[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 77 (Thursday, May 4, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2765-S2766]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Government Funding Legislation

  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, earlier today, the Senate voted to pass 
the Omnibus appropriations bill for 2017.
  This bill is a product of bipartisan negotiations and hard work on 
the part of our Appropriations Committee, of which I am proud to be a 
member, and the leadership of both of our parties.
  I am encouraged by the overwhelming support for this important 
legislation that reflects our Nation's priorities and funds the 
government in a responsible way. I am very pleased--and I can't 
emphasize this enough; very pleased--that the bill includes a 
bipartisan provision that keeps the promise of lifetime healthcare 
benefits for 22,000 coal miners and their families, including 8,500 
West Virginians--my home State.
  Bankruptcies in the coal industry meant that these miners would have 
lost their critical health insurance coverage at the end of last year. 
We passed that little, short-term extension for 4 months, and it was 
set to expire this coming week.
  This appropriations bill provides certainty to these coal mining 
families. Because of this bill, they will keep the healthcare they 
earned through their years of hard work.
  I worked closely with my West Virginia colleague, Senator Joe 
Manchin, as well as our Representatives--Representatives David 
McKinley, Evan Jenkins, and Alex Mooney--to get this permanent miners' 
healthcare fix included in the bill.
  I also want to particularly thank our majority leader, Senator Mitch 
McConnell, for his leadership on behalf of the miners in West Virginia 
and in his home State of Kentucky, and the rest of Appalachia. I would 
also like to thank my fellow Republican from the State of Ohio, Senator 
Rob Portman, who was a champion for those miners as well.
  But, most importantly, I would like to thank the miners from across 
coal country who came to Washington to advocate for their healthcare 
benefits. I met with dozens--probably hundreds, over the course of the 
years--of West Virginia miners in my office over the last several 
years.
  Last September, miners came by the thousands to the west front of the 
Capitol and stood for hours in just excruciatingly hot conditions. 
These miners and their families put a human face on the issue. They are 
the reason--they are the reason--that we have a successful result 
today.
  Many of these miners have shared their stories with me through 
letters and emails and personal stories and visits, and I want to share 
just a few of their thoughts.
  Brenda, a coal miner's widow from West Virginia, wrote that continued 
healthcare coverage presented a life or death situation for her. She 
wrote:

       I have medical problems, which require monthly doctor 
     visits and prescriptions and I will no longer be able to see 
     my doctors--nor afford the prescriptions should our health 
     insurance be taken away.

  Alfred, a retired West Virginia coal miner wrote:

       We were not given our health benefits as a gift. We worked 
     hard in the mines every day for a long time, and it was 
     backbreaking, year-to-year.

  Howard, another retiree, wrote that he worked in the West Virginia 
coal mines for 41 years to earn this promise of healthcare benefits.
  William, also a retired West Virginia miner, wrote that he has had 
several surgeries, including one on New Year's Day, 2017. The possible 
expiration of health benefits and the thought of temporary benefit 
extensions left him worried about whether he would be able to access 
necessary followup medical care for his surgery.
  After learning that permanent healthcare would be included in this 
bill, Gisele wrote:

       Tonight I will rest soundly knowing that we will be able to 
     afford our medicines.


[[Page S2766]]


  For Brenda, Alfred, William, Howard, Gisele, and thousands of other 
miners and widows across West Virginia, this bill keeps the promise of 
lifetime healthcare.
  There is more work to be done to protect the pension benefits of our 
retired miners and to bring jobs back to coal country, to areas that 
have been hit hard by the previous administration's policies. But the 
permanent healthcare in this bill is a critical victory for our coal 
mining families and the communities where they live.
  I would also like to quote a young man who sent me an email. I met 
him at a Chick-fil-A on a Saturday--not a Sunday, of course, on a 
Saturday. We struck up a little friendship, and the day he learned that 
this was in the bill, he texted me and said:

       Senator, I met you in the Chick-fil-A. Thank you, you have 
     now secured the benefits for my Paw Paw.

  I thought it was such a heartfelt message that he sent to me--a new 
friend of mine who had been struggling along trying to figure out a way 
to help his grandfather.
  There are a number of other important priorities in this bill as 
well. Mining communities will also be helped by tens of millions of 
dollars across different agencies to help us retrain our miners who 
have lost their jobs.
  This bill also includes a significant investment in new fossil energy 
research, including carbon capture and sequestration. These funds will 
help spur the development of new markets for coal to keep coal mining 
jobs for years to come.
  The appropriations bill also includes funding increases for rural 
broadband deployment, something I have been very concerned about, as 
well as continued funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission. 
Access to broadband is absolutely critical for economic development and 
improved access to health and education opportunities in our rural 
communities, and we are sadly underserved. There is much work to be 
done to bring access to high-speed internet to many communities, but 
this bill is a positive step.
  As chairman of the Financial Services and General Government 
Appropriations Subcommittee, I am glad that we included increased 
funding for the Drug-Free Communities Support Program and the High 
Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program, or the HITDA Program. 
Unfortunately, cascading across this country is the devastating problem 
of prescription drug abuse, opioid abuse, and heroin addiction. The 
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education portion of the bill 
includes an $800 million increase to combat opioid addiction. This 
includes the $500 million authorized for the 21st Century Cures Act to 
help States with their response to the crisis. It also includes an 
increase for medication-assisted treatment programs and for other 
programs outlined by the CARA bill that we passed last summer.
  In addition to these important treatment resources, we have also 
funded important enforcement and prevention aspects of the problem as 
well, including $50 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 
opioid and substance abuse for the treatment of our veterans. This is a 
real problem for our returning veterans who have addiction issues. 
There are funds to implement the Jason Simcakoski act that Senator 
Baldwin and I introduced.
  Unfortunately, West Virginia is the epicenter of the opioid crisis 
that has struck communities across the country. Passage of this 
appropriations bill will make a difference--a big difference--for 
people who are struggling to overcome addiction and to help our States 
that are financially strapped and our local communities combat this 
terrible problem.
  Another area of significance to a lot of people in my State and 
across the country is the increase in the funding for the National 
Institutes of Health. There is a $400 million increase for Alzheimer's 
research--something important to me, as I lost both of my parents who 
suffered from Alzheimer's, this terrible disease. We need to find not 
just treatments, but we need to find a cure, and I think NIH is where 
we are going to find it.
  There are many other reasons to support this bill. It has additional 
flood relief for our devastated flood areas. I know the Presiding 
Officer has major floods in Louisiana, and we had them in West 
Virginia, and we have had them across the country.
  Just to mention a few other things, this bill includes a pay increase 
for our troops, which is so important. They are on the frontlines.
  The bill also works on scientific research for our educational 
institutions, something important to our universities in West Virginia.
  But, most of all, I just want to voice my appreciation for the 
bipartisan work by the members of the appropriations committees, who 
worked hard to get this bill where we are. It is a responsible bill. It 
is a commonsense bill. It sets our priorities. Today, because of the 
fact that we passed it with support from both parties, I believe it 
will achieve a positive result for our country.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.