Hearing of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee - Fiscal Year 2016 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Bill

Hearing

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and
Human Services, Education and related agencies. This morning we will consider a bill funding
these agencies in fiscal year 2016. I am pleased to chair this Subcommittee and to provide
support for important programs that touch the lives of every American.

The bill we will consider today provides increases to advance biomedical research, protect public
health, and ensure quality education services for those most in need across our country. The
National Institutes of Health, our Nation's premier biomedical research agency, is funded at $1.1
billion above last year -- $100 million more than the President requested. NIH is working to find
cures for Alzheimer's disease, cancer and develop the next generation of medical treatment
through the use of precision medicine techniques.

The Centers for Disease Control, which protect our citizens against contagious diseases as well
as help communities combat chronic disease like diabetes and stroke, is fully funded at the
Request level, with special increases for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, prescription drug abuse
prevention and antibiotic resistance prevention.

We know that a quality education can change the trajectory of a person's life for the better.
Accordingly, this bill makes priority investments in programs that can make this difference.
Head Start receives a nearly $200 million increase, with a special focus on early Head Start for
the most vulnerable children. Special education programs for students with disabilities are
increased by over $500 million, a 4.4% increase above current levels which will help local
school districts ease the financial burden of providing specialized educational services. TRIO
and GEARUP, which help disadvantaged students prepare for and complete college, receive 7
percent increases over last year. And institutions that serve special and disadvantaged
populations also receive increases.

The bill also protects the most vulnerable of our Nation's people by including funds for
community services block grants, the low-income home energy assistance programs, Meals on
Wheels, job training programs and programs supporting Native Americans.

Finally, the bill includes modest increases for Inspectors General across agencies to help combat
fraud and abuse in government programs. At the same time, the bill terminates funding for over
two dozen federal programs that are not the best use of taxpayer dollars in this economy.

The Chairman's mark also includes several provisions that will prevent this Administration from
moving forward with various regulations that threaten to close down small businesses by
imposing one-size-fits-all rules and costly mandates. The bill also demonstrates our support for
the rights of all Americans, including our doctors and nurses, to be guided by their consciences
in the performance of their jobs and not be forced to pay for, perform or refer for services they
find morally objectionable. And the bill protects human life by continuing long-standing
prohibitions against federal tax dollars being used to pay for abortions.

Finally this bill includes a provision that ensures not one dime of federal tax dollars provided to
the Department of Health and Human Services through this bill can be spent to do any more
work on the President's deeply flawed and unpopular health care law.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a good bill. It's a bill that protects people and small businesses.

And, unlike the President's request, it lives within the budget framework agreed to. We've done
our job by setting priorities and making tough choices, as opposed to the President who wishes it
all away by raising taxes on the American people. I believe the bill we have before us represents
a balanced approach designed to benefit every American, and to maintain appropriate
stewardship of taxpayer dollars we have been entrusted with as Members of Congress.

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