[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2088]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1040
         PROPOSED CUTS TO FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I've come to the well today to talk 
about what I call the insensitivity of the Republican majority as they 
seek to cut important domestic spending that will affect low-income and 
working class families in America.
  Every Member of this Body, Mr. Speaker, understands that we must 
reduce the deficit. We understand that. We must put America on the path 
of fiscal responsibility. And so we don't need lectures from the 
Republican majority. We don't need partisanship. What we need, as the 
distinguished chairman of the Rules Committee said a few moments ago, 
we need a bipartisan solution to these great problems.
  While some of the Republican solutions in H.R. 1 will certainly 
eliminate ineffective programs, these cuts cannot be made arbitrarily, 
and they should not be made simply to make good on a political campaign 
promise. Many of the proposed cuts will only cost us more in the long 
run.
  One glaring example, Mr. Speaker: Republicans want to cut $1.3 
billion from community health centers. Republicans ignore the fact 
that, since the start of the recession, 4 million additional Americans 
have lost their health insurance, which means that more and more people 
rely on community health centers.
  When the uninsured get sick, they do one of three things. They stay 
home and get sicker and lose productivity, or they will go to the 
emergency room and leave a bill that all of us will end up paying for 
and the insurance companies will pay for. Or, Mr. Speaker, they can go 
to a community health center to receive medical care.
  Under their proposal, Republicans seek to eliminate funding for 127 
clinics in underserved districts across 39 states and reduce services 
at another 1,096 community health centers nationwide. That is 
absolutely awful.
  This cut would have devastating effects on the communities and 
patients who most need access to care: Patients with diabetes, and 
heart disease, and HIV/AIDS; pregnant women; and children, leaving them 
nowhere to turn for health care.
  Under these cuts, more than 2.8 million people would likely lose 
access to their current primary care provider, and over 5,000 health 
center staff could lose their jobs.
  The President's 2012 budget proposal, by contrast, builds on the 
health care reform law by boosting investment in health centers. The 
budget includes $3.3 billion for the health centers program, including 
$1.2 billion in mandatory funding provided through the Affordable Care 
Community Health Center Fund.
  Mr. Speaker, I represent many poor rural communities in eastern North 
Carolina with many constituents who depend on community health centers, 
and I know how deeply these cuts will be felt. As we struggle with this 
difficult economy and struggle with difficult fiscal issues, we have an 
even greater responsibility, to protect our most vulnerable citizens, 
especially when it comes to access to health care.
  Community health centers are cutting costs. They are continuing to 
serve our communities extremely well, and they need and they deserve 
congressional support.
  I urge my colleagues to support worthwhile investment in community 
health centers and reject the unwise cuts in H.R. 1.

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