Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2017

Floor Speech

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Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of Grayson Amendment Number 12.

This amendment would finally remove a longstanding, harmful appropriations rider that deprives federal employees of coverage for the full range of reproductive health care.

As co-chair of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, I'm routinely dismayed by the repeated inclusion in legislation of divisive riders that interfere with women's health care decisions. Why must important bills that get the people's business done be misused by politicians to limit women's reproductive rights and choices?

For too long, Congress has interfered with women's health decisions through bans on insurance coverage for reproductive health care. I applaud Mr. Grayson for taking action to lift these unnecessary and harmful restrictions in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. However, these restrictions exist in many other places throughout federal law. We should do away with them all.

Every single year, my Republican colleagues feel the need to include provisions attacking women's health in the Financial Services Appropriations bill. This year is no exception. As usual this year's bill is riddled with such provisions.

But this time, Republicans have taken it one step further. An amendment filed by Rep. Palmer has also been made in order on this appropriations bill.

Mr. Palmer's amendment would prohibit Washington, DC from enforcing the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act, which the city enacted to help protect women and their families from employment discrimination based on reproductive health choices.

Preventing DC from enforcing this law is egregious. It is beyond inappropriate for Congress to strike down state laws that help protect women from employment discrimination based on choices such as using birth control, undergoing in vitro fertilization, or having an abortion.

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