Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chairman, I want to begin by thanking the chairman of the full committee, the ranking member of the full committee, certainly the ranking member of the subcommittee, and the staff for the tremendous assistance they provided in putting together this rather large and complex piece of legislation.

It is fair to note for the record that the allocation we received of $156 billion is $5 billion less than we had last year. While our lower allocation this year forced us to make some difficult decisions, I want to remind my colleagues that the cuts we are making today amount to barely 3 percent of what we spent last year and is essentially what we spent in fiscal year 2016.

The bill before us today focuses on key national priorities: investing in biomedical research to find cures for diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer; ensuring our country is fully prepared and able to protect our citizens from disease outbreaks or bioterrorism; continuing to support early childhood education, particularly for those at risk; helping first-generation college students prepare for, access, and complete a postsecondary education; and continuing to support people living with disabilities.

The bill also preserves funds for popular programs like career and technical education, support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, programs to help Native Americans, the AmeriCorps program, LIHEAP, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The National Institutes of Health, our Nation's premier biomedical research agency, is funded at $1.1 billion above last year. NIH is working to find cures for Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and develop the next generation of medical treatment through the use of precision medicine techniques.

We need to continue to build upon the $2 billion increase provided in the omnibus last year. I view this proposal as a floor, not a ceiling, for biomedical research funding. I am hopeful that this number can increase as the process moves forward.

Biodefense and preparedness programs, including new funding to prevent a pandemic flu from occurring, are increased across the bill.

We are all aware of the terrible toll prescription drugs and opioid abuse is taking on our Nation. I am proud to say this bill includes another $500 million to continue comprehensive grant programs to enable States, localities, and tribes to develop anti-opioid initiatives focused on prevention, education, and treatment and recovery services.

Head Start receives a $22 million increase in this bill. Preschool programs are continued at $250 million. Childcare programs receive a $4 million increase. Special education programs for students with disabilities are increased by $200 million, which will help local school districts ease the financial burden of providing specialized educational services. TRIO and GEAR UP, which help disadvantaged students prepare for and complete college, receive increases of $60 million and $10 million, respectively, over last year.

The bill also includes $500 million for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program. These funds can be used flexibly by school districts across the country, whether the need is in the area of counseling, computer science instruction, or teacher training and arts programming.

Pell grants are maintained at a maximum of $5,920.

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I will also note that this is an initial allocation and the beginning of the congressional funding process. As always, I look forward to working with our counterparts in the Senate and my friends across the aisle to see if there are additional areas where we can cooperate.

Finally, I want to note that the bill protects human life by continuing longstanding prohibitions against Federal tax dollars being used to pay for abortions, including new provisions to ensure that no tax dollars are used for research on human fetal tissue obtained by an abortion.

This bill represents a balanced approach that will benefit every American and maintain the appropriate stewardship of taxpayer dollars that we have been entrusted with as Members of Congress.

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I thank my colleague from Minnesota for speaking about the importance of this program in her district. I agree that Community Services Block Grant provides important services to help people escape poverty. The program has broad bipartisan support.

As the gentlewoman knows, several challenging decisions have to be made to meet overall spending priorities and allocation. I take to heart the concern expressed by the gentlewoman and, as we move forward, I will work to ensure funding for the Community Services Block Grant reflects the priority of our Members.

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I thank my colleague from South Carolina for raising this important question. I agree that the National Emergency Grant program is an important bipartisan program to train workers and help them find new careers.

Current year funds for the Dislocated Workers National Reserve are increased by $109 million and advance appropriations for fiscal year 2019 are eliminated, for a total of $130 million. Within that total, the National Emergency Grant program is approximately $70 million each year.

It is expected that, after fully funding the National Emergency Grants, the Department of Labor will use additional funds from the Dislocated Workers National Reserve for other authorized purposes, such as technical assistance and grants to help workers dislocated from the coal industry find new employment.

So the short answer to the question is, yes, the National Emergency Grant program is fully funded in this bill.

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