such as community health services, Title 1 grants for low-income children, and special education grants, and Pell grants.

NIH receives a mere 0.7 percent increase--this does not even keep pace with inflation and does not meet our health research needs.

Title 1 grants for low-income children receive a 0.8 percent increase--the smallest increase in 8 years.

Special education grants receive a 0.9 percent increase--the smallest increase in a decade.

The maximum Pell grant is frozen at $4,050 for the fourth consecutive year compared to the $4,100 provided in the House bill.

Mr. Speaker, the simple truth is that the bill cuts essential health and education programs to pay for ill-conceived tax cuts. I do not believe this bill reflects the priorities and values of the American people. I urge my colleagues to vote against it.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

http://thomas.loc.gov