Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (116th Congress)

As the Republican Leader of the Appropriations Committee, I oppose H.R. 7617, the second package of fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills to be considered by the House.

My concerns today will sound very familiar. I had many of the same objections when I spoke on the House floor last week about the first package of appropriations bills.

I regret that I again oppose a very important piece of legislation.

This bill supports –

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I want to thank Chairwoman Delauro and Ranking Member Cole for their work on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill that the Committee is considering today.

The bill continues to fund important programs that improve public health, and it sustains research into diseases such as cancer and Alzheimers disease. Funds are also included to defend the nation against biological threats.

Investments in education are essential for our country to remain competitive with the rest of the world, and I appreciate the funding this bill provides for this purpose.

I also want to thank Chairwoman Delauro and Chairwoman Lowey for including long‑standing language that protects life.

However, there are several provisions that raise concern, and unfortunately, these will make it impossible for me to support the bill in its current form.

Madam Chair, thank you for yielding.

I rise in opposition to the subcommittee allocations because they do not give a complete picture of all of the spending in these appropriations bills.

Instead of working with us to develop bills consistent with the budget agreement that was reached last year, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have unilaterally decided to include hundreds of billions of dollars in so-called "emergency" spending for things that really are not emergencies.

• Almost $200 billion dollars for infrastructure;
• Nearly $35 billion dollars to respond to the coronavirus on top of the trillions already appropriated; and
• $12.5 billion for veterans, even though it was known last year that these costs would rise.

In total, there is more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in additional deficit spending not included in these allocations.

Chairwoman Delauro, thank you for presenting the fiscal year 2021 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill today.

I also want to thank the Vice Ranking Member of the full committee, Mr. Cole. I appreciate his leadership on the Committee and on this subcommittee to try to find common ground on difficult issues.

As a result of your work together, this bill funds priorities and concerns of Members on both sides of the aisle and does many good things for the American people.

The bill continues to fund important programs that improve public health, and it sustains research into diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Funds are also included to defend the nation against biological threats.

Investments in education are essential for our country to remain competitive with the rest of the world, and I appreciate the funding this bill provides for this purpose.