Repealing Mandatory Funding for the School Health Center Construction

I thank my colleague from Texas for yielding time.

Mr. Chair, the American people know that we are borrowing 43 cents for every dollar we spend these days. We do not need to be giving grants of dollars that we have collected from hardworking taxpayers to local entities to build or renovate school-based health centers. This is not a core function of the Federal Government. It is not a core function of our taxpayers. We do not need to be spending this money like the minority wanted to spend it when they were in the majority.

It is also very duplicative, Mr. Chair. Between the stimulus bill and what we affectionately call ObamaCare, $3 billion in funds have been made available to Health Resources and Services Administration at the Department of HHS for facility improvements at community health centers. Providing an additional $50 million a year for construction is duplicative and unwarranted.

This bill deserves the support of every Member here. We are soon going to have to have a vote to raise our debt limit. People say over and over again on both sides of the aisle, We have to cut spending. We have to cut spending. What better place to start than in these funds that are going out for a function that is not appropriate for the Federal Government to be involved in so that we don't have to continue to borrow 43 cents for every dollar that we spend. So I think we should cut out duplicative programs.

This bill definitely needs to pass, and I give it my full support.

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