Omnibus Appropriations

Floor Speech

OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS -- (Senate - March 05, 2009)

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise in support of the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act.

Before I begin, I want to commend Chairman INOUYE for his leadership in bringing this bill forward. Over the course of this grueling week of debate, he has done his best to ensure that this process has been civil, open, and transparent. In doing so, he has protected the authority and responsibility of the Congress to shape the funding priorities of this country.

I would be remiss if 1 did not recognize the work of Senator BYRD, who laid the groundwork in the Appropriations Committee last year, winning bipartisan support for nearly all of the bills that comprise this legislation.

Finally, I wish to acknowledge the work of all of the subcommittee chairs, but in particular, Senator MIKULSKI, for her support in helping address the needs of New England's lobster and groundfish harvesters who continue to be severely impacted by Federal regulations and catch restrictions and face the prospect of losing not only their livelihoods but a way of life. Because she has been such an effective advocate for the watermen of Chesapeake Bay, she has recognized, perhaps more than anyone outside New England, the economic and cultural importance of our fishing communities, as well as the strain they are under.

Mr. President, setting aside the fact that we must pass a bill now in order to avoid a Government shutdown, the fact is this is the right bill for us to pass.

It will, as I indicate, avoid disruption of essential services to the Nation at a time when the American people demand and need the support of a functioning Government.

This legislation complements the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by funding additional programs that will save and create thousands of jobs. It includes continued investments in transit, highway, and water infrastructure. These kinds of investments are sorely needed throughout the country. In Rhode Island, trucks and other large vehicles must be diverted from a key stretch of the interstate because of concerns about its structural integrity. This is a disruption in commerce that Rhode Island and the region can ill-afford. This package includes funding to help speed the repairs at this important stretch of highway.

The bill will also ensure we are investing in the institutions that are responsible for protecting the public interest, but have fallen down on the job. Indeed, over the course of this decade, we have witnessed the unraveling of essential regulatory agencies, from the Consumer Product Safety Commission to the Food and Drug Administration, often with alarming results. Certainly, the failure to provide adequate resources for these agencies has been a major contributor to their failures. With the supplemental appropriations bill passed last year and continuing with this legislation, we have begun to reverse the effects of years of chronic underfunding. Senator DURBIN, in response to the concerns that Senator DODD, and I raised with respect to funding for the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, worked to increase funding for the Commission in this bill. The additional $37 million provided here will give the SEC resources to aggressively investigate and prosecute fraud that cost taxpayers and investors billions of dollars. Coupled with systemic reform within the Commission, this funding will help restore investor confidence and integrity to our markets.

Thanks to the efforts of Senator HARKIN, this legislation also continues to invest in our most valuable national resource--our people. As the successor to the late Claiborne Pell, I am gratified that this omnibus bill substantially increases funding for the grant bears his name. This legislation, together with the funding provided in the economic recovery package, will help boost the maximum Pell grant by $619 to $5,350 in fiscal year 2009. It is worth noting how far we have come. Just 2 years ago, the maximum Pell grant was stuck at $4,050--the same level it had been funded at over the previous 4 years.

To supplement Pell grant and other higher education assistance, this legislation maintains funding for the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership, leveraging additional need-based grant aid and support services for our neediest students and families. It also boosts funding for the teacher quality enhancement grants by $17 million to improve college teacher preparation programs and ensure that every classroom in America has a high-quality teacher.

The bill increases funding for the state library program under the Library Services and Technology Act to $171.5 million. I have long advocated for this funding level because it is the amount necessary to reach a key goal included in the 2003 reauthorization of the Museum and Library Services Act that I authored to double the minimum State allotment. This additional funding will help libraries respond to the demand for free access to all types of information and digital and online service. With the economic crisis we are suffering through, libraries have become critical centers for guidance and career services for unemployed workers as they search for jobs, and families as they search for the diversion that a public library can provide in very difficult economic times.

The bill increases funding for the National Institutes of Health by almost $1 billion, which will fund 10,600 new research grants. I strongly supported the historic doubling of NIH funding between 1998 and 2003. Regrettably, since 2003, our investment in science has eroded. As a result, only 24 percent of research projects are currently funded, compared to 32 percent in 1999. I am glad that with the economic recovery bill and this bill, we will reverse that trend and invest in lifesaving research that will result in cures and treatments for debilitating diseases.

The bill increases funding for community health centers by $125 million, which will provide access to an additional 470,000 uninsured Americans. In my State, this program just awarded a grant to a health clinic that was on the verge of shutting its doors. The funding is a lifeline that saved 25 jobs, and could create another 22 jobs within the next 18 months. More important, the center will provide primary health care, mental health counseling, and dental care to those who have lost their jobs, and with them their health insurance, during this economic crisis. This will keep people healthy and reduce health care costs in the future.

The bill increases support for health care workforce programs, which is critical to increase access to primary care and to address the nursing shortage that our country faces.

Lastly, the bill increases funding for immunizations by $30 million, which will provide vaccinations to an additional 15,000 children. Immunizations are one of the most cost-effective ways to improve health and an important component in transforming our health care system to prevent sickness, and not just treat it.

Mr. President, for all of these reasons and more this bill makes the right investments in our country and I urge its passage.

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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