[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 16, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H3749-H3750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MAKING HEALTHCARE MORE AFFORDABLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Carter) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate our 
Nation's actions to make healthcare more affordable. Together, we 
provided more resources for the CDC and State and local health 
departments to ensure they are prepared and equipped, implementing 
lessons learned from the pandemic.
  We confronted our most urgent health crises while taking strides to 
reduce unacceptable health disparities. We invested in our veterans, 
focusing on the mental health needs of those who served our Nation.
  We strengthened biomedical research, providing more funding for the 
National Institutes of Health and establishing the Advanced Research 
Projects Agency for Health to cure the previously uncurable. We 
protected the safety of our food and medicine by funding the FDA.
  The pandemic taught us that no one is safe unless everyone is safe. 
That is why we increased funding for global health, to work to prevent 
the next pandemic.

[[Page H3750]]

  With this budget, Democrats are not only making healthcare more 
affordable for all Americans; we are building a healthier and safer 
Nation.


            Helping Working Families with the Cost of Living

  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I rise to highlight the 
significant investments we enacted to help working families with the 
cost of living.
  In a time of great uncertainty and change, people are living paycheck 
to paycheck or on fixed incomes. Many are struggling just to pay basic 
bills.
  Our investments represent a lifeline for working families. By 
increasing funding for childcare, public schools, and providing high-
quality job training, this bill gives more tools to help Americans 
succeed.
  Government must serve the people, not the biggest corporations. We 
provided resources to small businesses and entrepreneurs as they pursue 
the American Dream. We invested to connect communities to the internet 
and expand access to affordable housing and homeownership. We 
strengthened our core services and tackled the root causes of rising 
prices.
  One example is by providing $158 million to support the production 
and delivery of small- to medium-size manufacturers, helping detangle 
the supply chain and lower costs to consumers. We paid for it by 
cracking down on big corporations and the wealthiest who are not paying 
their fair share. This government funding legislation truly delivers 
for the people.

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