[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 107 (Thursday, June 23, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4176, LGBTQI+ DATA INCLUSION ACT; 
 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5585, ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS 
AGENCY-HEALTH ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7666, RESTORING 
   HOPE FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING ACT OF 2022; AND FOR OTHER 
                                PURPOSES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 22, 2022

  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, in his State of the Union Address this 
year, President Biden laid out his powerful ``Unity Agenda.''
  This inspiring vision encompassed areas of broad bipartisan agreement 
on four of the biggest challenges we face.
  And today, I proudly rise in support of legislation that forges 
important progress on three of the President's ambitious and unifying 
goals:
  improving mental health and addressing the opioid epidemic, with the 
Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act;
  and intensifying the fight against cancer, with the Advanced Research 
Projects Agency-Health Act.
  Today, the House will pass a package of critical resources to address 
our Nation's twin crises of mental health and the substance use 
disorders.
  The CDC estimates that more than half of American adults will be 
diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their 
lifetime.
  At the same time, more than two million Americans suffer from an 
opioid use disorder--and our Nation has seen a 30 percent spike in 
overdose deaths from 2019 to 2020.
  Families and communities are being torn apart--and we must act now.
  Our Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act strengthens 
and expands more than 30 essential, life-saving initiatives: from 
crisis response, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline; to 
treatments helping combat the opioid epidemic; and to behavioral health 
services for our children, to name just a few.
  Let us salute the unyielding leaders of the Bipartisan Addiction and 
Mental Health Task Force: who have moved us all with their powerful 
personal stories of these issues have touched their lives.
  And thank you to Energy & Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone for helping 
steer this crucial package to the Floor.
  At the same time, the House will today pass legislation to 
supercharge our Nation's Cancer Moonshot.
  Our hearts break for the hundreds of thousands of American families 
each year who lose a loved one to the scourge of cancer.
  Six years ago, then-Vice President Biden inspired our Nation with his 
bold and personal leadership in the fight to defeat cancer.
  And this year, as President, he has proudly reignited this ambitious 
initiative: redoubling our Nation's efforts to slash the cancer death 
rate in half over the next 25 years.
  Thanks to the determined leadership of Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, the 
ARPA-H Act will accelerate innovation in medicine and technology: 
harnessing the power of American ingenuity; and fueling new 
breakthroughs in the search for a cure.
  In doing so, we will take an important step to save lives--not only 
from cancer, but from additional devastating diseases such as ALS, 
Alzheimer's and diabetes.
  In his inspiring State of the Union Address last March, President 
Biden called on the Congress to ``show the Nation that we can come 
together and do big things.''
  And today, the House proudly answers that call--with strong, popular 
legislation that the American people want and deserve.
  So I urge all Members to join together in a strong ``aye'' vote for 
these bipartisan bills, so we can prove that Congress still works For 
The People.

                          ____________________