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Final Omnibus Bill is a Significant Improvement Over the President's Budget Request

Date: Dec. 18, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care


FINAL OMNIBUS BILL IS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OVER THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET REQUEST -- (House of Representatives - December 18, 2007)

[Page: H16650]

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(Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, we need a tear-down reform of our national health care system. But until we do that, we have an obligation to fund the providers and institutions that make our system work despite the system. That is why I am so proud of the budget passed by the House last night.

President Bush's budget would have required cuts of 800 grants for medical research at the National Institutes of Health. He would also cut programs that provide access to health care by $595 million and rural health care initiatives by more than 50 percent. We rejected those cuts last night in a bipartisan fashion. We approved a bill that included $607 million above the President's request for critical medical research. And we approved money for community health centers so that they can provide access to 280,000 more uninsured Americans. Finally, we approved $147 million above the President's budget request for rural health care for those critical access projects.

Mr. Speaker, the health of the United States is stronger today because of the budget we passed last night.


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