Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (114th Congress)
[[{"fid":"67","view_mode":"full","fields":{"format":"full","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Rep. Rosa DeLauro","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Rep. Rosa DeLauro"},"type":"media","link_text":null,"field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"full","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Rep. Rosa DeLauro","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Rep. Rosa DeLauro"}},"attributes":{"alt":"Rep. Rosa DeLauro","title":"Rep. Rosa DeLauro","height":"100","width":"71","style":"float: left;","class":"media-element file-full","data-delta":"1"}}]]Rosa DeLauro (CT), Ranking Member
Barbara Lee (CA)
Jurisdiction
Department of Education
Department of Health and Human Services (Except Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry; Food and Drug Administration; Indian Health Services and Facilities; and National Institute of Environmental Sciences (formerly EPA/Superfund))
Department of Labor
Related Agencies
Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
Corporation for National and Community Service
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
National Commission on Libraries and Information Science
National Council on Disability
National Education Goals Panel
National Labor Relations Board
National Mediation Board
Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
Railroad Retirement Board
Social Security Administration
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing on a set of programs that tap into one of our best attributes as a nation. National service is a core American value. It makes this country exceptional. Service provides an unparalleled richness for those that participate, and gives citizens the greatest potential to change the face of the communities they serve.
Welcome Ms. Spencer. I look forward to talking to you today about the importance of National Service—particularly since it has been 16 years since the last Corporation for National and Community Service budget hearing. I know we tried to hold a hearing last year, but outside events intervened. So I am glad you are here today.
I’d like to thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for holding this hearing. To our distinguished FBI Director Comey, who has served this country through multiple Presidents and parties, I welcome you and thank you for your service.
The Internet and social media have revolutionized our economy and our way of life. They have also become the weapons of choice for terrorists to spread propaganda and recruit and radicalize followers. As we tragically witnessed in Paris and San Bernardino, we are facing a new type of terror attack, including the growing threat of homegrown extremists and lone wolf terrorists, and Congress must provide the FBI with the resources to keep up with these evolving threats.
Thank you, Chairman Cole and Ranking Member DeLauro, for holding this hearing. Secretary Burwell, on what may be your last occasion to testify before the House Appropriations Committee, I thank you for your service, first as Director of OMB and now as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
With recent emerging threats, your remaining year as Secretary will not be easy. Our mission to eradicate Ebola is not yet complete, and new outbreaks of dangerous diseases, such as Zika, are pushing federal public health infrastructure resources to the breaking point. Congress has a request for supplemental funding to combat Zika, and I urge this Committee and Congress as a whole to meet this need without delay.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Madam Secretary, welcome back to the Labor-HHS subcommittee. It has been exactly one year to the day since your last appearance here. I want to express my gratitude for the work you and your Department do.
First let me start by thanking Chairman Cole. Together, we were able to make many great investments in the Labor Health and Human Services bill last year.
In many ways, last year’s Omnibus moved the federal budget in the right direction. It began to leave behind the shortsighted policies of austerity that have slowed our economic recovery. We made real progress on funding for NIH research, the antibiotic-resistant bacteria initiative, medical countermeasures, and access to high-quality early childhood education.
The 2016 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill is an affront to women, families, and all hard-working Americans. It would walk back federal efforts to improve schools and help teachers; undermine public health; and place Americans' financial security at risk. Finally, the bill attacks women's health by eliminating Title X family planning, slashing Teen Pregnancy Prevention, and allowing employers to deny coverage of any health services to which they have a moral objection.
2015 enacted level: $156.8 billion
2016 Request: $167.7 billion
2016 Omnibus: $153.1 billion
*These figures do not include emergency funding for Ebola enacted in FY2015.
The Chairman's mark would eliminate dozens of federal programs, agencies, and grant opportunities, including: