[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 131 (Friday, July 24, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E676-E677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 23, 2020

  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7608, a bill to 
provide Fiscal Year 2021 funding for the Departments of Agriculture, 
Interior, and Veterans Affairs, among others. This package includes 
critical programs that help address important priorities such as 
helping our most vulnerable escape hunger and our veterans to receive 
the care and benefits they have earned.
  Our country has been hit by an economic freight train and many 
families have been reeling for months and will continue to do so if the 
federal government does not step up in the fight against this deadly 
virus. Food insecurity was a challenge before COVID-19 but it has only 
gotten worse as tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs. We 
have seen long lines at food banks and pantries.
  The bill before us ensures that SNAP can continue to help struggling 
Americans. It blocks ongoing attempts by the Trump Administration to 
force more people to lose food aid. It supports the WIC program to 
ensure that we help some of our most vulnerable pregnant women, infants 
and children.
  It also increases funding for grants to help increase access to 
school breakfast, a priority for me. Unfortunately, too many kids begin 
the school day without a healthy breakfast and participation in school 
breakfast lags well behind school lunch. Studies repeatedly show that 
students who consume nutritious breakfasts have better health outcomes, 
and better educational outcomes. These dollars will help support 
innovative and proven interventions that can help increase 
participation.
  I appreciate Chairman Bishop's leadership in helping to make sure 
that more families can keep food on the table.
  Likewise, I appreciate Chairwoman McCollum's continued efforts to 
protect our environment and the Great Lakes. I am pleased that the 
committee provides a $15 million increase for the Great Lakes 
Restoration Initiative which has been an unmitigated success in working 
to help our communities address some of the biggest challenges facing 
these valuable waters.
  This bill also increases funding to help protect water quality. I 
thank the Chairwoman as well as Congresswoman Lori Trahan who worked 
with me to help push for greater funding to help address combined sewer 
overflows, which endanger both our waters and the public's health. A 
great number of CSO's are in the Midwest and Northeast and communities 
need all the support they can to help make the investments to reduce 
this threat to our waterways. The bill's investment of $57 million in 
regular appropriations and $400 million in emergency funding will go a 
long way in helping address this problem.
  The bill also includes funding for the Clean Water and Drinking Water 
State Revolving Funds, which are the main federal programs supporting 
investments in critical water infrastructure. Our communities are 
struggling to

[[Page E677]]

deal with aging infrastructure and the funds in this bill are sorely 
needed.
  And I also appreciate Chairwoman McCollum's leadership in protecting 
and strengthening programs that help Native communities. For example, 
the bill would provide $6.5 billion for the Indian Health Service, 
including $66 million for Urban Indian Health.
  And the State-Foreign Operations bill rejects a variety of harmful 
cuts proposed by the President that would further damage our diplomacy 
and development efforts. The bill also includes language to permanently 
repeal the global gag rule, rejects efforts to defend the UNFPA, 
invests in global health, education, and environment programs, 
including to address climate change.
  It is critical that we invest in our international affairs budget and 
I applaud chairwoman Lowey for her steadfast leadership again in 
helping to protect these key programs. Sadly, this is her last 
appropriations cycle. While I wish her the best of luck in her 
retirement, she will be sorely missed.
  Lastly, the MilCon-Va bill makes needed investments in health care 
for our veterans, supports increases for homelessness assistance 
grants, and to process and pay benefit claims.
  This is a good package and I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting it.

                          ____________________