Motion to Go to Conference on H.R. 3043, Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008

MOTION TO GO TO CONFERENCE ON H.R. 3043, DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - October 31, 2007)

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Ms. DeLAURO. It really is disingenuous when I listen to my colleague from California talk about ammo, armor and equipment from the folks who brought our young men and women into a battle without appropriate ammo, without armor, and without the appropriate equipment that they needed to be able to fight this war from the outset. In fact, it has been the Democratic majority over and over and over again who have increased that funding for our troops in the field.

Let me also say to our distinguished minority leader, and you should not be fooled by the commentary, this issue is about the Labor, Health, Education and Human Services bill. And the folks who are playing games are the minority and the Republicans on that side of the aisle.

This is bill where we know that we will increase funding for veterans health care, offer pay raises for active duty soldiers, provide additional support for military families. Let me just tell you what this President wants to veto: the investment in lifesaving medical research, the investment in increased education funding, and he would like to veto our being able to strengthen job training in this Nation.

Two or three examples, my friends. The President's budget cuts funding for medical research at the National Institutes of Health. He would cut that by $480 million. That is 800 fewer research grants than last year to study deadly diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, leukemia, Parkinson's, heart disease. We rejected that on our side of the aisle. We invest $1 billion above the President's request or roughly the cost of three days in Iraq. That's what the President wants to veto.

Let's take a look at the Centers for Disease Control. When the chairwoman testified before the committee, she said we face as a nation the issue of the daily health challenges: 4 million seniors living with Alzheimer's, 583 women diagnosed with breast cancer every single day, and 176,000 teens who will struggle their entire lives with diabetes. And so if we fail to pass the Labor-HHS appropriation conference report, we cut that CDC budget by $475 million. The President wants to veto that $475 million for those efforts.

Let's take a look at what he said last month, that is the President: ``Don't go backwards when it comes to educational excellence. We have come too far to turn back.'' Yet he will recall millions in Perkins loans funds and cut the special education program by $291 million. Going backwards is exactly what he is proposing to do.

We invest $5.9 billion in education, the cost of just 18 days in Iraq. What will we do with it? We will benefit 8.5 million students to prepare our Nation for the 21st century economy.

Let's talk about the President last week. An additional $42 billion from Congress for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that will in the next decade cost $2.4 trillion, or $8,000 per man, woman and child. Let's fight for people, not dollars, and the people of this Nation understand that.

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