Further Conference Report on H.R. 3010, Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006

FURTHER CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 3010, DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006 -- (Extensions of Remarks - December 17, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN
OF MARYLAND
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2005

* Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the fiscal year 2006 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations Conference Report. I was dismayed to hear my friend, the Chairman of the Subcommittee, state that this bill ``more than any other, illustrates the compassion of the American people.'' But the American people did not produce this bill, and, judging from the hundreds of calls and letters to my office, they do not support its provisions.

* Across the board, in nearly every area of importance to American families, our citizens are shortchanged by this bill. The Labor-HHS-Education bill is often the most contentious appropriations measure to move through Congress. This is because the programs it funds affect the health, the quality of life, indeed the future of every American. This year, the original version of the conference report was deemed so harmful that it was rejected once already on November 17. Today, the authors of this bill have returned it to the floor with a few cosmetic changes designed only to secure enough votes to squeak the bill through. But this so-called ``new and improved version'' will be no less objectionable to the sensibilities of the American people and certainly no less harmful to American families.

* This legislation sends a clear message to the American people: for educational opportunity, for food assistance to elderly Americans, for help with heating bills next winter, for access to quality health care, for advances in medical research: do not look to this Congress for help.

* The majority says it cares about families, about better education, about improved health care, about a productive workforce, about economic opportunity. But it has produced a bill that cuts the bootstraps of middle class families trying to stay afloat and aspiring families who are reaching for the American dream.

* Overall, this bill cuts $1.5 billion from last year's funding levels. Let us examine what effect these cuts will have on our Nation.

* A strong and productive workforce is key to our Nation's future. According to the Department of Labor, nearly 8 million Americans and 120,000 Marylanders are unemployed. But this Congress is poised to slash more than $400 million from job training and employment services funding.

* It will also cut State unemployment insurance and employment service offices by $245 million, and assistance for approximately 1.9 million people will be jeopardized.

* This bill also cuts by $250 million the Community College Initiative, which is President Bush's initiative to help community colleges train prospective workers for high-skill jobs. The conference report cuts funding for that effort by $125 million and rescinds $125 million from fiscal year 2005 funds.

* A healthy America is key to our Nation's future. We have more than 45 million Americans without health insurance. Many of them rely on networks of community health centers to receive much needed care. I was encouraged by the President's initiative to increase the number of community health centers around the country, but the conference report provides $238 million less than the President's request. The Republican leadership supports this conference report, despite the fact that this House passed in July a resolution stating that community health centers are ``vital to the nation's communities.'' Surely, the dedicated workers at our health centers will find the words of that resolution hollow if this conference report is passed. This conference report cuts health care access for underserved areas of the country. It eliminates the community access program, which provides lifesaving and life-enhancing health care to many regions that lack a sufficient number of health care facilities.

* This bill cuts title VII health professions programs by 69 percent and it eradicates several programs entirely. This is particularly outrageous coming from a Congress that claims to want to end health disparities. Johns Hopkins Institutions in my home town of Baltimore receive more than $2.5 million in funding for title VII grants. These programs serve different spheres of the health care system, from the Schools of Nursing, Public Health and Medicine. All of this funding is jeopardized by the bill before us today.

* The National Institutes of Health is headquartered in my home State of Maryland. Over the past year, I have met with dozens of representatives from patient groups. They are aware that the President's budget for fiscal year 2006 proposed the smallest increase for NIH in 36 years. The paltry increase in this bill does not even keep pace with inflation. What does it mean in real terms? Not only will we not be able to increase our efforts to fight diabetes, HIV/AIDS, cancer, brain injury, Alzheimer's and other pernicious diseases, we will actually see a reduction in the number of grants and the number of research projects funded by NIH.

* Improvements in education are key to our Nation's future. This Congress speaks often about the need to hold our schools accountable, yet this conference takes away the funding our school districts need to improve students' achievement levels.

* Title I funding for low-income children are given a 0.8 percent increase--the smallest increase in 8 years, and only a fraction of the increase requested by the President. Special education grants receive a 0.9 percent increase--the smallest increase in 10 years.

* We talk a lot about the need to increase education technology, yet this conference report cuts that funding by nearly half. We speak of the need to protect our children from violence and illegal drugs, but this bill cuts Safe and Drug-Free Schools by one-fifth, and provides no increase for after-school programs for the fourth consecutive year.

* Everyone in this House can agree that the cost of higher education is soaring, but this conference report fails to provide any increase whatsoever for Pell grants, without which so many college students could not continue their education. President Bush proposed a $100 increase, the House passed a $50 increase, but the conferees did not even provide that. Instead, they froze the maximum Pell grant amount at $4,050 for the fourth consecutive year.

* Finally, our goodness as a nation is measured by how we treat the most vulnerable Americans. If we are to truly be a great nation, we must care for those who are less able to care for themselves. It is disappointing that this conference report slashes funding for the Social Security Administration, which is entrusted with processing disability claims for millions of Americans. In my district, the Third Congressional District of Maryland, I represent many employees of the Social Security Administration. They are hardworking, dedicated staffers, but they can only do so much without adequate funding for personnel and technological support. In the Ways and Means Committee, we have had several hearings about the backlogs of cases at SSA, and Commissioner Barnhart has sought congressional assistance in bringing her processing systems up to date. Unfortunately, this bill will not make SSA employees' jobs any easier nor will it help reduce the backlog of pending cases. In fact, the backlogs will get worse. The House failed to provide the President's request, it provides even less than the House- or Senate-passed bills.

* Some of my colleagues have defended these cuts as necessary to restore fiscal discipline to our budget. When combined with a planned 1 percent across-the-board cut, this bill will save approximately $3 billion over last year's spending, and $15 billion over the next 5 years. But at the same time, the congressional leadership is advancing an agenda of tax cuts that exceed $70 billion. They are asking us to believe that it is necessary to eliminate programs and inflict pain on American families, but they are doing this not to balance the budget, but to make room for tax cuts.

* Mr. Speaker, when this House defeated the Labor-HHS bill prior to the Thanksgiving recess, it was because a majority of this House believed that it would jeopardize vital services for millions of Americans. The revisions in today's conference report are minimal and keep us on the same track toward wiping out key safety net programs. Therefore, I rise again in opposition to this conference report and urge my colleagues to do the same.

http://thomas.loc.gov