we need to respect the decisions that women make. We need to trust women.

It was a crisis before the pandemic, and it certainly was exacerbated by that. So it is front and center.

I am deeply concerned that I am over some of my House Republican colleagues' calls for massive spending cuts.

Those early years is when kids are--they are absorbing. They are like little sponges.

There is no seat on this committee for Heritage.

Education, beyond all other devices of human origin, is a great equalizer.

Cuts to HHS, Health and Human Services, would result in fewer opioid use disorder and medication-assisted treatment programs that millions of people in rural areas depend on.

I am proud having served as chair of this committee, and I have served as ranking member in the past of this committee.

My child would not have survived without Medicaid.

We can't afford to lose that time because you never get it back.

I am concerned that rural communities will suffer the brunt of the impact if some of my Republican colleagues move forward with their plan to roll back spending to the 2022 level.

whole child approaches to education

First of all, I would just say to my colleague this great interest in inflation and deficit only arises on sporadic occasions.

I am proud that while I served as chair of the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee we responded quickly and forcefully to the COVID-19 pandemic.

investing in kids, not defunding their education, is how we make our economy stronger and our future brighter.

It was found by the prior administration that the expanded background checks did not increase the safety of these children.

A 22 percent reduction to DOL-funded workforce training and development would prevent 750,000 job seekers from accessing services.

Let us educate ourselves on what these cuts mean.

This bill would require them to cut health programs by at least 22 percent, possibly closer to 30 percent or more.

for-profit OPMs are the new predators in higher education.

To cut those back would be to regress, to backslide to an area of not being prepared again for a pandemic.

I am concerned that increase is not large enough given the need for a robust nursing workforce.

There are some in the Republican House majority that are demanding massive funding cuts in the fiscal year 2024 appropriations.

I wish we could apply the methodology that you have just outlined to other departments in taking a look at what might be suspicious claims, et cetera. Really just, bravo.

I couldn't be more pleased with the 2024 budget request for HHS.