DeLauro Statement on Proposed Allocations for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today decried the proposed allocations for labor, health and education programs, which were opposed by all Democrats on the Appropriations Committee. DeLauro is the senior Democrat on the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The Republican Majority is attempting to cut over $1 billion from programs that fund critical areas such as medical research, early childhood education, job training programs, education for children with special needs, and worker safety programs. Also today, DeLauro released a report <https://delauro.house.gov/sites/democrats.appropriations.house.gov/files/migrated/images/pdf/Ryan%20Budget%20Report.pdf>  detailing what a disaster the proposed Ryan Budget would be for labor, health and education programs.

 
“We have to stop mortgaging our future. Labor-HHS-Education funding is $17.1 billion below the 2010 level when adjusted for inflation. For four years we have been slashing deeper into the critical priorities funded by this bill, like biomedical research, job training, and education. After adjusting for inflation, the amount put forward is lower than every budget since 2001, with one exception.

“That exception is last year, when the Majority allowed the deep and indiscriminate ‘sequestration’ cuts to wreak havoc on families. Many of those deep cuts are still being felt by the American people. But even though these cuts persist, labor, health and education programs are still being slashed by at least another billion dollars.

“This Majority seems to prioritize making sure that this government cannot meet its most basic responsibilities to the American people. The proof is in this unacceptably low allocation, in all of the reckless cuts we have seen to these priorities over the last four years and in the Majority’s budget plan for 2016. After four years of deep cuts, with so many programs already trying to do less with less, this allocation will mean less money for education, scientific research, public health and job training. That means less job growth, fewer investments in the future, and more pain for American families. This is an irresponsible allocation.