National Institutes of Health Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014

Floor Speech

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in opposition to this cynical and, quite frankly, offensive NIH funding bill. Instead of simply allowing a vote on the budget for the full government, the majority is continuing their hostage crisis approach to governing.

Let us call this charade what it is. This is a desperate attempt by irresponsible lawmakers to play political games with a crisis they have created, a crisis that is costing the American economy $300 million a day. The number will go up as the shutdown continues.

I am an ovarian cancer survivor. I stand here today because of the grace of God and because of the hard work done by the men and women at the NIH, so I know firsthand the value and the importance of medical research.

I have been fighting for months--for years--to get this majority to support the lifesaving medical research at the National Institutes of Health. If you factor in population growth and inflation, NIH funding right now is over 14 percent below what it was in 2010, which is when the majority took over. The number of research grants is lower than it has been since 2001. This diminishes the NIH's ability to fund research, to conduct clinical trials, and to develop new lifesaving treatments.

This majority has long refused to bring a labor, health and education funding bill up for consideration, though I have asked over and over and over again for them to bring it up. The budget they drafted a few months ago made deep and dangerous cuts to the NIH, and the bill before us seeks to make permanent the unacceptable funding cuts caused by sequestration--cuts that are stalling lifesaving biomedical research all across this country. The majority talks out of both sides of its mouth. I find this new attention to NIH funding disingenuous.

Mr. Speaker, while medical research is vitally important, it is also only one of the many vitally important things our government does. We also help to feed women and children who are living on the edge, and 9 million have been cut off from nutritional support. We also keep track of the spread of infectious diseases, and the Centers for Disease Control has been forced to halt those activities. We help students pay for college. We protect the Nation's food supply. We provide meals to low-income seniors. We help support food banks for the hungry. We shelter the homeless. We further the march of science. We provide job training for the unemployed and returning veterans. We ensure access to mental health services for those who need them. We educate the disadvantaged and the disabled. We ensure the Nation has clean water to drink and clean air to breathe. We help small businesses start and grow. We help middle class home buyers secure funds.

Where is the funding for all of these other important activities?

The American people are sick of this reckless behavior. It is time to act like responsible adults. Instead of letting the extreme wing of the majority shut down the government, instead of wasting time trying to play politics, instead of cherry-picking important programs like the NIH to fund, we should be working on a budget for the entire government, one that does right by all of our fundamental priorities--creates jobs, supports the middle class and working families, and ensures long-term growth. That is what we were elected to do. That is our job. Let's stop playing games and get to work.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, there is no defense for keeping this government closed, and if the majority were serious about funding the NIH in their 2014 appropriations bill, they would have provided it with adequate funds.

With that, I yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Lowey), my friend and the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it would seem that no one cares much about the 9 million women and children who are going to be cut off from nutrition programs or what happens to the spread of infectious diseases or people who need to pay for college.

I yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen), the ranking member of the Budget Committee.

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

First of all, I would just say very, very quickly to my colleague from Georgia, the affordable care bill is launched. It is the law of the land. It's going forward. I'm sorry to tell my friends on the other side of the aisle: Get over it. It is the law of the land.

What we have here is really, quite frankly, reckless behavior on the part of the majority, and what you have done is shut this government down. And instead of wasting time trying to play politics, and instead of cherry-picking important programs like the NIH to fund, we should be working on a budget for the entire government, open the government, and move to negotiations.

With regard to health care issues, I think it's important to note--and that's why we shouldn't be opening the government on a piecemeal basis--we need a comprehensive short-term continuing resolution that keeps the entire government open and at work.

What other activities are engaged in health that you are bypassing or ignoring or don't believe they have any priority? Centers for Disease Control, two-thirds of their personnel are now on furlough. Important programs like protecting public health are going by the wayside: monitoring for flu, other infectious diseases; promoting and coordinating immunizations; assistance to State and local departments in detecting and responding to disease outbreaks; programs to prevent, detect, or better manage chronic diseases--diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and, yes, cancer. The Food and Drug Administration, you've sent the staff home. Our food safety is in danger. HRSA, HIV/AIDS, and others, mental health services.

If you care about health, open the government and negotiate on a long-term CR.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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