Moment of Silence in Rememberance of Members of Armed Forces and Their Families
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Connecticut is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. DeLAURO. I rise in opposition to the Kline amendment, which would prevent the Department of Education from moving forward on a rule that would deny Federal financial aid to career education programs that leave students in too much debt and without gainful employment.
The new gainful employment rule will hold career education employment programs responsible through a simple proposition: A career education program should only receive Federal financial assistance if, upon graduation, students can earn enough money to pay off the debt that they accrue. In short, a program is worth the Federal investment only if the price of the education is justified by its outcome. Isn't this exactly what responsible budgeting is all about?
This rule would apply to both for-profit and nonprofit colleges, but the for-profit sector has mounted an aggressive lobbying campaign in opposition. Why? The average tuition in a for-profit college is several times greater than at a community college. For-profit college students account for only 10 to 12 percent of college students, but they receive 23 percent of all Federal student loans and grants. Graduation rates at for-profit colleges are at or below 50 percent while their profit margins are as high as 30 percent. Twenty-five percent of for-profit school students default on their loans after 3 years.
If we are going to build the workforce of the future, we need to increase the number of Americans with college degrees. But students should not have to mortgage their futures to pay for college, and they should be secure in knowing that when they graduate, they will have a degree or a credential that will help them to secure a job and to repay their student loans. Leaving college without a credential or with one that is of little value in the job market can leave students unable to climb out of debt. And that is what happens to far too many students who have been taken in by the aggressive marketing tactics of for-profit colleges.
Why would any college contest the idea that an education should be worth its price tag? Colleges are in a business to educate students, not simply to take their money.
This rule will protect both students and taxpayers. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.
I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Connecticut is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. DeLAURO. We were told by our Republican colleagues that they were here to create jobs, to turn the economy around, and to reduce the deficit, but here they go again--spending time on an extreme, divisive social agenda.
Mr. Chairman, in a breathtaking and radical step, the Republican majority has already proposed to eliminate title X funding, which has connected millions of American women to health care since 1970. Now this amendment by the Congressman from Indiana continues the same pattern of contempt for women's health and basic rights. With this amendment, my colleague is trying to specifically exclude one provider of legal health services, Planned Parenthood, from Federal funds. This amendment has nothing to do with the deficit. It is an attack by one Congressman on one organization, and it needlessly puts the lives of American women in danger.
Planned Parenthood carries out millions of preventative and primary care services every year. This includes immunizations and routine gynecological exams. This includes nearly 1 million screenings for cervical cancer, identifying more than 90,000 women who are at risk for cervical cancer. Every year, cervical cancer kills 4,000 women. If you can identify the risk early on, then you can save a woman's life. Planned Parenthood cares for more than 3 million American men and women every year.
In my State of Connecticut, more than 62,000 men and women benefit from health care at Planned Parenthood clinics. Over 70 percent of those patients have a family income of less than $16,245 a year. In other words, this is the only way they can afford care. In fact, 6 of every 10 women who seek care at a title X-funded center like Planned Parenthood consider it their main source of medical care.
The vital preventative care and family planning services supported by title X save money and save lives. For every dollar invested in title X, taxpayers save just under $4. But under the guise of budget cutting, the new majority is launching an assault on title X and endangering women's health. Understand their purpose. Understand it clearly: to impose their traditional view of a woman's role.
This legislation is not about the Federal funding of abortion. Federal funds, including title X, are already banned from going towards abortion services under the Hyde amendment. Rather, much like the repeal of health care reform, this is part of a Republican agenda to force women back into traditional roles with limited opportunities.
This amendment will cause more than 3 million people to lose access to basic primary and preventative health care. I am a cancer survivor. I am a cancer survivor who is only here because my cancer was found at stage 1. I can tell you that losing access to screening will cost lives and will kill women in this country.
It comes down to this: The proposals to eliminate title X and to defund Planned Parenthood are bad policies that hurt women and do nothing for our economy. In fact, it costs money.
This Republican Congress is trying to turn back the clock on women's health and to turn back the clock on women's basic rights. They are taking us back to a day when family planning was not a given opportunity for women. Instead of making it harder for women to get health care, we should be standing up for these vital services. I encourage and urge my colleagues to defeat this amendment.
I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source