[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 185 (Thursday, October 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S7147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Appropriations

  Mr. President, today, while I am here, I would also like to discuss 
the fiscal year 2022 appropriations bill for the Department of Labor, 
Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies, which we released this 
week.
  A budget is a reflection of values. This bill shows exactly where 
Democrats' values are when it comes to help our working families and 
communities. This bill will help us respond to this pandemic and other 
health challenges by increasing funding for mental health and substance 
abuse disorders; maternal health and family planning; preventive care 
services; biomedical research, including a cutting-edge research 
agency; and public health, with the largest increase to CDC's budget 
authority in nearly two decades. This bill would also take the long 
overdue step of repealing the Hyde and Weldon amendments, which 
restrict people's ability to exercise their constitutional right to 
abortion just based on how they get their insurance.

  It would invest in our children and students by increasing funding 
for childcare programs, early education programs, HBCUs and other 
minority-serving institutions, and Pell grants, and even doubling key 
funding for our public schools, helping to close those important 
achievement gaps and making a quality public education available to 
every single child in our country.
  As we work now to rebuild our economy, this bill would strengthen our 
workforce and support workers across the country with increased 
investments in workers' safety, the protection of workers' rights and 
wages, and virtually every workforce development program.
  In short, this bill would support the health of our economy, our 
communities, and our families.
  I will be pushing to make sure we get this across the finish line, 
and I hope Republicans will work with us to make these critical, 
commonsense investments.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LEE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Cortez Masto). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.