[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 150 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H11690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


         SOME REAL VICTORIES IN THE OMNIBUS APPROPRIATION BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have been told that budgets are 
about priorities, where the taxpayers' money should be spent, and where 
the goals and objectives which we hope to accomplish can be approached 
in an effort to meet them.
  The $500 billion omnibus appropriation bill which we just passed and 
I voted for contains funding for many of our governmental agencies 
which provide a glimmer of hope for the poor, elderly, and disinherited 
of our society. While this bill is not picture perfect, it does in fact 
contain some real victories for many people throughout America.
  The defense appropriation is too high, but we fought off attempts to 
cut the summer jobs program for disadvantaged youth. They now have hope 
again. We resisted attempts to cut low-income home energy assistance 
programs. Now seniors and others on fixed incomes will not have to 
choose between staying warm in the winter or buying food to eat. When 
the hawk comes to the windy city, to Chicago, and the wind off Lake 
Michigan drops temperatures to zero, 5, 10, and 15 degrees below, low-
income people will have some help to try and keep warm.
  We prevailed in getting $1.1 billion as a down payment for 100,000 
new teachers, which means that we will be able to reduce class size. 
Unfortunately, we did not get the money needed for school construction, 
which absolutely makes no sense, because what is the use in having 
teachers if we do not have schools?
  The bill contains a significant amount of money for health care, 
which pleases me greatly. The $100 million increase for federally 
qualified community health centers will go a long way toward serving 
the large number of uninsured Americans in rural and inner city 
communities.
  It has $10.6 billion for the National Institutes of Health budget, 
which provides much needed money for medical research; $110 million to 
address HIV-AIDS in the African American community; $1.4 billion for 
the Ryan White AIDS program, and $105 million for the Healthy Start 
program.
  This bill also contains needed funding for education: $1.2 billion as 
a down payment to reduce class size; $125 million for the school-to-
work opportunities programs, which help ease the transition from school 
to work; $600 million for TRIO funding; $995 million for adult job 
training, which would fund about 386,000 participants.
  But in reality, this bill is a testament to the will of the American 
people, who have indicated that they place substance over rhetoric, and 
that they appreciate real leadership.
  I commend my colleagues, and I commend President Clinton for his 
political acumen and skill in orchestrating this compromise. It is good 
for my district, and it is good for America.

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