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"With the recently enacted $8.3 billion emergency supplemental, the federal government can aid state and local health departments in assisting patients and mitigate the extent of the virus. However, due to the Administration’s failure to treat this threat seriously, initial faulty test kits, the Administration’s slow approvals for laboratories, and slow distribution of working kits, more people are likely to be infected. It is imperative that the federal government have a multi-agency approach to ensure tests are available for all who may need one without delay."

"The budget proposes to cut CDC funding by $693 million, or 9 percent, below the FY 2020 appropriation. And, despite the presentation of the President’s Budget, which claims that infectious disease, global health and preparedness were prioritized in CDC’s request, key programs would be cut: the Public Health Data Initiative, the Public Health Workforce program, and the Infectious Diseases Rapid Response Reserve Fund that allowed CDC to quickly respond to COVID-19. This subcommittee will not be pursuing the administration’s proposed cuts. To cut from our public health infrastructure during an outbreak is beyond consideration. Instead, I intend to invest in CDC and our nation’s public health system."

"I would be remiss if I did not mention the inadequacy of the Department’s budget request in a number of important areas that have bipartisan support. I think that many of the proposed cuts in the Commerce Department’s request show a disregard for the tens of millions of Americans and American businesses who are helped by these programs."

"Despite the likelihood that these challenges will continue for some time, the administration has put forth an inadequate budget, as it has every year during its time in office. This year, USDA’s budget request is $16.4 billion, which is a reduction of $3.5 billion, or 18 percent, in discretionary funding from the final fiscal year 2020 bill. I continue to believe many of the proposals in the budget are bad for our farmers, rural communities, and vulnerable populations and quite honestly dead on arrival."

"This Budget slashes billions from the EPA and Department of Education. It cuts medical research by $3.3 billion and reduces CDC funding. It eliminates Community Development Block Grants and low-income assistance programs. OMB has proposed some of these cuts year after year, even though Congress has stepped in repeatedly to restore critical accounts."

"Today we will hear from Members of Congress on pressing issues ranging from concerns about offshore drilling, funding wastewater infrastructure, to supporting the National Estuary Program. The Members testifying today represent the interests of both Republicans and Democrats, from cities and rural areas all over the country, facing a broad array of challenges."