Providing for Consideration of H.R. Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Save Sba From Sanctuary Cities Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. American Entrepreneurs First Act of and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Capping Excessive Awarding of Sblc Entrants Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to talk about an issue that touches every community in this country, mental health.

More than one in five adults in the United States lives with a mental illness. These are our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family members. For many of us, the issue is deeply personal.

Whether one lives in a big city or a small town, almost everyone has a person in their life who is struggling. Chances are that they know someone who has struggled or that they could be struggling themselves.

In Ohio, we have seen just how urgent this crisis has become. We have only about half of the mental health behavioral workforce that we need to meet the demand. In fact, there is just one psychiatrist for every 6,000 Ohioans. That is not just a workforce problem. That is a public health emergency.

The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act would authorize hundreds of millions of dollars and much-needed Federal funding to address this crisis. It also includes my bipartisan legislation, the Mental Health Improvement Act, which provides tens of millions of dollars annually to expand our behavioral health workforce, helping to train, recruit, and retain mental health professionals across the country.

It is a commonsense solution that will bring resources directly to communities like mine and yours, Mr. Speaker, helping to address addiction, reduce suicide, and ensure more Americans get the care they need when they need it.

It is important that this program and others that are included in this bill actually reach the communities that desperately need the assistance. That is why I urge my colleagues to not only pass this bipartisan legislation but also to continue to advocate for its implementation.

Just a few weeks ago, I visited a federally qualified health center in my district. It is called the I Promise Health Quarters, which is supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation. In a meeting with the behavioral health services there, they said they don't have enough people to work for the need that is in our community. This bill would be able to help it.

While we have worked with and come up with a serious solution to this crisis, the administration has proposed cuts and fired hundreds of workers at agencies that are supposed to implement these very programs.

This is unacceptable, undermining the Medicaid program and getting people kicked off. I can't even support this really great underlying bill because of the funding mechanisms. This is unacceptable, and this is why we must show the American people that we have put partisanship aside and put people first.

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Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, we can deliver meaningful results. We need to put programs in place that will help our citizens, save lives, and keep our communities safe.

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