Grace Meng: “This amendment seeks to increase funding for the Women's Bureau within the Department of Labor by slightly more than $1…”

“This amendment seeks to increase funding for the Women's Bureau within the Department of Labor by slightly more than $1 million and would decrease funding for the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Prices and Cost of Living Division by the same amount. This increase would restore the proposed cut the underlying bill would make to DOL's Women's Bureau while still allowing the BLS Prices and Cost of Living Division to be funded at almost $3.5 million above the current enacted funding level and more than half a million dollars over the President's request for the coming fiscal year. For those who might be unaware, the Women's Bureau within the Department of Labor conducts research to help departmental agencies develop policies that advance the interests of working women. It plans and executes research and advises other agencies on the structure and implementation of a wide range of worker programs. Unfortunately, the President's budget request for next fiscal year sought to cut more than three-quarters of the existing staff within the Bureau as well as almost $9 million. Thankfully, this bill does better than the request. My simple hope is that we can go one small step further and fund this program next year at the level it is currently funded at. That is all my amendment seeks to do.…”