Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011--Continuing

Floor Speech

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1) making appropriations for the Department of Defense and the other departments and agencies of the Government for the fiscal year ending September 30,2011, and for other purposes:

Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to this legislation. All of us recognize the need for fiscal restraint, but we should not be doing so at the expense of working families.

Governing is about making difficult choices, making wise investments where we can, while recognizing the fiscal pressures our nation faces. This legislation is an abdication of that responsibility. It would harm our most vulnerable citizens, fail to invest in economic recovery and cost American jobs. For our economy to recover over the long term, American workers need training and education that will enable them to compete in a new global economy. However, the Republican spending bill makes drastic cuts to education, putting a college degree out of reach for more working families.

In my district, this bill will deprive 22,000 working families of nearly $1,000 in financial assistance from the Pell Grant program. Many of these New Yorkers will have to pay more in tuition. For some, this shortfall may prevent them from completing their degree, altogether.

The cuts to the Pell program are just one way education suffers. Spread throughout my district, there are thirty-two Head Start centers that offer early education to the children of working families. New York City Head Start will lose almost $30 million in funding. As we look for ways to strengthen our country's economy, cutting services that prepare children for the future seems not just unconscionable, but unwise.

Just as children and young people would be penalized by this legislation, some of our oldest and most vulnerable citizens would be harmed. In the middle of winter, New York City would lose $4.4 million in funding from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, forcing seniors and working families to choose between keeping the heat on and purchasing groceries.

Meanwhile, important services that help seniors stay in their home would be slashed. Job training for workers dislocated by the recession would face cuts. New York City would see a loss of $14 million in Community Block Service Grants, which fund these valuable initiatives.

In New York, where working families already struggle to make rent, this bill slashes housing services. HUD's public housing capital fund would be reduced by 40%. The New York City Housing Authority relies on this fund for almost three-fourths of its resources. That money ensures elevators work, broken windows get repaired and hallways stay lit. New York City would also lose $129 million in Community Development Funds. As a result of these cuts, the City's Department of Housing, Preservation and Development, which helps ensure housing is safe and livable, would have to let 1,200 hardworking employees go.

Mr. Chair, the American economy is just now turning the corner, showing early signs of resurgence. As recovery takes hold, this is not the time to cause another wave of job losses, with shortsighted cuts. Instead, we should choose wisely, creating jobs now, while investing for the long term.

If we crafted the right spending bill it could accomplish these goals, funding our government in a way that meets our responsibilities, contributes to growth, and reduces the deficit.

This is not that bill. I urge my colleagues to oppose it.

Source