Lowey Floor Remarks on H.R. 1865, Domestic Priorities and International Assistance Appropriations Minibus

WASHINGTON — House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey today delivered the following remarks on the House Floor on H.R. 1865, a domestic priorities and international assistance minibus of Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations bills:

This domestic priorities and international assistance minibus combines eight appropriations bills:

• Labor-Health and Human Services-Education;
• Agriculture;
• Energy and Water Development;
• Interior-Environment;
• Legislative Branch;
• Military Construction-Veterans Affairs;
• State-Foreign Operations; and
• Transportation-Housing and Urban Development.

The Appropriations Committee is fortunate to have outstanding Cardinals, and they have done an extraordinary job negotiating these bills.

Because of their hard work, we have secured:

• Record funding levels for Head Start, Child Care & Development Block Grant, and Title I schools
• Hundreds of millions of dollars in increases for programs that expand access to housing
• $41.7 billion for lifesaving medical research at the NIH, a $2.6 billion increase and a record level
• $25 million for gun violence prevention research at the CDC and NIH, which is being funded for the first time in more than 20 years
• Strong funding for environmental protection: $9 billion for EPA and $495 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and
• Robust investments in clean energy to address the climate crisis

Turning to my bill, I am proud that the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee reached bipartisan agreement on a robust bill that rejects the short-sighted, dangerous cuts proposed by the Trump Administration.

Our bill provides $54.7 billion in discretionary funding, which is $467 million above FY2019 and $11.3 billion above the request.

To confront today’s global challenges – from poverty to civil war, climate change to violent extremism – our bill provides strong investments in security, humanitarian, and development assistance; basic education; and global health programs like HIV/AIDS, nutrition, TB, and malaria.

It restores the State Department’s and USAID’s staffing to 2016 levels and increases funding for many of our critical partners, like the National Endowment for Democracy, the Global Fund, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Inter-American Foundation, and the U.S. African Development Foundation.

Of critical importance, the bill limits the Administration’s ability to redirect or deviate from Congressionally-directed spending levels.

Amid all these successes, I must note how disappointing it is that in these negotiations President Trump and Congressional Republicans refused to relent on their counterproductive assault on women’s rights and health programs that provide basic health care to women and families here and around the world.

M. Speaker, I joined the Appropriations Committee because it is the best place to give more people a better chance at a better life.

With this bill, we have lived up to that promise by making historic investments For The People. I am so proud that we are able to do so much good for children and families across the country and around the world.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.

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