Jerry Nadler: “One, we are not talking about level funding. It may be level with the House vote last year, but the omnibus bill this…”

“One, we are not talking about level funding. It may be level with the House vote last year, but the omnibus bill this House voted for and the President signed provided $10 million more than this bill would do this year. So we are being asked to decrease funding by $10 million from the current level. Cities and States will get less than last year, and that makes no provision for the increasing, not level, number of people with AIDS who need this help and for the additional communities supplying to the program every year. The second point is, of course, we must continue our Antarctic research, but this bill does not reduce this program. The bill increases this program for Antarctic research by $1 million. The amendment would reduce the recommended appropriation by $10 million or $9 million less than last year, a reduction from last year of 3.6 percent, and do not forget there are 12 other Federal pots of money for antarctic research. The choice before the House therefore is this. Should we reduce the funding for housing for people with AIDS by $10 million from last year, or should we reduce by $9 million from last year, 3.6 percent, one of the 13 Federal Antarctic research programs? That is the choice. I hope the choice is obvious.”