Relating to Consideration of the Senate Amendment to H.R. Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman, not only a member of the Rules Committee, but an appropriator who is directly in line with and understands the needs of not only the American people as it relates to the NIH, but also the funding mechanisms.

Mr. Speaker, I stand up to really disagree with the gentlewoman from California. To call my party and our efforts reckless and irresponsible, I believe, is unfair.

I believe it is unfair because, last night at the Rules Committee, we had this virtually same discussion. And the discussion started with me when I said that I had Republicans and Democrats, only Monday, with the Director of NIH, Dr. Francis Collins, and the Director of the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and we talked directly about this issue.

What we learned, Mr. Speaker, is that there was a request for additional money and that the NIH had some $600 million that was sitting in a fund from Ebola that had not been completely used. A determination was made--including the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), Hal Rogers, and Nita Lowey, who were engaged in the decision-- that said we will allow the money to be switched over if you would like to do that. Switch it over and use that money for this specific event that we are now looking at. What happened is they used the money very quickly. They accelerated spending the money--that is fine; we want them to do what they need to do--some $600 million.

As soon as that was known, the gentlewoman Mrs. Lowey, the gentleman Mr. Rogers, and the gentleman Mr. Cole went about looking at a request to fill for the next 5 months what would be some $1.2 billion that would be spent just this year remaining--we are in May--just until the end of September.

The President asked for $1.9 billion for 5 years, and we gave $1.2 billion of that $1.9 for 5 months. We are accelerating the money that is necessary to NIH.

The minority leader outlined how terrible this destructive behavior can be to a child, to an embryo. We agree. But to suggest that Republicans are reckless is not fair.

What is fair to say is that we are responding appropriately, we are responding immediately, and we are putting it together before we are gone next week on a district work period. We are doing it this week. We are moving it as quickly as possibly. If we weren't, we would be accused of the reverse, evidently.

Mr. Speaker, the Republican Party, the gentleman Mr. Cole, the gentleman Mr. Rogers, and our Speaker care about people. We are doing the right thing.

Now, in the Rules Committee, the gentleman Dr. Michael Burgess, acknowledged some other frailties that he sees from the administration's point, and that would be: Where is the alert to cities? Where is the administrative action to say let's do something about alerting travelers? Where is the information that is going to public health officials? Where are we preparing ourselves to look at what would happen in Brazil? What is the administration doing other than just accusing us of not spending more money?

Mr. Speaker, we all live in glass houses. We need to look at this the same way, and calling each other names is not a way to get there.

So, Mr. Cole will be responsible and reasonable; Hal Rogers, the chairman of our Appropriations Committee, will responsible. I said to my committee last night, as quickly as we need to get together, the Rules Committee will come in, even if it is on an emergency basis, to handle this, based upon a request. And that is what we are going to do.

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