Providing for Consideration of H.R. Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Mr. MORELLE. Madam Speaker, I thank my dear friend, the chair of the Rules Committee, who not only leads us every day in the committee but, I think, deserves high praise for his inspired leadership on the question of hunger.

I have been privileged to be in a number of hearings that he has held, and I know we are making a difference in the appropriations bills before us, so I thank him for his continued leadership in that regard.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule.

It is said that budgets are a statement of values. With this year's appropriations package, we are making our priorities crystal clear: uplifting working families and building a strong economic future for all Americans.

This is arguably one of the most important funding bills in many years as it comes in the midst of a historic global pandemic that has left families and businesses alike reeling from its impacts.

As we work to rebound from the devastation of the COVID-19 crisis, we must seize the opportunity before us and make transformational investments to support our Nation's recovery, both now and in the future. I am pleased to say that my colleagues and I have worked hard to craft an appropriations package that will do just that.

I am particularly proud to have helped deliver essential funding to uplift families in my community of Rochester, New York, by expanding community health services, workforce development initiatives, youth programs, and more.

We are investing in infrastructure, in better-paying jobs with benefits and apprenticeship training, and in affordable housing and daycare resources for working families.

Madam Speaker, COVID-19 has shined a stark light on the inequities that have existed within our communities for decades. We have a responsibility to take action and ensure that we don't just rebuild what was, that we truly embrace President Biden's creed and build back better.

That is why, with this appropriations package, we are also going to support equity for underserved communities with targeted economic investments, confront the climate crisis head-on, and invest in our Nation's greatest assets, its people, by empowering them with the tools they need to uplift their families and be successful.

Coming out of this pandemic has not been easy, but we have made tremendous strides. Let's keep our foot on the gas, pass this rule, and move forward with this historic investment.

I urge my colleagues to vote in support of the rule and in support of the underlying appropriations bill.

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