[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 56 (Friday, April 15, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND FULL-YEAR CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2011

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                               speech of

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2011

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is with reluctance that I oppose this 
legislation. The President and Senator Reid worked as hard as they 
possibly could to blunt the extreme Republican agenda. As everyone 
knows, these spending cuts are before us today because the Republicans 
did not hesitate to resort to the most irresponsible tactics to try to 
enforce their radical agenda.
  While there are some program cuts I can support, others harm programs 
affecting millions of Americans. I am particularly concerned by the 
cuts to Community Health Centers ($600 million from last year's 
spending levels), Health Care Facilities and Activities ($338 million), 
Women and Infant Children programs ($504 million), Energy Efficiency 
and Renewable Energy programs ($438 million), Clean Water and Safe 
Drinking Water State Revolving funds ($997 million), Climate Change 
programs ($49 million), HIV AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB 
Prevention ($730 million), LIHEAP (Low income energy assistance) ($390 
million), U.S. Agency for International Development ($39 million), 
International Clean Technology Fund ($115 million), Highway 
Construction ($2.5 billion), and High Speed Rail ($2.9 billion).
  For all the effort made, these cuts in funding do not have any 
significant impact on the deficit. Because of the Republicans' 
ideological blinders, taxes and revenues get no consideration here. The 
deficit cannot be solved without addressing revenues, and the silence 
on this issue from the Republican Party is deafening.
  I also must register my profound objection to the rider attached in 
this bill that prohibits the District of Columbia Government from 
funding abortions. By what moral right does the Republican leadership 
override unilaterally the sovereign decisions taken by the government 
and people of the District of Columbia? This is shameful and deeply 
offensive and I hope Congress can find the strength ultimately to 
reverse it.
  Again, I believe President Obama and Senator Reid did the very best 
they could under near-impossible circumstances deliberately engineered 
by the Republican leadership. Unfortunately, this bill will inflict too 
big a price on many programs the American people and our country need. 
I must therefore vote against it.

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