Effects of H.R. 1 on Women and Children

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Maryland for being our fearless leader and making sure women have had a voice at the table for many years. I wish to thank her for leading this important debate and discussion today about how H.R. 1 will affect women and children in this country in a very dramatic and very troubling way.

Since Wall Street came crashing down on Main Street, I have been very proud to work with so many of my colleagues on efforts to get our economy back on track and our workers back on the job. We all know we have a long way to go. So many families in our country today are fighting to stay in their homes. Small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open. Many of our workers are still trying desperately to find work or they stay up at night wondering what would happen to them and their families if they are the next ones to get a pink slip. So that is why I am so disappointed that at the very moment we need to be working together to invest in our future, cut spending responsibly, and support those American families, House Republicans have decided to take a slash-and-burn approach to the budget that would devastate our economy and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs.

While many Republicans came to this Congress this year promising to work with Democrats to focus on the economy, they have now chosen instead to push their extreme, antichoice agenda of a minority of Americans who want to go further than ever to restrict health care options for women and families. So I am here this afternoon with my women Senate colleagues to talk about that aspect of the budget proposal they sent to us because this assault on women's health will be truly devastating if it is acted, and this extreme agenda does nothing--nothing--to further our goals of getting our economy back on track.

The House Republican-proposed budget they sent to us completely eliminates title X funding. That is funding for family planning and teen pregnancy prevention. And it includes an amendment that completely denies funding for Planned Parenthood. That is so wrong. It would be absolutely devastating for 3 million men and women across the country who depend on those services.

I recently got a letter from a woman named Elizabeth. She lives in Bellingham, WA. She is 28 years old. Elizabeth told me she is uninsured, and she depends on her local Planned Parenthood for her annual checkups and for family planning. She told me that cervical and breast cancer run in her family, and she does not know what she and her husband would do if she was not able to access this care that Planned Parenthood provides.

Elizabeth is not alone. I have received hundreds of letters just like hers, women telling me about the health care they got at Planned Parenthood and the critical services title X allows them to access.

Title X supports cancer screenings, family planning, and preventive services for more than 5 million low-income men and women and families across this country. In my home State of Washington, more than 100,000 patients who otherwise would not have access to care are able to receive treatment thanks to these services. The House Republican plan would devastate this for women, and honestly, it just does not make sense. In my home State alone, family planning services at title X-funded health care centers prevent over 21,000 unintended pregnancies every year. Without these services, our States and the Federal Government would end up spending far more in services for low-income families over the long run. So cutting off these important programs would be wrong, and I am going to do everything I can to stop it right here in the Senate by fighting alongside my women colleagues.

That is not all the House Republicans are proposing in their extreme budget. They want to slash nutrition programs for women and children by $747 million. That would end support for close to 10 million pregnant women, new moms, and infants in the country. That is not what we stand for.

They want to cut funding for prenatal care by $50 million. That is going to jeopardize care for 2.5 million women and 31 million children. That is not what we stand for.

They want to cut $39 million from the childcare and development block grant that would end the child support many low-income families need so the parents can go out and work and put food on the table. That is not what this country stands for.

They want to slash $1 billion from Head Start. That not only cuts off comprehensive early childhood services for nearly 1 million children, but it puts tens of thousands of teachers and staff out of a job. Guess what. Most of them are women.

The House antifamily agenda is wrong, and we are not going to stand for it. We do need to cut the budget. We do need to work together to bring down the deficit. But we are not going to do it on the backs of women and children. We are going to do it responsibly. We are going to do it right. I have said many times on this floor a budget is a statement of our values. It is a reflection of our priorities as a nation. I feel very strongly that we do need to work together to invest in our future and get our economy back on track, put people back to work, and make sure families get the support they need so they feel secure again. The House Republican spending fails to meet those goals. It fails our women, it fails our families, it fails our communities, and it fails our Nation.

So I urge my colleagues to reject the House Republican slash-and-burn approach on the backs of women and children and families and work with us to propose a responsible long-term budget reduction plan that reflects the values for which this country stands.

Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

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