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 -- (Extensions of Remarks - June 30, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. TOM UDALL
OF NEW MEXICO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2005

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3010) making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes:

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to state for the record, that although I will not be able to vote on final passage of H.R. 3010, I oppose this bill. As many of you are well aware because of actions recommended in your own districts, the BRAC Commission is in the process of holding regional hearings throughout the country. They are holding a hearing on closure of Cannon Air Force Base, located in my district, tomorrow, Friday June 24th, and I will be in attendance with the entire New Mexico delegation to show our support for keeping Cannon open.

With that said Mr. Chairman, I do appreciate the difficult constraints under which Mr. REGULA and Mr. OBEY had to work in crafting this important spending bill, and I certainly commend them for the work. Unfortunately, because this appropriations bill implements the budget resolution that I opposed, but that Congress passed, it does not give enough funding for many important services of the Federal Government. Services that have real implications for real people throughout New Mexico and the Nation.

As Mr. OBEY pointed out in his opening remarks, last year's Labor/H bill funded the programs at $3.5 billion above the previous year. This year, however, on a program-to-program basis, the bill cuts $1.6 billion. Programs such as the Community Access Program, which received $83 million last year, are devastated in this year's bill. The Community Access Program has been utilized by several organizations in New Mexico to provide better integrated systems of care for uninsured and underinsured, but receives no funding under H.R. 3010.

Also, H.R. 3010 cuts funding for rural health care and emergency medical services by $44 million, or 41 percent. That does not take into account the cuts to the Health Professions Training Program, which is also an important program for rural and underserved areas in New Mexico. The Health Professions program encourages new medical and dental school graduates to choose primary care specialties and to practice in rural and urban under-served areas. H.R. 3010 cuts funding for this program by $252 million, or by 84 percent.

Another program that I believe is of great importance is the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant. Earlier this year I sent a letter, joined by 70 of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle, urging the appropriations committee to provide funding for this program. The President unfortunately requested zero funding for it in his budget request, so I am pleased that the Chairman and Ranking Member included $100 million in H.R. 3010. I do hope, however, that the Senate will provide a greater level of funding that will be ultimately retained in the conference report.

I also would like to highlight, as many others have done today, the $100 million cut to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This figure represents a 25 percent cut over FY05 levels for CPB, and I hope that Mr. Obey's amendment to restore this funding passes. Again, though I will not be able to vote on this amendment, I strongly support its passage.

I also support the amendment that will be offered by Mr. Miller to deny funds in H.R. 3010 for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). The PBGC just today published official notice in the Washington Post that it would be terminating the pension plan of United Airlines Flight Attendants next week. This termination-and the terminations of the rest of the United Airlines pension plans for pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, public contact employees and others-is unfair. It is the result of a backroom deal struck between the PBGC and United Airlines to terminate the company's pension plans and dump the liabilities onto the PBGC. The PBGC should not be allowed to go forward with this plan, and the Miller amendment will ensure that it does not.

Mr. Chairman, I have just highlighted a few of the issues important to my constituents and me. I did not touch on the key education programs that are shortchanged under H.R. 3010, nor did I address the worker training, labor, and human services programs that are shortchanged under this legislation. The list is too lengthy for me to do so. What it does all add up to, however, is a bill that does not represent the values of me, or my constituents. And for that reason, were I to be here tomorrow, I would vote "no" on final passage of H.R. 3010.

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