[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 163 (Saturday, December 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2559-E2560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 FURTHER CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 3010, DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH 
AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS 
                               ACT, 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2005

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the fiscal year 2006 
Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations Conference 
Report. I was dismayed to hear my friend, the Chairman of the 
Subcommittee, state that this bill ``more than any other, illustrates 
the compassion of the American people.'' But the American people did 
not produce this bill, and, judging from the hundreds of calls and 
letters to my office, they do not support its provisions.
  Across the board, in nearly every area of importance to American 
families, our citizens are shortchanged by this bill. The Labor-HHS-
Education bill is often the most contentious appropriations measure to 
move through Congress. This is because the programs it funds affect the 
health, the quality of life, indeed the future of every American. This 
year, the original version of the conference report was deemed so 
harmful that it was rejected once already on November 17. Today, the 
authors of this bill have returned it to the floor with a few cosmetic 
changes designed only to secure enough votes to squeak the bill 
through. But this so-called ``new and improved version'' will be no 
less objectionable to the sensibilities of the American people and 
certainly no less harmful to American families.
  This legislation sends a clear message to the American people: for 
educational opportunity, for food assistance to elderly Americans, for 
help with heating bills next winter, for access to quality health care, 
for advances in medical research: do not look to this Congress for 
help.
  The majority says it cares about families, about better education, 
about improved health care, about a productive workforce, about 
economic opportunity. But it has produced a bill that cuts the 
bootstraps of middle class families trying to stay afloat and aspiring 
families who are reaching for the American dream.
  Overall, this bill cuts $1.5 billion from last year's funding levels. 
Let us examine what effect these cuts will have on our Nation.

[[Page E2560]]

  A strong and productive workforce is key to our Nation's future. 
According to the Department of Labor, nearly 8 million Americans and 
120,000 Marylanders are unemployed. But this Congress is poised to 
slash more than $400 million from job training and employment services 
funding.
  It will also cut State unemployment insurance and employment service 
offices by $245 million, and assistance for approximately 1.9 million 
people will be jeopardized.
  This bill also cuts by $250 million the Community College Initiative, 
which is President Bush's initiative to help community colleges train 
prospective workers for high-skill jobs. The conference report cuts 
funding for that effort by $125 million and rescinds $125 million from 
fiscal year 2005 funds.
  A healthy America is key to our Nation's future. We have more than 45 
million Americans without health insurance. Many of them rely on 
networks of community health centers to receive much needed care. I was 
encouraged by the President's initiative to increase the number of 
community health centers around the country, but the conference report 
provides $238 million less than the President's request. The Republican 
leadership supports this conference report, despite the fact that this 
House passed in July a resolution stating that community health centers 
are ``vital to the nation's communities.'' Surely, the dedicated 
workers at our health centers will find the words of that resolution 
hollow if this conference report is passed. This conference report cuts 
health care access for underserved areas of the country. It eliminates 
the community access program, which provides lifesaving and life-
enhancing health care to many regions that lack a sufficient number of 
health care facilities.
  This bill cuts title VII health professions programs by 69 percent 
and it eradicates several programs entirely. This is particularly 
outrageous coming from a Congress that claims to want to end health 
disparities. Johns Hopkins Institutions in my home town of Baltimore 
receive more than $2.5 million in funding for title VII grants. These 
programs serve different spheres of the health care system, from the 
Schools of Nursing, Public Health and Medicine. All of this funding is 
jeopardized by the bill before us today.
  The National Institutes of Health is headquartered in my home State 
of Maryland. Over the past year, I have met with dozens of 
representatives from patient groups. They are aware that the 
President's budget for fiscal year 2006 proposed the smallest increase 
for NIH in 36 years. The paltry increase in this bill does not even 
keep pace with inflation. What does it mean in real terms? Not only 
will we not be able to increase our efforts to fight diabetes, HIV/
AIDS, cancer, brain injury, Alzheimer's and other pernicious diseases, 
we will actually see a reduction in the number of grants and the number 
of research projects funded by NIH.
  Improvements in education are key to our Nation's future. This 
Congress speaks often about the need to hold our schools accountable, 
yet this conference takes away the funding our school districts need to 
improve students' achievement levels.
  Title I funding for low-income children are given a 0.8 percent 
increase--the smallest increase in 8 years, and only a fraction of the 
increase requested by the President. Special education grants receive a 
0.9 percent increase--the smallest increase in 10 years.
  We talk a lot about the need to increase education technology, yet 
this conference report cuts that funding by nearly half. We speak of 
the need to protect our children from violence and illegal drugs, but 
this bill cuts Safe and Drug-Free Schools by one-fifth, and provides no 
increase for after-school programs for the fourth consecutive year.
  Everyone in this House can agree that the cost of higher education is 
soaring, but this conference report fails to provide any increase 
whatsoever for Pell grants, without which so many college students 
could not continue their education. President Bush proposed a $100 
increase, the House passed a $50 increase, but the conferees did not 
even provide that. Instead, they froze the maximum Pell grant amount at 
$4,050 for the fourth consecutive year.
  Finally, our goodness as a nation is measured by how we treat the 
most vulnerable Americans. If we are to truly be a great nation, we 
must care for those who are less able to care for themselves. It is 
disappointing that this conference report slashes funding for the 
Social Security Administration, which is entrusted with processing 
disability claims for millions of Americans. In my district, the Third 
Congressional District of Maryland, I represent many employees of the 
Social Security Administration. They are hardworking, dedicated 
staffers, but they can only do so much without adequate funding for 
personnel and technological support. In the Ways and Means Committee, 
we have had several hearings about the backlogs of cases at SSA, and 
Commissioner Barnhart has sought congressional assistance in bringing 
her processing systems up to date. Unfortunately, this bill will not 
make SSA employees' jobs any easier nor will it help reduce the backlog 
of pending cases. In fact, the backlogs will get worse. The House 
failed to provide the President's request, it provides even less than 
the House- or Senate-passed bills.
  Some of my colleagues have defended these cuts as necessary to 
restore fiscal discipline to our budget. When combined with a planned 1 
percent across-the-board cut, this bill will save approximately $3 
billion over last year's spending, and $15 billion over the next 5 
years. But at the same time, the congressional leadership is advancing 
an agenda of tax cuts that exceed $70 billion. They are asking us to 
believe that it is necessary to eliminate programs and inflict pain on 
American families, but they are doing this not to balance the budget, 
but to make room for tax cuts.
  Mr. Speaker, when this House defeated the Labor-HHS bill prior to the 
Thanksgiving recess, it was because a majority of this House believed 
that it would jeopardize vital services for millions of Americans. The 
revisions in today's conference report are minimal and keep us on the 
same track toward wiping out key safety net programs. Therefore, I rise 
again in opposition to this conference report and urge my colleagues to 
do the same.

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